By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"Mr. Sunshine" celebrated his 60th birthday on June 27, in the company of his family and friends at his favorite restaurant: Randy's Diner.
Developmentally disabled and a brittle diabetic who cannot eat solid food, reaching the six-decade milestone was never a given for Joey Chance. Joey has been a resident for the past 25 years at the Community Living Center, where he thrives thanks to their special attention and care.
Joining the party were staff from the CLC, current and former residents, staff at Randy's Diner and his mother, Mabelle, who relished the milestone and the love shown to her son. He opened many presents and ate sugar-free pudding brought by a friend while attendees munched on birthday cake he could not have.
"He was not expected to live to be a teen-ager," said Chance, an Elmwood Township resident. "I'm his mother and he was at home for 37 years and it was only Traverse City that I could find anyone to take on his problems of diet and insulin, no one in Wayne or Oakland counties would take him."
Chance has become a fixture at Randy's Diner, where he drops in many weekday afternoons for a cup of coffee and some friendship. The staff there dubbed him "Mr. Sunshine" to help counter his phobia about storms. If Joey's looking worried about weather, the waitresses will tell him they have all kinds of sunshine stored so they'll put some in his back pocket that he can take out on cloudy days. "We like him, we enjoy him," said Lola Antoine, a server at Randy's Diner. "He has a few cups of coffee, comes in almost every day."
Since 1981, the Community Living Center staff have closely monitored Chance's blood sugar, administering the necessary blood sugar tests and insulin multiple times a day. In addition, they purchased an expensive food processor for Joey and taught him to make his own meals drawn from what the rest of the house will be eating. For example, a recent dinner featured bread, chicken tetrazinni, canned carrots and milk. Joey combines all the components into the processor and blends it until smooth and drinkable.
"He thrives here and they all regard him as their kid, so he gets very good care," said Chance, who previously served on the center's board. "He came here in 1981 and it was a miracle, it was a new life for all of us."
Most residents of the Community Living Center do not stay for decades but in Joey's case, the relationship is long-term. A six-month stint at another facility years ago did not work out and he wound up in the hospital multiple times due to blood sugar fluctuations. He moved back to the center where the staff got him back on track.
"It wouldn't be the same without him here," said Nina Prainito, a program counselor at the center.
As for the Randy's Diner connection, Chance noted that her son enjoys another slice of life thanks to the staff's warm welcome. Community Living Center staff will frequently drop him off there for an hour on afternoons when they are out running errands for the house or with residents. Or she will take him on days when she is in town for appointments or to visit her son.
"All of those girls are so great and Joey is their child," she said of Diner personnel. "They say that if he doesn't come in, they worry about him."
"There are people in Traverse City who have been conditioned to handicapped people since way back in the days of the State Hospital," Chance added.