Health and Fitness : Virginia Gay highlights veterans John and Bertha Pohlmann

Bertha and John during an honor flight

A great family outing to celebrate John's recent birthday

The Pohlmann family

John and Bertha truly enjoy their family

John Pohlmann, known for his good humor and kindness, seems an unlikely volunteer for the Marine Corps during one of America’s most deadly conflicts; the Korean War. More unlikely still, he carried the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), a big, heavy machine gun shooting .30-06 ammunition at rates as high as 650 rounds per minute. One of the most lethal weapons carried by an infantryman, the BAR was for those who would likely be on the leading edge of heavy combat. Asked why he volunteered for the Marines, John says with a characteristic twinkle, “Well…., they said they were looking for a few good men.”

John vividly remembers his preparations for Korea, including practicing amphibious landings at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. “We would climb over the side of the ship, fifty feet above the landing craft, and I would be carrying that heavy BAR and all could think about is how quickly I would sink to the bottom if I fell in with that gun and all the gear,” John recalls, “and my buddies kept saying that if they sent me to Korea with that BAR I’d be the first one they killed. Well I just laughed and asked what made them think I wouldn’t lose it on the way.”

Bertha was a girl from West Virginia who met John, a farm boy from Mt. Auburn, when she was in the Air Force. It was a chance encounter after she took a bus with a group of women from her base to visit the Marine base where John was stationed. Since then the couple has raised a family, seen their way through multiple career changes and health challenges, and enjoyed many travels together in the U.S. and around the world.

Today John is afflicted with the most common neurologic disease, Parkinson’s. John’s enduring sense of humor shows through when he claims, tongue-in-cheek, to know how he got Parkinson’s. “Bertha and I went to Hawaii and I was watching those dancers on the beach real close, you know….studying how they do that. When I got off the plane in Cedar Rapids I just started shaking and I haven’t stopped.”

For her part, Bertha remains steadfastly committed to her husband of sixty three years. “I’m just thankful to have him here with me,” she says, “I can’t imagine what it would be like without him. I told our minister I don’t care how long I live but I want to live long enough to keep helping John. John often tells me he loves me - I can’t imagine living with somebody who grumbled when you were doing your best to help. He never does.”

John and Bertha attend the Parkinson’s support group organized by the Therapy Services Department at Virginia Gay and they often provide some much appreciated joy and laughter. Recently, members of the group were sharing ideas of what made their symptoms worse, and as the list grew longer the mood grew more somber. That was until John said, “Bertha cooks this dish I don’t like and I’ve never liked it and I’ve told her so for years, but she likes it so that’s what I get. I even went so far as to tell her that my symptoms get much worse after we have that dish - I’m absolutely sure they do, but she still makes it and I still eat it.”

John and Bertha credit Virginia Gay’s therapy services with helping John cope with the symptoms of Parkinson’s. “Shuffling is a common symptom of Parkinson’s”, noted Bertha, “and when John started shuffling pretty badly the therapy department helped him adjust his stride and move more smoothly.”

Stacey Hodges, Director of Therapy Services at Virginia Gay Hospital, facilitates a support group for those struggling with Parkinson’s disease. The group meets to share tips for getting by, encouragement, and to sort through their frequent feelings of depression and loss.

Stacey and her group in Therapy Services are committed to helping this group and all Parkinson’s suffers maintain as much function as they can. Stacey says, “like any health issue where therapy can help, it really is a use-it-or-lose it situation. The key is to keep striving for every skill you have and to adapt when needed to maintain skills as the body changes.”

For Stacey, patients suffering from Parkinson’s offer a unique opportunity to improve lives. “There isn’t a cure and Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease. So like the patients, we set goals, work toward them, and experience feelings of accomplishment when those goals are met,” she says. “I worry as much for their emotional health as I do their physical health. Even the most positive and upbeat people report feelings associated with depression and there is a shortage of trained counselors available to work through those feelings. I also worry about the caregivers like Bertha; they are so crucial to the health of their loved ones and their road isn’t an easy either. All the same, though some meetings are better than others, I always feel uplifted by the joy, laughter, and feelings of accomplishment we share.”

If you or a loved one is battling Parkinson’s, please consider attending the Parkinson’s support group at Virginia Gay Hospital. Meetings are held in the board room adjacent to the cafeteria the third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 PM. Please call therapy services to make certain of the date and time as schedules change somewhat during the holiday season. Complimentary valet parking and wheelchair assistance is available at no charge.