NATCHEZ &045; A lot has happened in Barney Rymer’s life since the 63 year-old dental technician was first pinpointed by the The Democrat’s dart a few years ago.

Already partially paralyzed by polio, Barney was sitting in a wheelchair outside his home at the end of Cherokee Street last year when a huge oak tree fell on him, breaking his neck.

Barney was rushed to intensive care at University Medical Center in Jackson, where he then suffered a heart attack and a collapsed lung.

&uot;I don’t remember too much of it, really.

They had me pretty knocked out. I just remember being mad when I woke up and didn’t have much grip in my hands,&uot; Barney said.

The neck injury furthered Barney’s paralysis, and doctors did not hold much hope for his recovery. A psychiatrist told him he would never be able to resume making dentures, the profession he had known since he was 16.

But after months of rehabilitation, prayer and support from relatives, Barney has been able to return to his trade in a different role.

&uot;I just show others how to make dentures now,&uot; he said.

Before the tree fell, Rymer lived alone.

Now, his sister and brother-in-law, Harriet and Robby Robinson, stay with him during the week. Their daughter, Johana Murray, helps out on weekends.

Barney has acquired a new companion in Dixie, a year-old golden retriever. He still enjoys the purple martins that occupy the gourds outside his house. His best friend, Harry Porter, still tends a garden in the yard.

And he’s not intimidated by the challenges he has had to overcome.

&uot;It doesn’t bother me. It’s just part of life.

Anybody can do anything they want to,&uot; he said.