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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2016)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian LEUKEMIA: Baker ¿rst diagnosed in 2003 Continued from 1A “We’re taking it day by day,” he said The couple sat in the living room of Winkler’s grandmother’s house in Athena on Monday during a respite from hospital life. Baker, 26, lounged on the couch looking comfortable in her bare feet. An armband that covers a PICC line port seemed the only clue of her cancer struggle as she laughed at the antics of little Emma, who danced in the living room. Winkler beamed at his girls. The little family has learned to savor the carefree moments. By that evening, Baker would be back in the hospital — this time St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. It has been a hard road. +er ¿rst leukemia diagnosis came in 2003 at age 13 after her health took a sudden dive. Baker, then a student at Sunridge Middle School, said cancer came out of nowhere like a switch had been Àipped. “I was going up the stairs at school and my legs felt really tired,” she said. “My friend said my face looked green. I went home and laid on the couch.” When she tried to get up, her body crumpled. She had a fever of 104 degrees. That night, an emer- gency room doctor at St. Anthony Hospital diagnosed leukemia. The teenager started a regimen of chemo treatments, spinal taps and blood transfusions. A couple years later, she went into remission. Leukemia returned at age 22, went into remission, than came back a year later when Emma was just a baby. “Tyna was so sick,” Winkler said. “For the next year-and-a-half or two years, we practically raised Emma out of a daybed at OHSU. She saw her mom get poked and prodded and all those tubes. That’s all she knew. Maybe that’s why she’s so strong.” Winkler remains in awe of Baker’s resilience. “I’ve seen her doctors’ jaws drop when they come in and read her lab reports. She’s a medical marvel. She hangs on and ¿ghts. It’s really unfortunate she’s come out of remis- sion this many times.” In May, the couple noticed their toddler was feverish, lethargic and had achy legs and enlarged lymph nodes. After taking her in for blood work, they got the dreaded call — Emma had leukemia, too. “The doctor said, ‘You need to get her to the hospital emergency room right now,’” Baker recalled. Emma was loaded on a plane bound for Portland. Winkler Àew with Emma while Baker drove the family car. The little girl started treatment immediately. “I felt absolutely horrible,” Baker said, her voice trailing out. “It’s hard knowing she got it from me. It’s easy to be strong for yourself, but it’s hard to be strong when it’s your child. I kind of fell apart.” They marveled at Emma, who charmed the medical staff and knew how to put on a blood pressure cuff. Within hours, she went into surgery for the insertion of a PICC line and the removal of a bone sample. The little girl took it with courage. “She’s outgoing and strong,” Winkler said. “She blows me away every day.” He and Baker have steeled Emma for the inevitable loss of her hair. “We’ve told her she’ll end up losing her hair the same as her mom,” Winkler said, “but it’ll grow back thicker and prettier.” Things are looking good for Emma, though she still has two more years of chemo treatments to ensure every lingering cancer cell is destroyed in an effort to avoid her mother’s multiple relapses. Baker also faces more treatment and a likely therapy that involves reprogramming cells from her own immune system to ¿ght the disease. She and Winkler remain steadfastly optimistic. “Treatment has taken a toll on Emma,” Winkler said. “She’s not in the clear yet, but for the most part, the doctors are astonished with her.” The family’s ¿nances are in a shambles. These are tough times. Winkler left his job a few years ago after a gas leak in their apart- ment gave him carbon monoxide poisoning and continuing head- aches. He now co-owns an art glass business in Walla Walla called Glassography, but can only work between treatments. The couple divides time between the Ronald McDonald House and the Walla Walla home of family friend Cyndy Purcell, who recently started a donation account at Banner Bank in the name of Emma Marie Baker. Purcell, executive vice president at Banner and mother of one of Winkler’s high school buddies, said donations can be made at any branch. “This is a young family that’s had so much heartache,” Purcell said. “They are battling really hard.” “Financially, it’s been terrible,” Winkler said. “There’s nothing more I want to do than to go back to my job, but it’s just not possible right now.” When he needs some inspiration, however, he doesn’t have to look farther than Baker. “She’s such a ¿ghter,” Winkler said. “She’s amazed the doctors over and over.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@ eastoregonian.com or call 541-966- 0810. Wednesday, August 3, 2016 UAV: Punishment for breaking rules include warning notices, civil penalties Continued from 1A “Our message is education over regulation,” he said. Beyond some of the safeguards prescribed by the FAA, Jenson said the club will teach children and adults how to conduct a pre-Àight check and pair one its 22 members with more inexperi- enced pilots. Jenson said safety is key when operating RC aircraft, especially since all pilots face the occasional crash landing. Risky behavior is not only dangerous, it can get UAV opera- tors in trouble with the law. In a ¿rst for the state, a Cali- fornia man was recently arrested for Àying his drone to close to a wild¿re north of Sacramento, requiring authorities to tempo- rarily ground planes that were dropping retardant on the ¿re. The man was charged with a misdemeanor rather than an FAA penalty, but the administration does have the authority to enforce its rules. FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer wrote in an email that the FAA has a variety of ways of punishing rule breakers including warning notices and civil penal- ties. Reckless UAV activities can garner up to $27,500 in civil penalties and up to $250,000 in criminal penalties or up to three years in prison. “There is no one-size-¿ts-all enforcement action for violations,” Kenitzer wrote. “All aspects of a violation will be considered, along with mitigating and aggravating circumstances surrounding the violation. In general, the FAA will attempt to educate operators who fail to comply with registration requirements. However, ¿nes will Multiple Ways and Days to WIN! remain an option when egregious circumstances are present.” The prospect of a more de¿ned set of rules for commercial drone users is encouraging to Derrick Westoby, the owner of Milton-Freewater drone company OmniFox Aerial. The commercial rules, which go into effect Aug. 29, follow many of the same parameters as the hobbyist guidelines. But they also require pilots pass an aeronautical knowledge exam and submit to a vetting from the Transportation Safety Adminis- tration. The new commercial drone rules largely replace the Section 333 Exemption, which required each drone business to submit an application to the FAA for commercial operations. Westoby said the streamlined process makes it easier for his company to do business, even if it creates more competition by lowering the threshold for entry. Westoby said business is going well for OmniFox, which uses its drones for precision agriculture and engineering projects. The proliferation of UAVs has the Pendleton School District considering adding language that describes the proper use of drones in a school setting to its of¿cial policies. Meanwhile, the city of Pend- leton continues to push ahead in making itself a drone-friendly city. At a meeting Tuesday, the city council unanimously approved an “air park” at Grecian Heights Park for local UAV enthusiasts. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. Money Man! Cash & Cruise Entry STACKER Over $ 70,000 in Cash & Prizes! 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