december25 2012
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
volume6 issue24
Dean Schaumburg: A Place To Call Home
By Scott Laird
Dean Schaumburg’s life changed
completely on August 16, 2007. When
a tree fell on him while he was working
in the woods as a logger, Schaumburg, a
long time Vernonia resident in his twen-
ties, was severely injured and his recov-
ery has been long and slow. Five years
later his life is beginning to regain some
sense of normalcy, considering every-
thing he has been through.
Today Schaumburg is living
in his own home, thanks to the help of
many community members who pitched
in to assist him. He lives on his own and
for the most part takes care of himself.
He is continuing his rehab work and his
health has stabilized. He seems reason-
ably happy and content and loves his
house and the time he spends with his
son Sylas.
Schaumburg says he is willing
to talk about his accident, his recovery
and his life, although there are some
particulars, due to legal reasons, that he
is unable to discuss. “ Questions don’t
bother me, I’m an open book,” he says.
“if I can I am more than willing to talk
about things.”
The Vernonia community was
devastated when they learned of Scha-
umburg’s accident and lack of health
insurance and quickly pitched in to help
raise funds for his health care. While un-
dergoing back and brain surgery as well
as surgery to reconstruct his ankle, Scha-
umburg suffered a stroke which magni-
fied the seriousness of the accident.
Today Schaumburg is consid-
ered legally blind as he is only able to
see out of the top, left corners of his eyes
and he has trouble with bright lights. He
has full range of motion with his right
arm but has trouble gripping with his
right hand. He has limited motion in his
inside
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cutright
honored
12
vhs
forestry
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celebrating
families
reconstructed ankle and uses a wheel- sauna. Schaumburg says he tries to walk
chair to move around. His speech is on the treadmill every day and is up to al-
slow from the brain damage he re-
ceived, yet he is very sharp in con-
versation and easy to talk with. He
has not lost his sense of humor and
has a positive outlook on his life.
In early December of 2007
Schaumburg’s wife Kendra and
one year old son Sylas were get-
ting ready for Dean to finally come
home from an extended hospital
stay and continue his rehabilitation
in Vernonia. Instead their rented
home was flooded on December 3,
and the family lost almost every-
thing. In January of 2008, as the
entire Vernonia community was
trying to recover from the flood,
several residents and friends of
the Schaumburg family banded to-
gether and started a project to build
the Schaumburg’s a new home.
Mike Pihl Logging donated a 5,000
square foot lot in city limits and
Casey Mitchell and Dana Hyde
Dean Schaumburg at home with his son Sylas.
organized and gathered donations
of funding, materials and labor. In the most a third of a mile. “When I’m done
spring of 2008 the project was started I’m sweating like a pig,” says Schaum-
and moved forward on the backs of vol- burg. “Before I got hurt I didn’t know
unteers.
any other way to work but to sweat. To
After several stops and starts me, if you’re not sweating you are not
the home was completed just over a really working.”
year ago and today Dean is enjoying
The standing machine and a
the comforts of a fully ADA accessible wooden wedge allows Schaumburg to
home built specifically for his needs. work on the range of motion in his an-
All the doorways and hallways are ex- kles. The sauna is good for the neck,
tra wide to accommodate a wheelchair. back and muscle pain he still experi-
A roll-in shower with bench, a lower ences. He says he would like to add a
marble counter top for food preparation, hot tub in the future. He goes weekly for
a covered back porch and wide concrete extensive therapy work in Hillsboro.
walks around the outside of the house al-
Dean and Kendra were divorced
low Schaumburg to live comfortably and several years ago. Sylas, who lives in
take care of himself.
Gaston now, comes and visits every
An exercise room is set up with Thursday afternoon and stays with Dean
a treadmill, a standing machine and a every other weekend and has his own
bedroom and bathroom in the home.
“It’s hard not to spoil him,” says Scha-
umburg about his time with his
son.
Dean received a financial settle-
ment from his accident and was
able to use some of the funds to put
the finishing touches on his home,
which was almost complete. He
installed hickory hardwood floors
with three different widths of
boards which provide an interest-
ing look. “I went with the hickory
because of the different tones,”
says Schaumburg. “I can’t really
see the dirt! I’m really picky so if
I could see something on the floor
it would really bug me.” High
baseboards, wood trim and match-
ing wood furniture throughout the
home help complete the package.
Schaumburg’s love of the woods
is evident throughout the home.
He has a beautiful dining room ta-
ble with benches made from sweet
gum wood. A large carved turtle
occupies a corner of the dining
room. Framed on the wall is a double
bladed axe, signed by the entire Verno-
nia Ax Men crew from the first season of
the popular television series, which was
filming at the time of Schaumburg’s ac-
cident. Large wide screen televisions
in the living room and in both Dean and
Sylas’s room make life pretty comfort-
able.
Schaumburg purchased a 2005
FX4 Ford 150 truck so he can get around
when needed. “I bought it so I could go
to doctors’ appointments or to therapy,”
he says. “It’s a whole lot easier to find
somebody with a driver’s license than to
find somebody with a license and a car.
It’s way easier to find just a driver. If
they have a car usually they are working
The Mist-Birkenfeld Helping Circle
By Savannah Brown
Who do you care about this holiday season?
Family and friends are the usual answer to this question,
but what about your community? The Mist-Birkenfeld
Helping Circle has been avidly working on their Christmas
baskets, teaming up with the Mist-Birkenfeld Volunteer
Association for the Share the Spirit toy drive they hold
annually. For several years now, the Helping Circle has
selflessly assisted numerous families during the harsh
winter months, but is actually a very active organization
all year and has been since its inception in 1935.
The Mist-Birkenfeld Helping Circle is a women’s
community service organization that will be celebrating
its 78 th anniversary this coming January. It began with very
few members, ten or twelve women meeting in member
households every two weeks. Irene Jones, one of the
Helping Circle’s life-long members explains, “Meetings
would begin at 10:00 AM , and last all afternoon.” They
worked on embroidery projects or began stitching on the
quilt they auction annually at what was called the Helping
Circle Bazaar. Now, the quilt is raffled off at their sole
fundraising event, the Fall Festival.
Earlier projects included furnishing the kitchen in
the Mist Elementary School gym, purchasing chairs for
the Mist School, and creating markers for the graves in
the Mist cemetery in 1941. The cemetery has always been
free
continued on page 9
a very central work-in-progress for the Helping Circle.
Whether it is the upkeep, painting and replacing the fences,
or the purchasing and expanding of the land, it’s always
something they are working on. More projects that have
lasted throughout the years include street lights erected
in 1952 and a $250 scholarship starting in 1982. These
have both been an ongoing tradition. The scholarship is
awarded to a graduating high school senior in the Mist-
Birkenfeld area, now worth $750, and the lights have been
running ever since.
As the community changes and grows, the group
has stepped up to help the residents of the Mist-Birkenfeld
community with support and assistance in time of illness,
death, and disaster. In times of need, like the floods in
1996 and 2007, the Helping Circle steps up to provide
help and provisions those in need. In support of families,
funeral luncheons are organized.
The Mist-Birkenfeld Helping Circle is a beacon
of light in our little town of Mist, and in the surrounding
rural countryside. They do so much for the community,
in keeping it running and creating equal opportunities for
all. With the support of the approximately thirty ladies
who keep it going today, there is always room for more.
Donations and new members are always welcome! Their
meetings will resume in the new year, starting at 7:00 PM
at the Mist-Birkenfeld Main Fire Station.