April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Vision-impaired doctor supports those dealing with blindness
"A good doctor," she replies.
At 85, Dr. Pesnel may be retired from practicing medicine, but a recent lifetime achievement award from the Capital District Senior Issues Forum proves that he's far from idle.
The parishioners of St. Thomas parish in Delmar, who recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, keep up a whirlwind of volunteer activities while also finding time for their two children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Career choice
Born in New York City, Dr. Pesnel moved to the Albany Diocese as a boy when his father took a job in Watervliet. The family lived in several locations in Albany and Menands while the future doctor was growing up and deciding on a career."Medicine was the big one," he said of his youthful interests. While he joked that he wanted to run a subway in New York as a child, Dr. Pesnel realized in high school that he wanted to pursue medicine as a career. However, it took a while for him to decide on a specialty.
"A doctor was a doctor as far as I was concerned," he remarked, adding that he marvels at today's young people, many of whom seem to choose a specific field before even experiencing it.
Working with kids
Treating children led Dr. Pesnel to choose pediatrics as a focus; he spoke with particular passion of his decades of pro bono work at St. Margaret's Center in Albany (once called St. Margaret's House and Hospital for Babies), a haven begun by the Episcopal Diocese for young children with severe congenital defects.At first, the young doctor was shocked to see infants with such extensive disabilities.
"But I got over that because somebody has to take care of them," he said. "They're human beings. We cured some; we lost some; we began to open some up for adoption."
War years
Dr. Pesnel recalled meeting a "gorgeous blue-eyed nurse" named Irene on the pediatric floor while he was a medical student. Very quickly, "I knew darn well she was the one I was going to marry."The couple wed the day after Christmas, hoping to have some time together before Dr. Pesnel was called to serve in World War II. But he went to Europe not long after D-Day. He treated wounded soldiers at St. Lo, Aachen and Cologne, and even created a displaced-person camp for nearly 8,000 refugees.
After the war, the doctor returned to Albany Medical Center's pediatrics department, as well as serving at St. Margaret's, running his own private practice and working at clinics without pay. (One of these was the pediatric wing of Brady Maternity Hospital in Albany, now the diocesan Pastoral Center.)
In his "spare time," he served on the boards of diocesan Catholic Charities and Inter-County Home Care, became pro bono medical director for the Easter Seal Society, and spoke to professionals at Catholic Charities agencies about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He later taught at Albany Medical College and became chief of pediatrics at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, responsible for a 42-bed ward, a nursery for premature infants, a clinic, and an annual batch of new interns and residents.
Busy life
The doctor described his extensive career with humility. "I think I did it pretty well," he said. "I got a lot of satisfaction, and I think I helped a lot of parents and kids."He remarked that he wasn't sure how his students saw him: "I don't know whether they thought of me as a hard taskmaster, but I loved to teach!"
Dr. Pesnel also learned a few things along the way -- not the least of which was the secret of a marriage that has already lasted nearly six decades.
"You have to be darn sure when you marry that you're going to live by what you were taught: that you're faithful, that you're honest and that you love one another," he stated. "We still get along very well. We don't always agree 100 percent, but you have to look at both sides."
New focus
The doctor's family always claimed that he'd retire when they carried him out of his office, but in the 1980s, he began to suffer from macular degeneration, an eye condition that leads to blindness. One day, "my eye doctor told me I was legally blind. That comes as a blow," he said simply.At first, realizing he would have to give up medicine, Dr. Pesnel despaired. But he made up his mind that he wouldn't let the disease defeat him and turned his attention to his doctor's suggestion: starting a support group for others with vision problems. For two years, he steeped himself in learning about macular degeneration. With the help of a closed-circuit television that greatly magnifies reading material and a magnifying glass made for hobbyists, he read everything he could find on the disease.
While doing so, he also took a position with the County Health Department where he didn't have to do direct patient care. He became a member of the Northeast Association for the Blind, the Kenwood Braille Association and other organizations.
Helping others
BY 1994, he felt confident that he had learned enough about vision impairments to start a support group. The group meets monthly at Bethlehem Town Hall, with transportation and refreshments provided by the town. The doctor stressed that he does not treat people, but simply serves as a resource for those who want to know more about their condition.Dr. Pesnel noted that he always makes an agenda for the meetings but often doesn't need it: Newcomers have so many questions that the group spends most of its time in discussion. People want to know when they should stop driving, how to access devices to help them read and whether their children will inherit their disability.
"I also help people cope," said the doctor. "Ninety-five percent of those who come are despairing; they have clinical depression. I tell them what they should do, and one thing is to see a psychiatrist."
Dr. Pesnel still spends as many as five hours a day doing research on blindness and vision impairment. He is also a Eucharistic minister at his parish and spends a good portion of his time playing the violin for performances by the Capital Area Senior Orchestra.
"I can't drive, but I can still think," he commented.
He also boasted of his wife's accomplishments. Mrs. Pesnel is a fellow Eucharistic minister and parish volunteer, and she founded a companion program for local retired Daughters of Charity. The couple both do quality-assurance work for St. Peter's home care.
Active
The idea of slowing down makes Dr. Pesnel shake his head firmly. While some senior citizens want to bask on a Florida beach, he said, "Florida is flat, dull, it's full of old people, and it's buggy and hot. We like it here."Besides, he said, "You have to do something! I don't want to get Alzheimer's. I want to be stimulated and keep moving!"
As for his lifetime achievement award -- which came with a thick packet of congratulatory citations from the New York State Senate and Assembly, Albany County, and the Town of Bethlehem -- Dr. Pesnel just said he's "very pleased."
Ironically, he has helped select winners of the award for the past several years, but said, "I never considered myself a candidate."
(The Vision Impaired Seniors group meets on selected Fridays at Bethlehem Town Hall from 1-2 p.m. The group's next meetings are Jan. 25, Feb. 22 and March 22. For information, call 439-2422.)
(01-10-02) [[In-content Ad]]
MORE NEWS STORIES
- Warsaw archbishop ‘devastated, crushed’ by priest’s arrest in brutal murder of homeless man
- Alligator Alcatraz, Carlo Acutis mosaic, scooter-riding catechist | Week in Review
- Washington Roundup: Epstein controversy boils; Trump signs order on homelessness; and more
- UPDATE: Detroit archbishop fires three theologians from Sacred Heart Seminary
- Report: FBI surveilled SSPX priest amid probe of suspected neo-Nazi’s plans for violence
- Tension emerges between Trump immigration policies and agricultural industry
- Children of Catholic OB-GYN behind Creighton fertility care model follow in his footsteps
- LA archbishop, joined by business leaders, starts fund to help families affected by ICE raids
- Meet 88-year-old scooter-riding catechist from Singapore who has brought 2,000 people into church
- Migrants, refugees bravely embody the belief that joy is possible, pope says in message
Comments:
You must login to comment.