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November 10, 1999
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Lou Gherig’s patient copes with debilitating illness
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■v F elic ia S u p e r ____________________________________________
for T he
P ortland O bserver
Like m ost young adults, m any o f us tend to w ork full-time
and/or part-tim e jobs ju st to financially keep up with the
basic necessities ofeveryday living. O r m aybe, like some
young adults, view the their post-teen years as m eans to
party, hang-out and keep up with the “411 ” on everything.
W hether it’s the latest T im berland boots, to the the
breaking gossip on “ P u ff D addy” law suits...w e w ant to
know.
O r sim ply put best by the funkster him self, “ W arren
G ” ...basically...”W e W antit All ”
But in the world ofhip-hop hierarchy, not even the biggest
o rbaddest “ Bad Boy” , the raw est “ Rockafella” or even a
lyrically skilled ”N o-Lim it” solider, can predict if or when
life changing events w ill occur. A nd because time waits
for no one, one can either, look at life, and take advantage
o f every positive opportunity, or...just sim ply, take it for
granted.
But it’s tim e, that Mr. D arryl “T re” Ricks doesn’t take for
g ra n te d , b u t sin c e re ly e m b ra c e s , c h e ris h e s and
appreciates.
Before Mr. Darryl Ricks, better know n as “T re” was
d ia g n o se d w ith the te rm in al d ise a se ca lled A LS
(A m yotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) also know n as Lou
G herig’s Disease, nam ed after the famous baseball player
w ho died o f the same, Tre lived the life o f w hat m ost o f us
view as “ norm al.”
Up until O cto b e ro f 1998, this 24-year old Portland native
not only lived the lifestyle o f a “norm al” young-adult, he
took all the pleasures o f “norm al” day-to-day-living. He
also took pride in the passion o f prom oting his favorite
genre o f music: ”hip-hop,” ... that like him self, people
around the w orld, young and old, lo n g .. .lo v e ... and live
for.
W ith his never-ending passion for hip-hop, it’s culture,
as w ell as being involved in the r& b com m unity, he
w orked for a local m usic production com pany called
“ Black Flag R ecords”, in w hich he prom oted such hom e
grow n groups as “G rass Roots”, “Fundam ental M adness”
and others.
But is was in N ovem ber o f 1998, that Tre becam e sick with
w hat his family thought, w as Strep-Throat, but really was
the onset and first sign o f a the disease, ALS.
W hen T re’s father, Darryl Bradley, died o f the same Lou
G herigs D isease at the age o f 20, Tre was ju s ts ix m onths
old. It was at this tim e during his fathers death, that, T re ’s
mother, Laurie Toepp, was concem edabout thepossibility
o f her son getting sick as well. She was told it w as not
hereditary, so for 23 years she was not concerned. But
after several m onths o f trying to determ ine the source o f
his illness, it was then, in the m onth in February 1999 that
he was diagnosed w ith ALS, thus learning that it can be
hereditary. The family learned that ALS w as hereditary to
five to ten percent o f fam ilies w ho have it.
They also face the fact the T re and S usan ’s daughter,
A kaisha, has a 50 percent chance o f getting this disease.
T re’sfather, who passed onJanuary23 in 1976, experienced
much different onsets, as w ell as stages o f his battle with
Lou G herig’s Disease. H is father’s presented itself with
limb onset. W ith T re’, his started w ithin his throat and
neck.
Tre's mom. Tre, and his daughter Akaisha.
Because A LS attacks the nerve and m uscle functions, it
causes a person to becom e easily fatigued and eventually
leads to paralysis. W ith Tre, he has experienced w hat the
family know s as “ B ulbar.” The medical definition is w hen
there is m uscle loss. T re has experienced the loss o fb ein g
able to use the m uscles in his neck, throat and upper body.
But as ALS effects m any o f the physical day-to-day things
that used to com e so easily to Tre, it has by no m eans,
affected his mind.
T re & his fam ily w ould like to acknow ledge that he is
fortunate to receive quality care.
“A m y, Ruth and Joanne have been a w onderful team o f
caring nurses” states Laurie.
O ne in particular that is not involved in his daily care, but
whom Tre met as a patient at OHSU while getting diagnosed,
is his nurse and friend, C olleen Lindsay.
The family would also like to applaud Mrs. Colleen Lindsay,
a registered nurse at O regon H ealth Sciences University.
“She is m any things to Tre and our family, in so m any
different w ays” stated Tres mother.
A long w ith her husband Frank Edw ards, she has and
continues to involve herself in Tres life, in and outside o f
the hospital.
Colleen has and continues go above and beyond the
norm al duties o f ju st being a nurse, she has becom e an
unconditional friend.”
She has and continues to involved herself in T re’s life, in
and outside o f the hospital.
Colleen and Frank have made a ram p for their truck and
often com e over to take Tre and his fam ily to w eekly trips.
Tres best friend and m other o f their child, Susan states
“W e are ju st so grateful for their unselfish time. We greatly
appreciate all o f her random acts o f kindness as well as
sincere and genuine concern for T re.”
O ther activities like w atching D V D ’s and listening to
m usic are ju st a few o f m any that Tre enjoys doing w ith his
family.
For som e o f us, we may consider these enjoym ents as a
sim ple 1-2-3, but for Tre, some days are a little less
pleasurable, as w ell as m anageable.
But on this com ing day ofFriday, N ovem ber 12,1999, on
b eh a lf o f KXJM 95.5, Portland’s new hip-hop and r&b
station, Mr. Darryl "T re” Ricks and fam ily will attend the
Jam m in ’ 95.5 sponsored“SuperJam C oncert” at the Rose
.. li....
r» ances
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ortzt
r£j
carfict
in the
live stage perform
f hip-hop
and
r&b
artist,
Tre will be able to em brace, alongside with his family, the
two genres o f music that bring him creativity and comfort.
Tre has always enjoyed being involved in the hip-hop
and r&b com m unity. N ot only does he give props to
hearing new artist, he loves staying true to his favorites
o f M aster P, 2nd II N one, as well as the late Tupac and
Notorious Biggie Smalls.
T re’s mom, Laurie Toepp states “W e are more than
pleased that KXJM will be w elcoming our family with the
com plimentary tickets to Friday nights perform ance.
These are all the artist that he likes. When I asked him if
h e’d like to attend, he w as so enthusiastic. He gave us
a big thumbs up.”
“He deserves the best. It w ould be an honor to accompany
him to this event. Tre is a very prideful person. H e’s
always been a ladies man and now h e ’s had to get used
to people maybe, looking at him in different ways. Some
may say, “ w hat h appened” , and som e, still d o n ’t
understand. Even it takes for us to speak for him due to
the inability to speak for him self, w e are all enthusiastic
on how this outing w ill enlighten and enrich all o f our
lives as a whole.”
As T re’s mothers also states, “He is an inspiration to me
, our family and friends.
The fact that he still w illing to get up and go regardless
ofhis limitations is m ore than special to me. It takes a lot
o f courage to do w hat he does, and we are all so proud
ofhim .”
During my discussion w ith Tre and his family, they
recognize that big outings like this, may take a lot o f
strength for Tre to accom plish. But for a lifetim e o f
memories that Tre, Susan, A kaisha, Laurie, John and
family will carry w ith them , it’s more then worth it.
Not only has Tre overcome many difficult challenges that
some may never have or ever go through, but he has
maintained the pride o f who he is as a loving son, a
dedicated father, but m ost o f all, a beautiful man w ho is
not only rich in spirit and soul, but will always be rich in
love from the unconditional love and strength o f his
family.
"W e are and want to continue to give him the best quality
o f life than we can give him. This is a m an who invested
and continues to invest him self, his time, and his m oney
into, not only things like music that make him happy, but
also, to his fam ily and friends.”
ALS does not ju st strike older people, it can also strike
young people in our community.
The family recognizes that it takes knowing som eone
with a bigger voice, but w ould like to com bine their
voices, and get the aw areness out there.
In bringing this type o f m edia attention and aw areness
to the sym ptom s and effect o f Lou G herig’s disease
(ALS) to the young and old, Tre is accom plishing two
personal issues. First, even though he may have difficulty
in speaking, through his loving and dedicated family, his
voice is heard. And second, through his bravery and
courage. Tre will be able to attend hip-hop and r& b at it’s
finest at Friday nights “ SuperJam ” event. A dded
together, he is making an impact on his, his families and
the lives o f many others as well.
95.5 brings super
artists and super
music to “SuperJam”
by
F elicia L. S lider
of
T he P ortland O bserver
Jaaaaamm!... Oh, jaaammm!...jaamm... Portland, Jam for me!
It may have been best sung by the “kings-of-new-jack-
swing” , b ut w hen the m em bers o f “Guy” , Teddy “yep -
yep” R iley, A aron and D am ion Hall scored billboard
success w ith this 1980’s club-anthem , w ho w ould have
also thought that in 1999, Portland fans w ould finally be
able to"Jaaam m m ” and ju m p to the same success that
KXJM has finally brought to 24, non-stop, dance-till-you-
drop, hours, o f hip-hop and r&b radio.
So all together, le t’s ex h ale.........Ahhhhhh!
Now, le t’s rem inisce for a moment.
L o n g er th a n w a itin g fo r “ W h itn ey H o u sto n ” to
exhale.. .way, way before “Cash Money Millionaire” bailers
were “B ling-B lingin”... and ju st at the beginning o f tim e
when urban radio, all over the world, began it’s rap-attack
o f hits like “W hodini’s” ’ “Five M inutes o f Funk” and
“Friends”, as w ell as hits from the the Kings o f Rap; “Run
D M C” , “ H ard Tim es”,”It’s Like T hat” and “You Be
Iillnn’” . .. northw est fans o fh ip -h o p and r& b have been
waiting and anticipating for our ow n bulls-eye, in the
world of, on-and-on-till-the-break-of dawn, landm ark in
24-hours o f urban radio.
A nd now, it’s here.
But first, not w ithout m ention, to our neighbors o f “The
BOO”; KBOO 90.7, who have, foryears, with hard-earned
success, been bringing tim e-slotted, underground, back-
in-the day, as well as chart-topping music to our ears. And
because K BO O is com m unity-supported through many
o f it’s pledge drives, the radio station can offer a wide
variety o f com m ercial-free form ats and genres o f music.
And because they are supported by a variety o f people,
who appreciate different taste and genres o f music, KBOO
can only play hip-hop/r& b during pre-selected tim e slots.
So without com munity radio and “the B O O ’s” dream team
o f on-point and know ledgeable D J’s and “tum tabilist”,
where w ould we be in recognizing som e o f todays artist,
who cam e from “da basem ent” or w hat the music world
recognizes before an artist m akes it big, as “underground
m usic.’’But now, along w ith K BO O , we have another
outlet as well. We were nine m onths shy o f the new
millennium, and at 5 :00 p.m ., Friday night, on the 26th day
March 1999, Jam m in’s previous Contem porary-A dult
format, sw itched over and began.
G arden Arena.
N ot only will Tre be able to involve and im m ense him self
Next week... SuperJam with 95.5
by
F elic ia S lider ____________________________________________
of
T he P o rti . and O bserver
T urn in next week to see a recent interview w ith K X JM ’s
resident-D J & Music D irector, “ Pretty Boy D ontay”, he
explained how Jam m in’ 95.5 is and plans for m ore success
in bringing it to the Portland m assive audience.
TELL ME W H Y JA M M IN 95.5 D ECID ED TO DO THE
“ SUM M ER JA M ” & ’’SUPER JA M ” LINE-UP?
As w ith every m ajor radio station, we at Jam m in 95.5 feel
it’s our jo b , as a radio station, to bring the artist to the
market. W e w ant our listeners to know the artist, as well
as the artist to get to know their listeners. It’s a good thing
to be able to have an outlet to bring the artist to large
venues like the Rose G arden Arena. Instead o f ju st radio
and TV , w e w ant to give the people an idea o f w hat goes
on behind the scenes o f 95.5 radio, as well as, being front
and center at an all-out concert.
Mayor Katz announces city’s joint
birthday and millennial activities
Plans to use celebrations
to promote volunteers and
encourage citizens to
celebrate safely close to
home and use free transit
CONTRIBUTED STORY
for
T he P ortland O bserver
M ayor K atz announced the city ’s
p la n s fo r c o m m e m o ra tin g th e
bookend ce le b ra tio n o f the new
m illennium and P o rtla n d ’s 150th
birthday a year later on January 23,
2001.
“This m ilestone,” said K atz, ‘will be
an opportunity for us to celebrate
w hat m akes our city special. The
m illennium is a once in a lifetim e
occurrence— generations to com e will
look back in history to see w hat life
was like at the turn o f the century.”
Katz and a steering com m ittee o f
com m unity leaders jo in ed a year ago
to plan the city’s m illennial and 150th
birthday com m em orations. Focusing
on the th e m es o f C e le b ra tio n s,
V olunteerism , and L egacies, the
m essage to all citizens is to consider
what they will do to mark these historic
m ile s to n e s , a n d to v ie w th e ir
contributions as gifts to our city.
To acknow ledge and prom ote w hat
oth er o rganizations are doing to
com m em orate the m illennium and
P o rtlan d ’s birthday, the steering
com m ittee established a sanctioning
p ro ce ss. A p p lic a tio n fo rm s are
I
available by contacting the Rose
F e s tiv a l A s s o c ia tio n , P io n e e r
C ourthou se Square, the Portland
O regon V isitors Association, or the
M a y o r ’s O ffic e . F o r u p d a te d
inform ation on sanctioned events,
p e o p le
ca n
a c c e ss
w w w.travelportland.com .
The celebrations will begin on New
Y ear’s Eve and continue as the Rose
Festival kicks o ff the commemoration
ofP ortlan d ’s birthday with their June
2 0 0 0 p ro g ra m . T h e th e m e o f
volunteerism will be carried out with
the help o f V olunteer W orks, an
organization that refers thousands o f
volunteers each year, and will partner
with the city to increase the level o f
volunteerism . In support o f this goal,
V o lu n te e r W o rk s w ill p ro v id e
in fo rm a tio n a l b ro c h u re s listin g
v o lu n te e r
o p p o r tu n itie s
at
sanctioned events.
Encouraging people to celebrate close
to where they live on New Y ear's Eve,
Katz asked that people take advantage
o f events that will be happening in
n e ig h b o rh o o d r e s ta u r a n ts an d
venues throughout the city. A listing
o f those celebrations will be in the
O regonian’s N ovem ber 10 holiday
guide and in the D ecem ber 24 issues
o f the A&E.
In addition to events at M cM enamins
restaurants around the city and at the
C onvention Center, Katz announced
the plans for a free family-oriented
c o n c e rt at P io n e e r C o u rth o u se
Square. The concert w ill feature
t
popular swing bands Royal Crown
Revue and Dem Brooklyn Bum s. It
will be an alcohol-free event, and
plans include large screens w ith live
broadcasts from around the world
and the city, and the display o f laser
lights and firew orks at midnight.
Portland Police Bureau A ssistant
C h ief Bruce Prank described the
public safety plan d ev elo p ed to
address crow d control, safety, and
transit issues related to the downtown
celebration. The plan calls for the
closure o f 15 square blocks to auto
traffic in the central city. This area will
extend from 5* Avenue to 1 O’” Avenue,
and from Alder to Taylor, Public safety
personnel will be on duty to support
public safety goals.
Tri-M et service, bus and M AX, will
be fareless. T ri-M et will provide
additional transit service to minimize
traffic congestion to the c ity ’s core
area. Eleven m ajor bus routes will
h a v e m o re f re q u e n t s e rv ic e
throughout the night, and M AX will
ran all night at 10-minute intervals
Legacy projects include the Classical
Chinese G arden as a cultural legacy,
the re-siting o f the Lovejoy column
murals in the River District as a public
art legacy, and the rem oval o f the
Little Sandy and M arm ot Diversion
dam s to restore the w atershed and
salm on habitat as an environm ental
le g a c y . A n o th e r p r o je c t u n d er
consideration is the lighting o f four
ofPortland’s bridges: Burnside, Steel.
H aw thorne, and Broadway.
W e ll,
a c tu a lly ,
b ro c h u re
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