A former Easter Seals poster child, Tracy Anderson swept aside lifelong adversity in reaching out to help others.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published October 8, 2004
SEFFNER - Tracy Anderson was partially paralyzed for his entire life. His mother was killed in a car crash when he was 15. A few years later, both his legs were amputated. He had virtually no income and lived an incredibly meager existence.
His greatest joy in life was helping people less fortunate than himself.
"As bad as his situation was, he always wanted to help people," said his sister, Deborah Bearry. "He could sense when people needed help, and he couldn't say no to them. He helped several people get off of crack cocaine."
Mr. Anderson, 46, died in his sleep on Oct. 1 from complications of osteomyelitis, the same condition that had led to the loss of his legs. Mr. Anderson was no stranger to doctors, hospitals and debilitating medical conditions.
Longtime friend Nancy Jacobson met Mr. Anderson about 20 years ago. She works for a doctor near St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, and Mr. Anderson was a patient.
"By the time he came here 22 years ago, he had had something like 80 operations," Jacobson said. "He never complained, even though life had handed him a rough time. He never asked for help."
Mr. Anderson was born with spina bifida and served as poster child for Easter Seals. He posed for photos with Arnold Palmer and other sports figures.
But to his three older siblings, he was just their kid brother.
"My mother would tell us it was okay to be rough with him," Bearry said. "She made sure we knew he was a little boy and wanted to play just like any little boy. He just couldn't walk. We'd carry him on our backs a mile down the road to the creek and he'd go swimming."
Mr. Anderson graduated from East Bay High School, but then much of his life involved doctor visits and constant efforts to get the medications and supplies he needed.
He wanted very much to work, Jacobson said, but if he earned a living, he would lose his disability benefits. It would have been virtually impossible for him to earn enough money to make up that difference.
In the last few years of his life, Mr. Anderson did find a way to work. He became a security guard at Evans Park in Seffner. The county paid for a mobile home, water and power. Local businesses, including Brandon Brace & Limb and Bill's Prescriptions, donated money to build a ramp and provide Mr. Anderson with a few other necessities.
But the job was essentially a volunteer position; he never got a paycheck. Still, he took a fierce pride in the park he had grown to love.
"When he was sick and couldn't work, all he thought about was the park, about who was going to open and close the gates and chase the ruffians away," his sister said.
A few years ago, Mr. Anderson started studying tae kwon do at a nearby school. He eventually earned a black belt and started working a second unpaid job, teaching martial arts to children.
Local newspapers often asked to write stories about Mr. Anderson. Easter Seals contacted him about a reunion of former poster children. He always declined, partly because he didn't see himself as disabled.
"He thought he was challenged, not disabled," Bearry said.
"He said, "I may not be able to climb the mountain, but I can go around it,' "
