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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2020)
APRIL 17, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7 MIRACLE, continued from Page A1 Sherwood Park – dressed in white, full-body coveralls – had to tell her, “No.” It was tough to hold back, but there were many rea- sons to celebrate. Nikki beat COVID-19 despite compli- cations that had Jill contem- plating funeral services a few weeks ago. “Two of her doctors told me she was an absolute mir- acle,” Jill said. Nikki’s father is the late Marty Matiskainen and Nikki was a regular volun- teer at Jill’s Gubser classroom for years. Nikki, 42, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 19. Complications from the dis- ease had become harder to manage and she planned to be- gin living at The Oaks after re- turning from a surgery in early March. “The staff here were won- derful and she already knew some of the younger residents. We came in and decorated her room with wolves before she went in for the surgery,” Jill said. Nikki checked in to Silver- ton Hospital for the surgery in early March and returned to The Oaks without issue. Two days later, she was taken to the emergency room after a fever spiked and her breathing became labored. Forty-eight hours later, Nikki was tested for COVID-19 and the posi- Phone & Video Conferencing Available 503-371-9636 Protecting You and the Ones You Love Kathy Belcher Attorney at Law McGinty Belcher & Hamilton, Attorneys 694 High Street NE, Salem • mcginty-belcher.com KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Estate Planning • Elder Law • Probate Social Security • Wills & Trusts Asset Protection • Medical Directives Guardian & Conservatorships Friends and family turned out to welcome Nikki Matiskainen home Monday, April 13. tive results were returned three days after that. Nikki spent the next 16 days on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Salem Health. “It got very, very bad,” Jill said. “She was on dialysis and her liver was failing. We didn’t think she would make it.” Nikki’s condition contin- ued to deteriorate, but then her body started, unexpectedly, fi ghting back. As her condition improved, Nikki was moved to a regular room where she continued to recuperate. She was met by friends and family in The Oaks’ parking lot when she returned Monday. They held Keizer church is donation site for needed crisis items hospital stay for surgery. Regardless of where Nikki contracted the illness, Jill was overwhelmed to have reached the opposite shore in a long, emotionally draining journey. “Just being here today, wait- ing for her to arrive, is such a relief. When she was in the ICU, she was very weak and could barely talk,” Jill said. “It’s been such a rollercoast- er of good days and bad days, and Nikki is just the sweetest person in the world. Knowing I will be able to talk to her soon – knowing she is going to make it – is amazing.” Contact the reporter at editor@ keizertimes.com. signs and balloons and shouted greetings. Nikki was still weak, but managed to hold her own in a brief conversation with rel- atives. The Oaks staff are contend- ing with one of Oregon’s larg- est outbreaks of COVID-19 in a long-term care facility. The Oregon Department of Hu- man Services revealed on April 11 that The Oaks was sixth on the list of nine facilities with fi ve or more confi rmed COVID-19 cases. It currently has 14 ongoing cases of the vi- rus, but it is not known if Nik- ki contracted the virus at The Oaks or sometime during her CLUB: ‘Everyone is facing a unique set of obstacles’ (Continued from Page A1) St. Edward Catholic Church is a now a public donation site gathering food and household necessities for community mem- bers, as well as items for community partners that provide assis- tance to individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Items will be distributed directly to service providers or community members from the Health & Human Services food pantry established as the COVID-19 outbreak began. Donations will be accepted Mondays and Tuesdays each week on a continuing basis from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help meet community needs. The church is located at 5303 River Road N, in Keizer. The donation site is accepting the following new, unopened and unexpired items: • Food (peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit and veggies, oat- meal, pasta, spaghetti sauce, soups, rice and beans) • Toilet paper • Diapers/pull-ups/wipes • Cleaning supplies (hand soap, dish soap, disinfectant spray, paper towels, garbage bags and laundry detergent) • Personal items (feminine hygiene products, body soap, shampoo, and socks) • Pet food (dog and/or cat) • Packaged digital thermometers • Cloth masks (clean homemade cloth masks are acceptable) The drive-thru process has been designed with social dis- tancing measures for the safety of volunteers and the donating public. Please load items for donation in the back seat or trunk of your vehicle. Volunteers can then unload the items without making physical contact with drivers. For more information, please Marion County at: Health_ Donations@co.marion.or.us. The club’s Facebook ac- count features staff-made video lessons, one of which is Free- born leading breathing exercis- es to help manage stress. Other tips from Freeborn on stress management include, staying connected, understanding that your best does not look the same as someone else’s best, take the crisis day by day and continue to do the things that make you happy and are im- portant to you. One stressor for parents and kids alike is distance learning. Most everyone’s work schedule has been changed because of COVID-19, some parents are working more than ever and some are not working at all. “Everyone is facing a unique set of obstacles,” Freeborn said. The club has been doing its best to provide for their fami- lies. In addition to creating sup- plemental work for the chil- dren, staff members delivered Chromebooks and dropped off packets with school material and supplies to families of fi rst responders as well as others in need. When the initial shut down of the schools was announced, most students were expect- ing to return to the classroom and left all their supplies there. School supplies are now need- ed by families and the Boys & Girls Club is accepting dona- tions to help meet that need. Freeborn wanted the kids of the Boys & Girls Club to know they she and the rest of the staff miss them. “We really miss then and we really care about them and we can’t wait to see them when the club opens. We’re here for them, whether it’s by phone, email, Facebook, however they want to get ahold of us,” she said. Those interested in donating can contact Freeborn at mfree- born@bgc-salem.com. FOLLOW THE KEIZERTIMES ON: 503.390.5222 CreeksideVetKeizer.com 113 McNary Estates Dr N, Suite B Next to Don Suklis State Farm Insurance Free Consultation NO FEE UNTIL WE WIN FORUM: Testimony via teleconference available would require candidates to arise from the areas in the city where they live. • Changing the way council- ors are elected from a head-to- head contests to an alternative method such as ranked choice voting. In a ranked choice sys- tem, voters would rank can- didates in order of preference with the top overall picks fi lling the vacancies. • Changing the term of city councilors from four years to two years. • Changing how council va- cancies are approved. Current- ly if a council offi ce becomes vacant, the vacancy is fi lled by appointment and fi nishes out the remainder of the previous councilor’s term. Alternately, the council could send the mat- ter back to voters in a special election. Salem’s city council requires a special election if the • Wrongful Death remaining term of the vacating councilor is more than a year. Those wishing to provide testimony can speak on all those questions or whichever ones they choose. Richard Walsh • Auto Accidents ASK MR. TRASH Q. I heard about China’s ban on recycling. What IS recyclable now? 503-304-4886 174 Shore Pointe Pl N, Suite 201, Keizer A. Be very careful to only recycle the things on your hauler’s approved list. PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, AND WAXY CARTONS WERE NEVER RECYCLABLE! PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING GOOD RECYCLABLES EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY: • Cardboard and uncoated greyboard boxes (Shipping & cereal type). No frozen food boxes! • Print-quality paper - newspaper, junk & office paper, and magazines; • Tin & Aluminum Cans Only - NO foil, trays, or scrap metal; • Plastic Bottles and Jugs Only - NO bags, tubs, clamshells, bubble Pak, or other plastics. ©1986 (Continued from Page A1) • Personal Injuries Serving Keizer for Nearly 50 years! LOREN'S VA L L E Y SANITATION & RECYCLING SERVICE, INC. RECYCLING & DISPOSAL, INC. 503.393.2262 503.585.4300 BRIAN & APRIL McVAY Broker, Principal Broker 3353 Silverton Road NE Salem ◆ 503-363-1990 As lifelong residents of Salem-Keizer, we know this market and are here to help. Come in & receive a FREE Light Check & Bulb Replacement R E A L T Y G R O U P K E I Z E R 34 Years Combined Experience CALL OR TEXT 503.510.6827 • 3975 River Rd N • Suite 3 • Keizer • See BEFORE & AFTER photos at jacksonsautobody.com Give Us Your Keys, & You’ll be Pleased!
