Legally blind resident has sights set on breast cancer walk
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers Karen Svoboda

Karen Svoboda has had to overcome plenty of obstacles in her own life, but that hasn't stopped her from wanting to do something for others.

Despite dislocating her left kneecap and undergoing major surgery on Feb. 12, Svoboda has recently begun training for the two-day, 39-mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Los Angeles in September.

And there's a challenge she's dealt with for a longer while: Svoboda is legally blind.

The Simi Valley woman was born with macular degeneration, a condition that has resulted in the gradual loss of her central vision. Most people who have macular degeneration contract it later in life, and little is known about the congenital form.

Even though she no longer drives, Svoboda gets around just fine while walking in Simi Valley and taking the bus to work in the bakery at Vons. She peers through large magnifiers to read newspapers and and to see her computer screen.

Svoboda, 43, knew exactly when she had to quit driving.

"I had to take an eye test after I got a speeding ticket. They told me to read the chart. I was like, 'What chart?'" she said. "I was able to drive until my mid20s. It got too bad. I stopped on my own. I went home, parked the car and haven't driven since."

She said she had a scare 14 years ago when she discovered a lump in her breast.

While watching TV recently, she saw a commercial about the Avon walk.

"You know what, that looks like fun," she said. "It never hit me before. I saw the commercial, and I said, 'I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it.'"

Svoboda wore a large leg brace for six weeks after the knee surgery, and with it she was able to walk a mile.

She recently moved to a smaller brace, and her training started all over again: Now Svoboda can walk only around the block.

The Orange County native's goal is to build up to 15 miles in one day before the Avon walk. She goes to physical therapy three times a week and is trying to gain muscle strength back in her legs.

"I'm nervous she might hurt herself," said her 19-year-old daughter, Bethany Barton. "Other than that, it sounds really cool. I'm just hoping she'll be healed enough to do it."

The two-day Avon walk, which begins with a marathon on Sept. 13, will be Svoboda's first official long-distance event. At Katella High School in Anaheim, Svoboda played softball and was a member of the track and field team, competing in the high jump, the 110-meter dash and the 220 dash.

Svoboda's husband, Cory, 52, said he's happy she wants to challenge herself.

"It's something she's wanted to do," he said. "If she puts her mind to it and gets her training done, I think she'll be able to do it. . . . She'll be walking by herself, but she's going to be in a huge crowd. I'm not really too concerned; she can get around pretty well. I know she's excited about it. I am too for her.

"She knows what she has to do to make it happen," Cory said.

"I'm just really proud of her for wanting to do something like this. She's got enough challenges in her own life, but to want to help people who have challenges in theirs, that's something to be proud of."

To donate in Svoboda's name, go to avonwalk.org, click on "Make a Donation," and then click on "Donate to a Participant." Next, click on "Los Angeles 2008" and type in "Karen Svoboda" where appropriate.

You can also contact Svoboda directly by e-mail at karenavonbcwalk@yahoo.com.