Norma and Joe Burnette
Joseph “Joe” Burnette, who was known as a “go-getter” during his adulthood, received some life-changing news as a teenager. Born in North Carolina, Joe had two loving parents and one younger sister. When he was 10 years old, his family uprooted and moved to Tennessee.
Shortly after they moved to Tennessee, Joe and his parents started noticing that Joe’s right hand was shaky and that his right shoulder had started to droop. This went on from age 10-15. While dealing with these symptoms and an unknown diagnosis, Joe continued going to school despite the noticeable spasms in his hand. One morning, at the age of 15, Joe woke up and found his body all twisted, and he had major pain in his neck. His father took him to the doctor, where they received the rare diagnosis of Dystonia Musculorum Deformans, which is a state of abnormal muscle tone. Later, as an adult, it was determined that it was caused by a birth injury.
Joe was not able to return to high school for two years. When he did finally return, he had a spastic right arm, and had to learn to write left-handed, but he could walk.
Joe attended Carson College where he received a teaching degree in mathematics. He went off to teach at a school in Hampton, VA. During his early teaching career, he went back to school to get his Audio Visual degree. He put this to good use, eventually running the Audio Visual Department at the school.
While living in Hampton, VA, Joe attended a young peoples’ church retreat. Little did he know, he was about to meet Norma, the woman he would later marry. Norma, Joe’s wife of 51 years, remembers being at the retreat at dinner time. She said she was taking a peek in the dining hall to see “what looked good.” When she first saw Joe, all she saw was that “ear to ear” grin and nothing else. Later that evening, a movie was on the schedule. She sat down in an open seat next to Joe. The movie projector was not working, so she and Joe talked and talked until it was fixed.
When things really got serious between Norma and Joe, and knowing what his medical diagnosis was, Norma remembers thinking to herself, “What will Joe’s condition be like when he gets older, even though his symptoms keep getting better?” And then, she thought, “We will just deal with whatever comes our way.” And that is what they have done ever since. “In Joe’s mid-60’s his limbs started to become very painful and contracted, which is why he currently is at GHRC,” Norma said.
Together, Norma and Joe have a beautiful family which includes three children; two daughters, one son, and four grandchildren. Having a love for cars, he enjoyed working on them during his free time. At one point, Joe took classes at Duke University to become a minister and served for a few years. Joe also enjoyed yard work, and Norma remembers her neighbors telling her that he was up on a ladder working on their roof and it was shaking. Joe had them all scared!
All in all, their life together has been wonderful, Norma says. They have enjoyed taking trips together, always had animals, and a strong Christian faith. They have been through thick and thin, and numerous hospital visits, stays, and procedures, but have always been by each other’s sides.
Norma visits Joe daily and enjoys spending time reading, talking, and being together. We are so grateful for Norma taking the time to share Joe’s story with us. We are so happy to have Joe as part of our GHRC family.
By Christina Horan, Activity Assistant
