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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2015)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ DECEMBER 30, 2015 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE C ATHERINE J. R OURKE For the Siuslaw News _____________ I t’s Christmas morning and there’s much to be done. There are meals to serve, rooms to clean, dishes to wash, gas tanks to fill, fires to put out, phones to answer, items to ring up and patients requiring immediate medical atten- tion. Somebody’s gotta do it. While we were still snug in our beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads, some creatures began stirring around town, making their lists and checking them twice. While we ate ourselves silly and made merry, these holiday heroes merrily made their way to hospitals and hotels, mini marts and super- markets, assisted living centers and emergency dispatch centers, restau- rants and resorts, covering the holi- day shift so co-workers could spend it with their families. At 7 a.m. Florence resembles a ghost town with empty parking lots and Highway 101 void of traffic. Yet good cheer prevails among these holiday workers manning their often demanding public stations. “I’m having a great time,” says Dustin, a cashier at 7-11. “There’s been a real jovial spirit and people have been really gracious. For me, every day’s a holiday. Working Christmas is no big deal.” Some cashiers have been on duty since 6 a.m., ready to ring up last- minute purchases — more tape to wrap gifts, another jar of gravy or dessert for a holiday gathering. While many worked for the extra buck, most volunteered so others could have the day off. By 9 a.m. the pace quickens at Driftwood Shores Resort. Housekeepers clean rooms while front desk manager Debbie Fleeman Holiday heroes helps guests. An 18-year resort vet- Katie Burch eran, she has worked most holidays. of Surfside Restaurant “I really love people and want our at Driftwood Shores guests to enjoy the holidays,” she says. “If I can be a part of that, then it brings joy to my heart.” Over at the Surfside Restaurant, servers set tables and cooks hover over sizzling hot grills, preparing for Shane Stapp one of their busiest days of the year. of Porter’s From no-shows to kitchen snafus, Shell food service can pose a daunting task on the hol- e Beth DeGuir idays. Yet s er iv R e re of Th everyone main- rt o es R o Casin tains a holiday spirit in spite of it all. “We’ll serve about 250 people today and our job PHOTOS BY CATHERINE ROURKE is to make them “I’m elated to Marsha busy on happy,” says be part of some- the holidays. Katie Burch, front thing that really “It still feels of the house man- matters and like I’m at ager. “I don’t mind makes a differ- home since we’re one big hos- it at all.” ence in our pital family here,” she notes. Server Cindy community,” Then there’s Kathryn Haworth, a Kwiatkowski has says co-chair registered nurse who volunteered to been working and head cook Julie Brown, work a 24-hour shift at PeaceHealth Christmas for sever- who arrived at 4 a.m. along with Home Health and Hospice. al years now. other volunteers. The Lodge is burst- “I wanted to be available because “Despite the burning feet, there’s ing with joy as happy faces and I know how busy all the other nurses a feeling of accomplishment at the peals of laughter flood the room. are,” she says. “I’ve been a nurse for end of the day, knowing we gave Meanwhile, it’s another day of 24- 50 years and I love every minute of everyone a good time,” she says. 7 emergency and on-call response what I do. I can celebrate Christmas There’s no shortage of holiday for police, firefighter, ambulance and any day and would rather celebrate spirit at the Elks Lodge, where an medical crews across town. my patients and co-workers.” army of volunteers gears up for the Pharmacist Marsha Day holds the By mid-afternoon, a bevy of slot Herculean task of preparing and fort this holiday like she has for 25 attendants, security guards, food serving 850 meals at its annual years at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor service workers and gaming person- Community Appreciation Dinner. Medical Center, where dozens of nel flit about Three Rivers Casino “It’s so gratifying,” says Elks hospital staff and on-call personnel Resort. Line cook Beth DeGuire has spokesman Howard Ziebell. “It will cover three shifts. been prepping salads and desserts at gives you a feeling like you’ve never “I don’t think I’ve ever had one World Market Buffet since 11 a.m., had before.” off and it’s mostly been by choice,” and will continue until about 9 p.m. As 326 diners fill the vast hall in she says. “It’s integral to me that my She’s another holiday hero who vol- one seating, the Lodge looks like a co-workers enjoy Christmas with unteered so a co-worker could spend loaves-and-fishes scene from some their families.” Christmas with her 1-year-old epic Hollywood Biblical flick. By The non-retail pharmacy serves daughter. some small miracle, 75 volunteers emergency department outpatients as “I think it’s only fair for people will serve 850 meals in just three well as hospital patients, keeping with kids to have the holiday off,” hours. Beth said. “Making people happy is my top priority on any day of the year.” By nightfall, temperatures plum- met close to freezing. Over at Porter’s Shell, cashier Ron Mason, a father of three, says he’s happy to work on Christmas. Outside, gas attendant Shane Stapp works the pump in a Santa hat, filling tanks and braving the cold until midnight with a smile. Where would our city be with- out these wonder- ful people who make our world go round on the holi- days? They fill our glasses and tanks, pour cups of kind- ness and rush to our aid, many doing it for minimum wage and some for no wage at all. Here’s to all the extraordinary hol- iday heroes who rose on Christmas morning or worked a chilly night to serve us and will do so again on the New Year — people like Brian Davis of River Cities Taxi who drove passengers to and from the Elks Lodge at no charge, the medical personnel and church ministers, the pet-sitters, the dishwashers, janitors and other “unknown soldiers” and invisible elves. Florence thanks you for your good cheer, remarkable resilience and spirit of giving. Happy holidays! ______________________ Catherine J. Rourke is an award- winning writer, journalist and book editor who teaches creative writing at the Florence Regional Arts Alliance. She may be contacted at CJReditor@gmail.com. NEIGHBORS Long hiatus — Part II B OB J ACKSON N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT For the Siuslaw News ____________ leeting images caught by the mind’s eye are often badly skewed by our imagination. And so has it been with the occa- sional appearance of the Friends of Florence cancer bus, en route or returning from treatment, which always left me with a feeling of sad- ness for the unfortunate souls con- fined inside. This misconception was to change dramatically. When I stepped aboard for my first journey to Eugene, I was con- fronted by a busload of happy, smil- ing faces, and warmly greeted as if we were old friends. Without a notepad I was unable to record their names; however, one of them made F it easy for me. She was acting as a caregiver, escorting a gentleman in a wheelchair, plus aiding anyone else needing assistance. “Think camera,” she said with a wide smile, “replace the ‘c’ with a ‘t,’ and you have my name — Tamera!” I had a lively conversation with an extremely attractive young lady across from me, her large, luminous eyes glowed with good humor. Her forehead appeared large and slick as a billiard ball because of a complete absence of hair, including eyelashes. We joked about it and she laughing- ly remarked that what she missed the most was losing her nose hair. “Without nose hair,” she said, “there is nothing to stop nasal drip, and it runs off my chin like a snot- nosed little kid. It is embarrassing!” Time passed quickly on the com- fortable bus, and as we turned off onto Country Club Road we were impressed with the neighborhood of impeccably landscaped professional buildings. Willamette Valley Cancer Institute had none of the harsh austere appearance of a medical facility. From the very beginning, everything was warm and friendly. We were ushered into a waiting room that was complete with hot coffee and tea. I had barely settled in, when a tall smiling young man appeared like in that old TV show, and loudly announced “come on down.” And with that, he led me down a long hallway to a waiting hard-backed chair. Everywhere there were more and more of the ominous warning signs: “Danger — Radiation!” After removing my upper cloth- ing, I was given a warm blanket, which they much too quickly removed and led me into a room and onto a cold table, where mysterious lines were drawn upon my chest with an ink pen in the neighborhood of my cancerous tumor. Other loca- tions were precisely marked and referred to as “Tattoos.” At some point after being jostled by pillows and wedged into an exact position, the medical people left the room, and I was at the mercy of the unfathomable workings of the radia- tion procedure. Absolutely none of which I understood. What happened next was so bizarre it defies description. As I lay bare-chested with my hands clasped high above my head, a large, thin, plate-shaped disc with blinking lights slowly emerged from beneath my resting place. It hovered there, blinking and humming, then disap- peared, as another one came out from under the other side of the slab and repeated the humming and click- ing sounds. Like something right out of a science fiction magazine. It was a brief interlude, and then the attendants reappeared. I was given another warm blanket and escorted from the scene. This proce- dure was repeated for all four weeks of treatment. With two sessions to go, I was told that I had enough and could stop. It was a big relief, as I was feeling worse every week. I was forewarned about the cumu- lative after effects of the radiation. I had no idea of how really bad it would become in the weeks ahead. More to come. USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. 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