After losing her husband, she returns to college

Patty Tyson, 48, is studying process technology at Lee College.

“He was a deputy sheriff in Chambers County and was on his way to work when it happened. He made it home, but we didn’t realize it was a stroke because he was acting pretty normal. The following day, he started losing his speech and ability to walk. Every day after that, he lost something else. He was in the hospital nine days before he died.

“We were married 28 years. I got married when I was just 17. We had a very good, close marriage, so it’s been pretty rough. I’ve been depressed, just emotionally and physically. It’s been nearly four years since I lost him, and I finally decided I needed to shake up my life and try to move on.”

What’s it like returning to college after all these years?
“I had taken some classes a long time ago when my children were young, but then life just got in the way. Now, I’m discovering that my brain doesn’t work the way it used to when I was young. It doesn’t absorb things as quickly, so I have to study a little bit harder.”

How are you doing?
“So far, so good. I’m about halfway through, and I have a 3.7 grade-point average.”

— Patty Tyson