Roger and Elko

Louisville, Kentucky (ANS)—He lost sight in his right eye at age 11. Then he endured five operations that failed to save his other eye, leaving him completely blind at 25. But that hasn’t stopped him—-along with his guide dog ‘Elko’—-in their quest to restore spiritual sight to anyone placed in their path.

“I was born with glaucoma,” says Roger Brannon, 45, a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The drainage system of the eye is blocked in those suffering with glaucoma, causing a gradual buildup of pressure and hardening of the eyeball—-eventually leading to blindness. Brannon’s right eye was removed in 1994 due to excessive pain caused by complications of the disease. In his remaining eye, he sees some light and shadows, but has no usable sight whatsoever.

Doctors tried, but failed to save the sight in his left eye. “Things gradually disappeared from my field of vision,” Brannon recalls. “I got to the point when I couldn’t read large print even with a magnifying glass,” he says. “They tried to save my eyesight as long as possible.”

Brannon’s abiding personal faith helped sustain him throughout the ordeal. “I came to Christ when I was 12 or 13,” Brannon says. “I recognized I needed to have my sins forgiven and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life,” he says. As he grew in his faith, a passion for outreach—especially to the blind—began to emerge.

“God used some people including myself to begin a ministry outreach to the blind in Tallahassee, my hometown,” Brannon says. In 1997 he and a few other launched a chapter of Florida Christian Fellowship of the Blind in Tallahassee. “God gave me a call to see this concept spread elsewhere in the nation.”

He started a Master of Divinity program in 2000, and hopes to graduate next year—-along with his guide dog Elko. Elko will receive the Master of Dog in missions, special recognition Brannon requested from the seminary for his loyal companion.

“When Elko’s in class with me he might be technically considered a participant even though he doesn’t say anything, except for snoring,” Brannon notes. It seems that Elko does enjoy an occasional canine snooze in certain classes.

One day Brannon entered class with Elko and sensed the conditions were ripe for a nap. “I asked my guide dog if he was ready to saw logs in class that day,” Brannon recalls. Overhearing the remark, Brannon’s professor said, “Why should he be the exception?”

Sure enough, Elko started to snore mid-way through the lecture, which the professor found somewhat “disconcerting,” wondering aloud if it was his voice inflection or the content of the material.

Brannon’s academic progress was slowed due to several unforeseen problems that developed at school. He suffered a broken leg and torn ligaments in his ankle after a serious fall while he and Elko were learning a new route off campus. Brannon refused to cast any blame or judgment on Elko, but the dog was sent back to guide dog school while Brannon recuperated.

Two years ago, Brannon also underwent surgery to repair a congenital hole in his heart, and angioplasty to repair his right coronary artery.

None of these setbacks has diminished his zeal to spread his faith. Starting in the 1980s, he began participating in teams engaged in street witnessing. More recently, he and Elko look for opportunities on their daily walks. “We go for walks and we meet people and talk with them, or visit restaurants, and find a chance to start a conversation,” he says.

“I would like for God to direct me to go wherever he wants me to go, and serve Him in whatever capacity to reach the lost—-especially the blind—-with the Good News of Jesus Christ.”