AgrAbility Quarterly. Traumatic Brain Injury

Client Story – Terry Strine

On a midsummer day in 1990, 13-year-old Terry Strine was cleaning the milk house on his family’s small dairy farm in West Salem, Ill. Bending to rinse out what he thought was a feed bucket, Terry inhaled a quick-forming mist rising from the pail. That first breath sent him running for the house. Unable to speak and gasping for air, Terry was rushed to a local hospital.

A black and white photo of Terry Strine as a youth wearing his air-filtering respirator helmet while filling a feed bucket.
Terry Strine as a youth wearing his air-filtering respirator helmet while filling a feed bucket.

Terry sustained permanent lung damage. The pail he had been rinsing originally contained a strong chemical mixture commonly used to clean milk-handling systems. The noxious fumes were not identified and Terry’s bronchial injuries left him susceptible to asthma and allergic reactions to substances in his environment. If exposed to dust of any kind, Terry begins sneezing and wheezing uncontrollably and may experience trouble sleeping due to breathing difficulties.

His extreme sensitivity to dust and the strong odors of milk house chemicals might have kept Terry from working on the farm. However, with the assistance of AgrAbility, Terry’s respiratory disability only temporarily kept him from his farm responsibilities. AgrAbility Unlimited, the AgrAbility project in Illinois, helped Terry acquire a battery-powered air-filtering respirator helmet to wear on the farm. “I could hardly do anything before I got the helmet” Terry recalls. The equipment allowed him to resume most of his farm chores growing up.

Today, Terry works full time driving forklifts at a local pallet manufacturing company. Since he works outdoors, his condition isn’t really a problem and does not require the use of his air-filtering respirator. When he isn’t driving forklifts, Terry still helps out around the farm. He currently manages his condition with allergy medications, by “steering clear” of dust whenever possible, and by using the respirator when needed. He estimates he uses the device three to four times a week around the farm to avoid airborne dust from wheat, beans, and feed as well as when mowing the grass.

His parents, Bill and Kathy Strine, still operate the farm that has been in the family for around 70 years. The Strines grow wheat, beans and corn on 800 acres. Some things have changed in the 14 years since Terry’s injury. The Strines no longer have the dairy operation but raise a small herd of beef cattle. But one thing hasn’t – Terry Strine’s air-filtering respirator helmet. He still uses the same respirator AgrAbility helped him acquire over 10-years ago. It’s a snug fit now and although the respirator filter has been replaced over the years and the original battery doesn’t hold a charge like when it was new, Terry says he’s not ready for a change.

NEXT: Focus – Respiratory Issues: Confinement Housing Hazards

In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story – Terry Strine Section 2: Focus & Assistive Technology Notes – Respiratory Issues: Confinement Housing Hazards	Section 3: State Project Feature – AgrAbility Unlimited (Illinois) Section 4: References and Resources Section 5: Contacts