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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2008)
vernonia’s voice community august 2008 rive on December 6. And then on December 3, another tragedy struck. The Vernonia area received over elev- en inches of rain in twenty-four hours, leading to severe flooding and damage to many homes in the region. One of the homes flooded was Dean and Kendra’s. “Sylas and I were at home when we received a phone call to ex- pect flooding,” said Kendra. “I had already put up Christmas decorations so I had big empty Rubbermaid tubs sitting around. I threw clothes, diapers and baby food in for Sylas and some photo albums.” Kendra and Sylas got out safely and stayed with friends. Their home ended up with four feet of water in it. “We lost practically every- thing,” said Kendra. The family has since relocated to a different house in Vernonia, a rental on high ground. to walk yet, he is now sitting up longer since having back surgery in mid-April that relieved a lot of pressure and pain he was experiencing. His overall strength is better. He is now able to support himself and get him- self into a sitting position from bed. He was having unexplained cold body temperature on the right side which has recently improved. And he has regained a lot of speech ability. “It’s amazing how far he has come,” said Terry. “He had to relearn how to do everything. Everything!” Terry was so confident about Dean’s ability to improve that they applied for and got deer tags for hunting this fall with the hope that Dean will be able to go along. And he has even bigger ambitions for Dean. “My goal is to get him back out and falling trees in the woods,” said Terry. Kendra gri- maces at this. “None of the women in the family want to hear that, but that is my hope,” said Terry. Dean remained conspicuously silent on the issue. Terry talked about Dean’s retention of his memo- ries. “That has been so important - that he remembers so much from before. He has had no loss of memo- ry.” It was initially a big concern because doctors didn’t know how much permanent damage was done during the brain surgery I first visited with the family in June of this year. they had done. But Dean is very sharp Dean was getting ready to return to the Rehabilitation which he demonstrated during our visits. Institute of Oregon (RIO) at Legacy Good Samaritan Kendra and Terry were trying to remember Hospital in Portland for the third time. Dean’s recovery the date when Dean first came home and and progress had been amazing. The family has seen were going back and forth about whether improvements they were told were not possible. Dean it was February or March. Dean finally has regained some of his vision - he can now see out of piped in and informed them he came home the upper left quadrant of both eyes which forces him on January 17th for a month before head- to tilt and turn his head to see. Although he is not able ing to the RIO Rehab facility in February. He also recit- ed the phone number from Vernonia Realty & Insurance Center memory when Kendra was 953 Bridge St. ordering pizza for dinner. Vernonia, OR 97064 When first watching the Ax Men Series on televi- Office 503-429-6203 Cell 503-780-3466 sion, a show that features vernoniarlty@agalis.net Ken & Helen Bateman, Brokers logging outfits from the A place to golf, swim, fish, picnic or even host a reunion. Over 2.5 northwest Oregon area, acres w/a 4 bdrm, 3+ bath, 2960sqft home. A walk in pantry, wrap- Dean pointed out a spot around covered veranda w/hot tub, attached 4-car carport, 36'x48' where the Browning crew finished, heated shop. Grounds feature a pond, water feature, patio w/fire pit, digital sprinkler system and 175' of creek frontage. Situated was working. “He said on community golf course... hard to want more! $650,000 that was almost exactly MLS 8068236 where his accident hap- Off the beaten path in the city but with the feel of the country a pened,” said Terry. “Hav- nice 100'x100' building site. Water and sewer to the property ing all his memory has just and other utilities close. $66,000And for more room next door been so important.” is a 100'x 200' building site w/utilities close for $94,000. MLS 8005156 Very well maintain duplex w/ Two-2 bdrm, 1 bath units, each having a single car garage. New roof and gutters in 2007. Carpet, windows and exterior paint approx 5 years old. Large landscaped and fenced lot. Plenty of off street parking in front. This would be a great place to be your own landlord, live in on unit and rent the other. Situated on a hill above Vernonia Lake & near the linear trail. $209,000. MLS 8058653 Over .25 cleared acre ready for you new home. Bring you plans and builder to this quiet neighborhood on the edge of town. All utilities including gas are close to property. Do yourself a favor and view this today. $73,900. MLS 8040051 Hard to find smaller and affordable parcel in the country. Near the end of Keasey Rd you'll find this wooded 1.64 acre home site. Perfect for that hide-a-way cabin or full time peaceful living. Here you can surround yourself with nature. $75,000 MLS 8020934 Great retreat or building site. Over 2.5 acres with 600 ft of Nehalem River frontage. Older moble hm to fix up or replace. Nice fishing & swimming hole. Owner will carry contract for qualified buyer. Super easy to see. $119,000 MLS 8029943 Dean sees it a little differ- ently. “It’s a blessing and a curse,” said Dean. When asked, ‘Why a curse?’ Dean 11 responded, “Because I can remember what I was.” I spoke with Kendra after Dean’s return home from RIO a month later. “We saw a huge improvement,” said Kendra. “He is doing transfers on his own although he needs someone to spot him. But Dean is ‘Mr. Inde- pendent’, so he doesn’t always like to wait for help.” Kendra says the physical therapist at RIO is hopeful that Dean will be able walk using a walker within six months. “Dean called me from RIO one night and told me that he had stood and balanced himself and that he felt like he was improving. That’s the first time he’s expressed something like that to me,” said Kendra. Immediately upon his return from RIO, Dean began work at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center (BIRC) in Portland, heading there five a days a week for full days of occupational, cognitive and memory therapy work. “It’s like a job for him,” said Kendra. Kendra said Dean seems to be more motivated now and has a better attitude. “He likes to get down and play on the floor with Sylas,” she said. But of course, a family dealing with all that Dean and Kendra are dealing with still has problems and concerns. They are not sure how much Dean will re- cover of his speech or vision capabilities, and he con- tinues to have problems with balance and dizziness. There is also the issue of a place to live. Some local resi- dents had developed a plan to build a new home for the Schaumburgs. Land was donated in town, out of the flood plain. Contractors agreed to donate their time and ma- terials were promised. A design was developed. Plans were underway to start construction this summer. And then the project hit a snag. Project planner Casey Mitchell explains. “We determined that if Dean ends up needing medical care for a long time, that Medicaid could attach a lien on any property he and Kendra own and encumber the title. So when Dean and Kendra are gone, Sylas could have been required to pay back that lien. And we wanted the family to be able to own the house free and clear of any debts. So we have been working with some attorneys who specialize in elder care and trusts, and they are put- ting together an absolute best case for the family. The key was whose name goes on the building permit. It has held up construction this summer, but we thought it was worth slowing down and getting it right. So we hope to have the trust recorded by early August, and then we are ready to break ground.” GREAT FOOD & ESPRESSO! B OPEN LATE R E A K F A S T C O M I N M, W, TH 11a.m. - 9 p.m. G FRI & SAT until 9 p.m. S SUN 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. O Closed TUES O 854 Bridge Street - Vernonia N Kendra continues to view her family’s new life with a positive attitude. When asked if there are things about their situ- ation that she finds especially difficult, she struggled to find a response. Then she said, “Dean can be impatient, but I’m impatient too.” Recently Kendra was able to go away with her parents for the first time since the accident, leaving Dean in the care of friends and family. Kendra was able to go four-wheeling at Sand Lake for a long weekend. “I had to change my own spark plugs,” said Ken- dra, finally finding something difficult in her situation. “Dean used to take care of that for me.”