4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ DECEMBER 23, 2015
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
NEIGHBORS
Long hiatus — Part I
B OB J ACKSON
N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT
For the Siuslaw News
____________
ear readers, this hopefully
will serve as a partial expla-
nation for the long lapse in
my regular columns. My very first
column written for the Siuslaw
News appeared on Saturday, Dec.
28, 2002. As a fledgling typesetter,
early on I had attempted to disentan-
gle some of the archaic language
that appeared in the earlier news
items. I found it amusing, for exam-
ple, that women were referred to as
Mesdames, did they mean “M”
Dames or “Messy Dames”?
This harangue of course has noth-
D
ing to do with the purpose of the fol-
lowing columns, which will proba-
bly bring back painful memories for
others who have been on the same
route that I have traveled for some
time now.
Perhaps it started when my tongue
got twisted up while I was sitting in
Peggy’s doctor’s office. Her doctor
recognized a problem at once, and
almost magically, had a big wheel-
chair wheeled in. Consequently, I
spent the night in the hospital: diag-
nosis TIA (mini-stroke). Prior to
that, there had been the pneumonia
as a result of the ride in the big open
Humvee during the Veteran’s Day
Parade. I am probably missing a lot
of things, but they ordered a CAT
scan, which discovered a suspicious
lesion in my left lung. A trip to
RiverBend in Springfield resulted in
a needle biopsy confirming that I
had cancer.
I recall a Mary Tyler Moore show
when she was told she had cancer,
all she could do was stand there and
uttter “C-c-cancer!” over and over.
As for myself, at first it was “oh
well,” but soon reality and the seri-
ousness set in.
The doctor put it to me that it
would perhaps be better to let it take
its course, as treatment was “iffy,”
debilitating and many times ineffec-
tual at best. I thought it over and
decided it would not be fair to not at
least try for a cure instead of leaving
Peggy with no hope at all.
And so began a series of five,
weekly hour-and-a-half Friends of
Florence cancer bus rides to
Willamette Valley cancer institute on
Country Club Road in Eugene for
radiation treatments on my left lung.
God bless PT Smith’s departed soul
for the comfortable bus that would
be waiting at Peace Harbor hospital
entrance every morning at 8 a.m.
There was a different driver every
day, some were women, some men.
All were equally helpful and very
careful and courteous drivers.
Invariably they would always pull
over to let faster drivers have the
right of way. Almost robotic, they
never ever exceeded the speed limit
— I was impressed.
There were pillows and blankets
available, in fact the drivers said we
were welcome to take a donated
quilt home if we wished. With the
high back seats, it was inviting to
catch a nap now and then, and the
interior was always kept comfortably
warm.
I found not one of the bus passen-
gers to be morose or gloomy; to the
contrary, they were equally upbeat
and smiling both ways throughout
the trip. I think we were all aware of
what a great blessing we were being
offered, and at absolutely no cost to
any of us because of a generous
community and the foresight and
persistence of the late Mr. PT Smith.
And we were always on time!
More to come.
LETTERS
True meaning of Christmas
Last Monday afternoon, my husband and I
were returning home to Florence after he had
spent the morning at Sacred Heart Medical
Center in Eugene. When we reached Walton, we
realized we had a flat tire and pulled in to the
Walton Store parking lot.
Since my husband had just had a cardiac pro-
cedure, he was unable to change the tire. Of
course, it was raining and this senior citizen
does not possess tire changing in her list of abil-
ities. We were just about to phone for assis-
tance, when a young man in the parking lot said:
“I’ll take care of that for you.”
So, this very kind and gracious man, named
Aaron, took the time to change our tire. When
we offered to pay him for his trouble, he
refused, saying, “Lots of people have helped
me, and I am happy to be able to help you. ...
So now you can just pay it forward.”
We thanked him for his assistance, wished
each other a Merry Christmas and resumed an
uneventful trip to Florence.
And that, we know, is the true meaning of
Christmas.
Sarah Farber-Hawkins
Florence
Gratitude for wreaths
Many thanks to Laurel Bay Gardens for donat-
ing the profits from their hand-made wreaths to the
Memory Loss Respite Center of Florence, previ-
ously known as Alzheimer Hospitality Program.
Some of you may remember when wreath mak-
ing was our primary fundraiser. We are no longer
able to do that, so it is particularly meaningful for
Laurel Bay to provide this offer to us. If you have
not checked the wreaths out, they are beautiful and
will last a long time.
The Memory Loss Respite Center is an under-
utilized service in our community. It provides four
hours of respite care for caregivers of persons with
memory loss of any kind. It is a fun and nutritious
(lunch is provided) time for those with memory
loss to engage with others.
The program is an opportunity for caregivers to
have some time for themselves knowing that their
loved one is safely watched and entertained. We
need more participants and volunteers.
We meet Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Florence Senior
Center, 1570 Kingwood St. Call 541-902-8539 for
more information.
Carol Krasel
Mapleton
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