Friday, November 24, 2006
The woman, who is blind, now suffers from kidney failure.
FOSTORIA, Ohio (AP) -- Like many train enthusiasts, Faith Fahnestock traveled to this Northwest Ohio town because of the hundreds of trains that cross through each day.
But she didn't come to watch the trains. She came to hear them.
Fahnestock is blind.
She can see shadows as the trains rumble past. She stands close enough to feel the vibrations and the wind on her cheeks. She hears the roar of the engines and smells the metal and smoke.
Her husband, Richard Fahnestock, paints the picture, describing the sights.
The couple, who live in Bel Air, Md., drove eight hours to get to Ohio.
Richard Fahnestock found out about the train town while they were taking a trip to Harrisburg, Pa., to see the trains there earlier this year.
Rail enthusiasts flock to Fostoria year round. The town about 40 miles south of Toledo is criss-crossed by dozens of busy railroad tracks. Nearly 200 trains pass through each day.
How it started
The couple will celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary this summer. "It all started as a joke," Richard Fahnestock said of their first date.
"My friends dared me to take her out and I did it. We had ice cream and then went to the carnival, where she got sick," he said.
He took her to meet his parents the next day and on the following Thursday asked her to marry him. "We've been together ever since."
The couple traveled a lot during their marriage, but have only taken day trips in the last few years because of Faith Fahnestock's health.
She suffers from kidney failure and, for the last three years, has required dialysis treatment three times a week.
The couple arrived in Ohio last Saturday and left Tuesday after a dialysis treatment at Fostoria Community Hospital.
To arrange for dialysis, a social worker at Fahnestock's hospital in Maryland contacted Fostoria Community Hospital and took care of the paperwork. Dialysis takes around three to four hours to complete.
Fahnestock said her experience has encouraged her to try traveling more. "They were great and it was easier than I thought it would be," she said.