PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 18, 2016
Koho back home, on the mend
his love for baseball and the key
role he played in getting the
team to Keizer in 1997 while
he was mayor.
“The next morning I was
having severe chest pains,” Den-
nis said.
Lori was out shopping at the
time and recalled the phone call
from her husband.
“I said, ‘How bad is it?’” Lori
recounted to Dennis. “You said
it was really bad. Then you said,
‘I’m calling 9-1-1.’”
Lori said paramedics with
the Keizer Fire District – Den-
nis gave them high praise – gave
her husband several doses of ni-
tro and took him to the hospital.
“I remember arriving at the
hospital, but not much after
that,” Dennis said. “I had bad
chest pain, like a charley horse.
I had no pain down the arm. I
didn’t have all the classic signs of
a heart attack.”
Lori followed the ambulance
to the hospital.
“I wasn’t sure how bad it
was,” she said. “He’s had the
stents put in before, but he’d
never had the chest pains before.
He’s had shortness of breath, but
not the chest pains.”
Lori said things didn’t seem
too bad that weekend. She got
him some clothes and they
watched the Super Bowl with
some friends in the hospital
room.
“That Monday is when ev-
erything started to go down-
hill,” Lori said. “Dennis became
very sick and disoriented. A
choice had to be made. The car-
diologist had to see where the
blockage was. The heart attack
had already affected the kidneys.
The cardiologist had to look at
the heart. Things started spiral-
ing downhill rapidly. For what-
ever reason, the heart attack also
did a number on the kidneys.
He also ended up with a brain
bleed.”
Family members started ask-
ing if they should come.
“I said it’s time for every-
body to come,” Lori said.
Oregon Symphony at Willamette University-Smith
Auditorium 8 p.m. Variations on a Theme by Joseph
Hayden. Tickets range $5 to $50. Tickets are available
online orsymphonysalem.org
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Dennis Koho knew he need-
ed to lose some weight and to
slow down a bit.
He wasn’t anticipating both
to suddenly happen due to a
heart attack.
Yet that’s just what happened
to the attorney who is also pres-
ident of the Keizer City Coun-
cil.
Dennis had a heart attack on
Feb. 6 and fi nally started turn-
ing the corner a week later. He
was released from Salem Hos-
pital on March 10. Dennis and
wife Lori paid the Keizertimes
a visit Monday morning after a
follow-up visit with his doctor.
The next stop was to the Koho
and Beatty law offi ce on River
Road that Dennis owns.
“I think I understand I need
to slow down some,” Dennis
said. “I’m probably involved in
too many things at once, at too
intense of a level. I will have to
dial that back some. That will be
frustrating. That will be diffi cult
as well. Someone pointed out a
while back every organization
I’ve been involved with I have
become president of. To not do
that will be diffi cult for me, I
suspect. I just want to be able to
get back to my offi ce and prac-
tice law competently. My part-
ner and others will watch what
I’m doing.”
Dennis plans to return to the
city council at some point to fi ll
out the rest of his term.
Dennis isn’t sure just how
much weight he lost, but he
does know he’s lost enough that
he can wear his wedding ring
once again.
“It’s not the preferred way to
lose 20 or 30 pounds,” Dennis
said with a chuckle. “Last time I
was in, my doctor said, ‘Do you
remember what you weighed in
high school?’ When I told him
he said, ‘You have nearly 100
pounds to lose.’”
Dennis had attended the Vol-
canoes Winter Sports Banquet
on Feb. 5, not surprising given
Saturday, March 19
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Today in History
In New York City, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo join
with several other investors to launch their namesake
business. In July 1852, their company shipped its fi rst loads
of freight from the East Coast to mining camps scattered
around northern California. The company contracted
with independent stagecoach companies to provide the
fastest possible transportation and delivery of gold dust,
important documents and other valuable freight.
— March 18, 1852
Food 4 Thought
“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It
is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”
– William Jennings Bryan
The Month Ahead
Friday, March 18
Dancing with the Salem Stars at The Historic
Elsinore Theatre 7:30 p.m. at 170 High St. SE Salem.
For ticket information contact 503-375-3574. www.
elsinoretheatre.com
Monday, March 21
Keizer City Council meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at
Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Tuesday, March 22
Keizer Public Arts Commission meeting, 6 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Keizer public mural meeting, 6 p.m. in Keizer Art
Association classroom in the Keizer Heritage Center, 980
Chemawa Road NE.
Friday, March 25
In celebration of Good Friday, the LDS Stake Center
in Keizer will present a life broadcast of the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir’s performance of Handel’s Messiah with
full orchestra. 1375 Lockhaven Dr. N.E. at 6:30 p.m. Public
is welcome.
Tuesday, March 29
Homelessness Initiative Task Force meeting, 4 p.m. at
Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Workers at the Keizer Sta-
tion Target saved the life of a
shopper who suffered from
cardiac arrest March 12.
Around 6:30 p.m., a
72-year-old shopper was using
a motorized shopping scooter
when a witness saw her col-
lapse and called 9-1-1. Store
employees used radio commu-
nications to share information
and a medical emergency alert
message was sent out to all em-
ployees.
Store manager Brad Dicker-
son, as well as Austin Snelling,
responded to the victim who
was face down in cardiac arrest.
After turning the woman over,
Snelling began CPR, while
Dickerson brought and applied
the Automatic Heart Defi bril-
lator (AED) to her chest.
The AED advised a defi bril-
lation was needed and Dicker-
son activated the device. Dick-
erson began CPR again. The
Thursday, March 31
Hudson Concert Hall at Willamette University presents
pianist Sergei Babayan. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets:
adults $23, Willamette faculty/staff $18, Willamette
student with ID $5, Students with ID/children $8,
Willamette ICL students $12, Oregon Trail Card $5 (at box
offi ce only the night of the performance). Tickets available
at boxoffi cetickets.com and for more information visit
willamette.edu/go/goudy.
Thursday, March 31 – Saturday, April 30
Colored Pencil art show at Keizer Art Association’s Enid
Joy Mount Gallery at Keizer Heritage Center. Gallery
hours are 1-4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturdays. keizerarts.com.
Saturday, April 2
Reception and awards for Colored Pencil art show
presented by Colored Pencil of America, Oregon Chapter
201, 2-4 p.m. Keizer Art Association’s Enid Joy Mount
Gallery at Keizer Heritage Center.
Monday, April 4
The world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra with it’s unique
jazz sound at The Historic Elsinore Theatre 7:30 p.m. 170
High St. SE Salem. For ticket information contact 503-
375-3574. www.elsinoretheatre.com
Friday, April 8
Oregon Symphony at Willamette University-Smith
Auditorium 8 pm. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture.
Tickets range $50 to $5. For more information contact
dtrevett@willamette.edu Tickets are available online
orsymphonysalem.org.
An evening with three-time Super Bowl Champ, NFL Hall
of Famer and all-time leading rusher and Dancing with
the Stars champion Emmitt Smith at 6:30 p.m. at The
Historic Elsinore Theatre 170 High St. SE, Salem. A benefi t
presented by the Medical Foundation of Marion & Polk
Counties to support its programs. Tickets $20-$40. For
more info 503-375-3574. www.elsinoretheatre.com
Add your event by e-mailing news@keizertimes.com.
looking back
in the KT
5 YEARS AGO
woman’s color improved and
she awoke.
Dickerson and Snelling
then directed other employees
to provide blankets and pil-
lows. When Keizer Fire Dis-
trict personnel arrived, she was
conscious and speaking with
emergency response personnel.
The whole event lasted six
minutes, from the time 9-1-
1 was called to the arrival of
paramedics.
KFD offi cials praised the
Target employees as heroes
who saved the woman’s life af-
ter being tested in a dire medi-
cal emergency.
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Dennis Koho is back home and recovering after suffering a
heart attack on Feb. 6.
At one point, Dennis’ daugh-
ter was with him when mayor
Cathy Clark came to visit.
“I coded out and they
brought in a crash cart,” Dennis
said. “My daughter didn’t know
what to do with company she
didn’t know.”
For a while, Dennis had both
a feeding tube and a breath-
ing tube as well as a number of
medications. Dennis was intu-
bated that Monday night. His
kidneys fi nally started kicking
back in the end of that week.
“Apparently I’m going to
live,” Dennis quipped.
Due to the amount of se-
dation and time in intubation,
Lori said the chemical balance
of the brain had to be read-
justed.
“I probably had some weird
dreams, if I could remember
them,” Dennis said.
Lori quickly discovered her
husband’s sense of humor was
intact. An early example was
when she made the joke Den-
nis could apply for the U.S. Su-
preme Court vacancy created
by last month’s passing of An-
tonin Scalia.
“We went several days where
he thought he would campaign
for the job,” Lori said while roll-
ing her eyes. “It was a little dis-
turbing. His humor came back
right away. Once his brother
was in. Dennis and his brother
didn’t have to talk much. A
Cheech and Chong skit comes
to mind. They’re both doing
this.”
Dennis next got transferred
to a neurology trauma fl oor for
a week, where one of the main
goals was retraining his throat to
swallow after having a breathing
tube in for so long.
“The folks on the cardiac
care unit were absolutely won-
derful, all the doctors and the
nurses” Lori said. “It was the
most wonderful, wonderful
team I’ve ever been around.
They were great. They took ex-
cellent care of him. They were
also supportive of the family
and communicated well. They
were stunning.”
Lori, who admitted she
sobbed at the initial news, noted
the diffi culty associated with
Dennis quickly returning to
form.
“It went from absolute relief
to now we have to deal with his
impatience,” Lori said. “He’s like
a caged lion. He wanted to be
out of there.”
The Kohos were blown away
by the community’s support.
“It was humbling,” Lori said.
“The outpouring of support
and concern has literally been
humbling. You fi nd out how
many people care, the number
of lives he has impacted. That
fi rst 10 days, I don’t know what
I would have done without Jer-
ry and Lisa Walker. They were
there but out of the way and
asked what they could do. They
were very calmly there. It was
amazing.”
Dennis nodded his head
while listening.
“It was wonderful,” he said.
“Friends from grade school
visited. People I hadn’t seen in
40 or 50 years were here, plus
friends in Keizer I see regularly.
Humbling is the best word to
use. You don’t live your life so
people will come out of the
woodwork at a time like this,
but it’s wonderful when they
do.”
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The Finest Hours (PG-13)
Fri 6:30, 8:30, Sat 3:45, 4:40,
8:35, Sun 1:00, 6:10
The 5th Wave (PG-13)
Fri 1:50, 4:15, Sat 2:20, 6:00,
Sun 3:55, 8:55
Zoolander 2 (PG-13)
Fri 2:30, 9:05, Sat 7:00, Sun 3:20
Eddie the Eagle (PG-13)
Fri 12:25, 7:05, Sat 2:35, 9:00
Ride Along 2 (PG-13)
Fri 8:45, Sat 6:30, Sun 4:25, 8:25
The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 2 (PG-13)
Fri 4:30, Sat 11:50, Sun 5:25
sudoku
The Big Short (R)
Fri 6:00, Sat 8:10, Sun 6:30
13 Hours: The Secret
Soldiers of Benghazi (R)
Sun 8:00
Alvin & the Chipmunks:
The Road Chip (PG) Fri 12:00,
2:15, Sat 12:00, 4:35, Sun 12:30,
2:00
Enter digits
from 1-9 into
the blank
spaces. Every
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contain one
of each digit.
So must every
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must every
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The Good Dinosaur (PG)
Fri 12:15, 4:00, Sat 12:15, 1:50,
Sun 12:00, 2:25
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Big cluckin’ deal
The urban chicken is up for
debate at the Keizer City
Council meeting. Staff will
be proposing the yes or no
question, and councilors
would have to initiate a text
amendment.
10 YEARS AGO
Swim on a dare
ends in rescue
A 15-year-old girl who walked
into Staats Lake, apparently
on a dare, was taken to the
hospital after being pulled
from the water by a friend.
15 YEARS AGO
Keizer police
probe sale of cars
donated to MHS
Keizer police are investigating
a McNary High automotive
shop teacher in connection
with the sale of cars that had
been donated to the school.
20 YEARS AGO
City seeks public’s
views on fl ood efforts
Keizer residents can comment
on the Great Flood of ‘96 next
Monday when the Keizer
City Council holds a public
forum on February’s disaster.
local
weather
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Web Poll
Results
What is needed at your local
neighborhood city park?
41% – It needs more
consistent maintenance.
33% – It’s just fi ne and
doesn’t need anything.
18% – It needs a brick-&-mortar
restroom.
8% – It needs playground
equipment.
Vote in a new poll every Thursday!
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