ORANGE : Disease Doesn’t Stop Citizen of the Year

Driving the 275 miles to Las Vegas alone may not seem like a big deal to most people. But to Linda Graf, on her way to a service club convention in June, it could have been.

Graf has been left without use of her legs as a result of a 21-year struggle with multiple sclerosis.

But a woman who has survived breast cancer and the untimely death of her husband, and fights a moment-to-moment battle with the degenerative disease, wasn’t about to let a strip of roadway rob her of her independence.

“I wanted to prove I could do it,” said Graf, who operates a specially equipped van with hand controls. “And I did.”

Graf’s efforts to triumph over adversity have proven beneficial to her community, as well as a source of inspiration. The former elementary school teacher regularly donates 30 hours a week to helping out as many as five church and service organizations.

For her volunteer efforts, Graf was recognized at a city luncheon Friday as the 1993 Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

“It’s really quite an honor, and it was quite a surprise,” said the 56-year-old Orange resident. “I’m just trying to enjoy it. Maybe that’s wrong, but I am.”

“She’s a fabulous individual,” said Helen Walker, part of the chamber’s Citizen of the Year selection committee. “She’s a gal that has had a lot of valleys in her life. The wheelchair does not seem to have stopped her from being gung-ho about helping other people. She’s really an inspiration.”

Despite her setbacks, Graf has devoted most of her adult life to helping others. She is active in the Women’s Club of Orange, the Kiwanis Club and the Presbyterian Church of Orange, among others.

“The multiple sclerosis is an inconvenience,” Graf said. “But it’s never stopped me. It slows me up sometimes. But if I can do it physically, if I have the knowledge, I will do it.”

“From the waist up, I’m fine,” she added. “But from the waist down, I’m just losing strength piece by piece. But I guess that’s just part it.”

Graf said one of her most satisfying experiences came as a volunteer for Lifeline at St. Joseph’s Hospital during the 1980s. The program helps monitor infirm and elderly residents and dispatches paramedics in case of emergency.

Graf’s latest honor is not her first. She was selected Kiwanian of the Year by the Kiwanis Club of Orange Suburbia, just two years after being the first woman to join the all-men’s group in 1987. She has also served as president of the Women’s Club of Orange.

In fact, the van she drove to Las Vegas represents another award of sorts: The vehicle was given to her by the Kiwanis Club last year and has since become an essential part of her active life.

“That’s what keeps me going,” a teary-eyed Graf said of the sentiment behind the gift. “It just keeps me going.”