Challenges conquered

If smiles are contagious, Jake Fry would easily spread smiles all across a room.

If his determination and intelligence can help his work history grow, he’ll be able to show his smile nearly anywhere he wants in the future. Fry, 17, is one of the more determined people in the Jasper County work force.

Though he has yet to begin college or any kind of professional certificate program, he’s already persevered through challenges that would seem daunting to most of us. His mother’s complicated pregnancy led to Jake having about half of his right arm amputated shortly after he was born.

He also has never had sight in his right eye, and yet he’s passed a high school equivalency exam and plans to save up money and attend college. Fry, who was recently hired by Arby’s restaurant, said proving he can physically perform at a job hasn’t been the challenge. The challegne is more on the psychological side — what do potential employers think when they see his arm and eye? And — perhaps more importantly — what does he think is on employers’ minds?

“Physically, my situation has no effect on my ability to work,” Fry said. “But some employers assume I can’t do a job, or they’re afraid I’ll scare off customers.”

Fry was born while his family was living in Newton, and he lives in Newton now with his father, Houston. Jake is the oldest of four boys. He said when his mother, Jamie Duggan, was pregnant with him, he suffered from amniotic band syndrome, which cut off circulation in his right arm.

After he was born, a drug treatment to relieve the blood clot ended up damaging the retina to his right eye as a side effect, costing him his sight in that eye. When he was about 10 years old, his non-functional right eye was removed, to avoid potential imbalanced growth and eyesight. He wears a prosthesis, or glass eye.

Fry said he had a number of issues in school, some of which stemmed from classmates making fun of him.

“It was also really tough to concentrate for seven hours,” Fry said regarding school.

Fry moved around frequently, living in southern Illinois, Iowa City and Joshua Tree, Calif. He said he tried out a couple of jobs within the past few years, including delivering papers for the Newton Daily News, but transportation issues kept getting in the way.

A few months away from working allowed Fry to prepare for, and pass, Iowa’s High School Equivalency Test, or HiSET, last fall. That allowed him to search for work without having to attend high school classes — and with a diploma in hand.

Fry mentioned Miranda Kulis and Mary Beth Lawson of the Goodwill Career Connection as two of the people that have helped him immensely with job placement and other employment aspects. Fry would like to attend the Des Moines Area Community College’s Auto Collision Career Academy and earn a certificate there.

Many challenges lie ahead for Fry. He said he’s hoping his Arby’s job will allow him to catch up on some bills. He said he must pay some fines before regaining his driver’s license. He hopes the support of his family will help him achieve some goals; his grandmother has been one of the people helping him with transportation.

Fry has a tremendous vocabulary. If he makes an impression with others the way he has with Arby’s manager Jan Nusbaum, things certainly could continue to pan out for him.

“Jake hasn’t been here that long, but he’s a very happy person,” Nusbaum said. “He does what he’s asked, and he’s very helpful.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com