In Memoriam: Joseph Dominy

By Matt Weafer
The Broadcast

When Joseph Dominy was 19 months old, his parents, Rick and Polly Dominy noticed Joseph struggled when he walked. Rick Dominy told the Messenger-Inquirer in 1992, ''He had a waddling gait when he walked.''

At age two Joseph Dominy was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. In 1988, he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which only one out of 3,500 boys are diagnosed with a year. In 1989 and 1990 he was the area poster child for muscular dystrophy.

When Joseph was seven, Rick Dominy published the book Bound Up in the Child's Life so Joseph would know how much his parents loved him. ''I always want him to know that,'' Rick Dominy told the Messenger-Inquirer when the book was published.

Doctors predicted that by age eight of nine, Joseph would need leg braces, possibly a wheelchair, and he wasn’t expected to live past 18 or 19.

Joseph lived out a life-long dream in early February, by attending a University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball game. Joseph considers himself a “True Blue Fan.”
This semester, twenty-year-old Joseph cruises through Brescia’s halls in a wheelchair, always with a smile on his face and a joke on his tongue.

Senior Jessica Gentry, who has known Joseph since his grade school days at Newton Parrish Elementary School, said, “It is impossible to be in a bad mood when you are around Joseph. He won’t allow it.”

Because of Joseph’s positive attitude and presence at Brescia, along with his strength and persistence to power through his disease, he was named The Broadcast Student of the Year for 2005 – 2006.

Sophomore Arnold Lewis, an international student from Liberia, Africa, has been feeding Joseph breakfast and lunch this semester. “Joseph opened my heart,” Lewis said. “Working with him is very important to me. I never felt like that before. He’s very friendly and he is always asking how class is going or how the semester is going.”

Joseph was admitted into Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on February 13. He was connected to a respirator to assist his breathing, but was disconnected on February 16. After a little struggle, he gained strength as the day went on.