FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015
Local & Entertainment
A 13.1-mile journey
where Mike
was standing,
and I turned
around to
walk that
direction.
Suddenly, a
wave hit the
base of the
rock bluff,
and though
I could not
see it, I could
tell by the
sound it was
Wellness Watch
a large wave.
Spray shot
By Tonya Dias
into the air
and started
I’d like to take a few
to rain down on me.
moments to tell you about
I ducked my head
a journey; one that started
preparing for the saltwater
ten years ago on the Or-
to soak me like it had Josh.
egon coast, and reached
Instead, I was hit from
a milestone on March 21,
behind by a wall of water,
2015 in Moab, Utah.
which I can only liken to
That blustery March day
being hit by a truck. This
in 2005 started out like any wave picked me up and
other: We had breakfast as
thrashed me around like I
a family (my three sons,
was in a washing machine.
my then-husband, and I)
When the wave sub-
and set on about our day.
sided, I was seated facing
What was different
a rock wall, my back still
was we were in Coos Bay
to the ocean. I quickly
on our way back from a
looked for Zach and Lo-
junior casting competi-
gan, and after seeing they
tion that two of our sons
were alright, shouted for
had participated in the day
them to get up to where
before. Our plan was to
Josh was safely standing.
see Shore Acres State Park,
I quickly took stock of
drive to Roseburg and see
myself, and when I looked
the animal safari and then
down, it was obvious I had
continue the drive home to broken my femur. Nothing
Baker City.
hurt at this point because,
We arrived at Shore
luckily, my leg was float-
Acres mid-morning to blue ing in a small pool of
skies, wind and fantastic
water. Mike came down
waves. I had never seen
to where I was sitting and
waves like this before; they scooped me up to carry me
were churning the ocean
to safety since there was
at the base of the rocks a
strong potential for another
milky white, hitting the
wave to hit there. Being
rocks and creating amaz-
picked up hurt. A lot. I said
ing spray. It was truly a
bad words. A lot of bad
gorgeous sight, and one
words.
that we thought deserved a
Some really nice
closer look.
bystanders gave the boys
There were no barriers
blankets and calmed them
between the “viewpoint”
while we waited for the
and the rock bluffs, no
ambulance. The first
warning signs—nothing
responders splinted the leg
to indicate what we were
(Hurt. A lot!), loaded me
doing was potentially
up and took me to Coos
dangerous. Knowing what Bay Hospital.
I know now, it was incred-
X-rays revealed my
ibly dangerous, and fool-
femur was snapped in half
ish, to be out on the rock
in one spot, broken in an-
bluffs.
other and my knee cap was
Josh, my middle son,
completely obliterated.
was the first to go down to
The orthopedic surgeon,
the rocks, standing about
Dr. Davis, came in and told
40 feet above the ocean
me I’d probably lose 30%
shore. The waves began to of my range of motion, but
build, and before long Josh would be fine without a
found himself soaked by a
knee cap and that I would
wave that hit the rocks and have a rod in my femur to
sent spray shooting into
help it heal.
the air.
I had surgery, stayed five
Zach, my oldest, Logan, days in the hospital, was
the youngest, and I were
released and came home
the next to venture to the
to begin my recovery. My
rocks. We spent time
leg was immobilized for
watching the waves build
nine weeks, and then I
off shore, hit the base of
started physical therapy at
the rocks we were standing (then) St. Elizabeth Hospi-
on, and just enjoying the
tal. When I began therapy
sounds and beautiful sights and realized how much
of the ocean.
30% was, I knew that just
My then-husband, Mike,
wouldn’t work, and my
was on another bluff about
therapists (Jody & Diana)
20 feet above us, also
agreed we could do better.
taking in the gorgeous
Twice each week I
scenery. Josh was already
would attend physical
wet, so he was intelligently therapy and work toward
watching from a distance,
full range of motion. My
having had enough of the
therapists never stopped
cold ocean.
pushing me, encouraging
After several minutes of
me and working with me to
watching the ocean, I de-
get better each visit. After
cided to make my way to
two manipulations to break
the scar tissue in my knee,
and six months of therapy,
I had regained nearly all
my range of motion and
was discharged to continue
working on my own.
The only thing I was
told I probably would
never be able to do was
long distance running,
which was fine, I didn’t
run anyway!
I regained full use of
my leg and went on to
complete several sprint-
distance triathlons, several
5k races, began road and
mountain biking and
hiked all over the hills. I
was able to do whatever I
wanted to without having
to worry about my leg—it
worked just fine. I guess
in the back of my mind, I
always wondered what was
next.
In January we decided
for spring break this year
we would take a family va-
cation to Moab, Utah, and
do some hiking and biking.
While looking at things to
do there, we discovered
there was a half-marathon
the day we were planning
to arrive. My partner, Jake,
said we should do the half.
I said, “We should?”
We began training and
then with about five weeks
before the event, Jake
strained his calf and was
unable to continue training.
Registration complete and
paid for (non-refundable),
I carried on, logging miles
and getting stronger,
though still never really
considering myself a run-
ner.
We drove to Moab,
and on March 21, 2015,
I completed my first half
marathon! My knee felt
good the whole race and it
was a very emotional, very
fulfilling experience.
I want to say thank you
to Mike, who did a great
job of taking care of me af-
ter the accident, a wonder-
ful physical therapy staff at
the hospital here in Baker
City, the fantastic first re-
sponders that day in Coos
Bay, the great skills of the
surgeon, and the amazing
hospital staff in Coos Bay,
as well.
You should know, what-
ever your goals are, you
can do it! You may not be
the fastest, or strongest,
but let go of the competi-
tion and just be thankful
for the opportunity. There
are many who cannot run,
walk, cycle, swim or even
get out of bed.
If you can, you owe it
to yourself and those that
can’t to get out there and
try!
Tonya Dias is a Certified
Holistic Health Coach and the
founder of Intuitive Nutrition.
She received her training at
the Institute For Integrative
Nutrition in New York and her
certification from the Ameri-
can Association of Drugless
Practitioners. She teaches
wellness workshops, as well
as individual and group
health coaching sessions. You
may reach Tonya at intuitive.
nutrition@hotmail.com.
— Random Acts of Kindness —
Each week The Baker
County Press will in-
clude a list—all anony-
mous, of course—of
the good deeds and
random acts of kind-
ness people from
around the area have
witnessed. To include
something you’ve seen
or experienced, email
News@TheBakerCoun-
tyPress.com with “Ran-
dom Acts of Kindness”
in the subject line.
We’ll be sure to include
your story.
• It was very kind of
Jim Howerton to send
out the call to help a
young man in Baker
City who wanted to
start his own lawnmow-
ing business.
A local business (Carl
Dedrick and Baker
Cab Company) bought
young Ernesto a new
lawnmower and weed
eater to get this budding
entrepreneur started.
Awesome.
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 11
Bebe’s word search
This week’s crossword puzzle
Across
1- Mont Blanc, par ex-
emple;
5- Roast host;
10- In a tizzy;
14- Heating fuel;
15- Severe;
16- Tidal ____;
17- Need a scratch;
18- Home run king
Hank;
19- Tabula ___;
20- Moving about;
22- Teacher;
24- Cajole;
27- Half of zwei;
28- Scoundrel;
32- Posters;
36- Yang’s counterpart;
37- Rocky debris;
39- Paroxysmal pain;
40- A good one gets you
there in a hurry;
42- City in Tuscany;
44- “Peter Pan” pooch;
45- Kosher;
47- Crucifix;
49- Kind of school;
50- Jagged;
51- Learned persons;
53- Emilia’s husband;
56- Jekyll’s alter ego;
57- Oppose;
61- Very, to Verdi;
65- Sacramento’s ___
Arena;
66- Hit back, perhaps;
69- Harmony;
70- Get wind of;
71- Search blindly;
72- Feminine suffix;
73- Average guy?;
74- Sontag composition;
75- Peruse;
Down
1- Capital city of West-
ern Samoa;
2- Permits;
3- Covenant;
4- Morals;
5- Conductor ___-Pekka
Salonen;
6- 1959 Kingston Trio
hit;
7- Part of a bird’s beak;
8- Eat into;
9- The blahs;
10- Scraped spot or
area;
11- Capricorn’s animal;
12- About;
13- Equipment;
21- Turns;
23- “Power Lunch”
network;
25- Pendulum paths;
26- Adapted to a dry
environment;
28- Recurring series;
29- Exxon Valdez, e.g.;
30- Architect Jones;
31- Ogles;
33- South American
ruminant;
34- Cruise ship;
35- Lots;
38- Son of Cain;
41- Pea-shaped;
43- Sickly;
46- Rip;
48- Scotch go-with;
52- Children of a ___
God;
54- Pig out;
55- Lulus;
57- “All the Way” lyricist
Sammy;
58- Sandwich cookie;
59- Tenn. neighbor;
60- New Mexico art
colony;
62- Auld Lang ___;
63- Author Quindlen;
64- Chilled;
67- Tax pro;
68- Mystery writer Jose-
phine;