JACKSON, Miss.—Swanzetta Rankin won’t soon forget the last time she took feeding herself for granted.
It was the night of Feb. 26, and the 28-year-old was at her mom’s mobile home in Waynesboro. She had just polished off a plate of peas and cornbread and was nodding off in front of the TV when she heard a strange pop that seemed to vibrate inside her brain. Soon after, she went blind in one eye and numb from the neck down.