JANUARY 13, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
A pocket of warmth
t h A L
0
4 NU
AN
BROUGHT TO
YOU BY
OREGON STATE FAIRGROUNDS
(JACKMAN-LONG BUILDING)
KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson
Cows huddled together near the intersection of Chemawa Road Northeast and Verda Lane
Northeast for warmth and grub on a snowy morning Tuesday, Jan. 11.
MDA,
continued from Page 1
“I had problems through-
out my pregnancy and Allison
was born six weeks premature
– she weighed three pounds
14 ounces. She had to have a
high-calorie formula to gain
weight and she started missing
development markers,” Eliza-
beth said.
Even after fi nding a doctor
willing to take the developing
issues more seriously, it took
another nine months to settle
on a diagnosis.
Mitochondrial myopathy
is a rare genetic disease, but
one covered in the research
performed by the MDA. Mi-
tochondria are specialized
compartments in cells that
create 90 percent of the ener-
gy needed by the body. When
they don’t perform their job
correctly, it can lead to a host
of symptoms ranging from
blindness to coma to develop-
mental regression.
In Allison’s case, one of the
primary symptoms is general
weakness. After years of spe-
cialized care – Elizabeth es-
timates Allison has been the
subject of more than 300 tests
in her short life and she’s been
taken to the emergency room
at least two dozen times – the
pain walking caused her be-
came too much to bear.
“I had a back brace, but I
would get too hot because I
can’t regulate my body tem-
perature. I just wanted to try
something else than keep try-
ing to correct it on its own,”
Allison said.
A lengthy MRI revealed
that Allison’s spine had be-
come tethered by other tissue,
and it was causing more than
just pain. The arc of her back
was preventing her lungs from
growing and they already op-
erate at a reduced capacity.
She underwent one surgery
to release the connective tis-
sue, then another to install a
“halo” brace to help straight-
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en her spine was followed by
a lengthy stay at Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital in Port-
land.
The last surgery was the
most worrisome, to the point
that Elizabeth, Allison and
her brother David all took
a Make-a-Wish trip to Dis-
ney World. Allison’s ability to
maintain basic life supporting
functions like breathing while
undergoing the operation to
install rods and pins support-
ing her spine was a concern,
but she made it.
“There must have been lots
of prayers because she sailed
through,” Elizabeth said.
In the two years since, Al-
lison has grown four inches
and walking doesn’t hurt as
much. She’s even started tak-
ing some classes at McNary
High School after being
homeschooled for much of
her life. She started with a
creative writing class last fall
and will take physical science
and a wellness class next term.
The operations revealed
other issues that still make
daily tasks more of a chore
than a fully able teenager
would encounter – the latest
need in her life is actually a
new
wheelchair-accessible
van – but Allison is as vibrant
a teenager as one could hope
for.
Her next big service proj-
ect is making cookies for
local fi rst responders as an
American Heritage Girl, a
Christian-based scouting or-
ganization.
She is a voracious reader
with an interest in photogra-
phy and the great outdoors,
but she had made attempts to
fundraise for “mito” research
even before facing down
some of her own challenges.
Now that she holds the
title of MDA ambassador, it
feels a bit like the fulfi llment
of a dream.
“I like it because I get to
meet a lot of new people
and I get to be part of rais-
ing money for research, even
some for kids that are dealing
with mito,” she said.
While she has a big year
ahead, Allison shows no signs
of slowing down.
“Whenever we go shop-
ping, we look for stuff on
clearance and we buy art sup-
plies, cake supplies and party
supplies so that kids going
through halo surgeries at Do-
ernbecher get to have par-
ties,” Allison said.
Friday, January 13
11am – 7pm
Saturday, January 14 10 am – 7pm
Sunday, January 15
10 am – 5pm
FREE
ADMISSION &
PARKING
Salem Library launches reading project
Salem Reads: One Book,
One Community – a commu-
nity reads project that invites
the public to read the same
book, take part in discussions
and enjoy related programs
throughout the month of Feb-
ruary, has selected Spare Parts
by Joshua Davis as this year’s
community book.
Spare Parts tells of four Lati-
no teenagers and their journey
as they are encouraged by two
inspiring science teachers to
build an underwater robot and
enter the Marine Advanced
Technology Education Robot-
ics Competition.
The following upcom-
ing events will revolve around
Spare Parts:
• Friday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m. in
Loucks Auditorium. A screen-
ing of the fi lm based on the
book.
• Saturday, Jan. 14, 2:30 p.m.
in Loucks Auditorium Under-
water Dreams, a documentary
based on Spare Parts will be
screened.
• Sunday, Jan. 22, 2:30 p.m.,
the Salem Library Foundation
will give away 500 free copies
of Spare Parts.
• Saturday, Jan. 28, noon to 3
p.m. Salem Reads robot expo,
which will feature the Cheme-
keta Community College Ro-
botics Program Chair and his
team demonstrating all sizes of
working robots.
• Tuesday, Feb. 21, lecture by
the author at 7 p.m.
For a full listing of all related
events, visit salemlibrary.org.
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