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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, May 27, 2017 Malakai from 1A “So when he was 2-1/2 years old, we moved here. And by his third birthday, he had a full, healthy head of hair. It was thick and getting curly and that was definitely an indication of things shift- ing for him,” Stone said. Things went along well for the family, for a while, but then the Stones noticed that the simple colds and illnesses that were shrugged off by Malakai’s sisters were a larg- er problem for Malakai. “We knew that there was something still going on because he was getting sicker than his sisters and it was tak- ing a lot longer to recover,” Stone said. “Then he had a bout with pneumonia that was very difficult to get rid of, it took three rounds of antibi- Deadlines for press releases are Mondays and Thursdays by noon. Email them to: P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM . otics and we were referred to a pulmonologist.” Ultimately, that referral led to more tests with more spe- cialists, which led to the diag- nosis that only 200 people on the planet have received. Malakai had a severe disease of the immune system. The diagnosis and the resulting prognosis changed life for all members of the Stone family, most dramati- cally for Malakai. In order to combat this highly aggressive disease, Malakai will need to undergo chemotherapy to prepare his body for a bone marrow trans- plant. The procedure is long and painful, and pitfalls and set- backs are part of what the Stones have been told to pre- pare for in the upcoming bat- tle to save Malakai’s life. The cost of the multi-tiered treatment plan is unclear at this early stage of the process, but it could reach $1 million, an unknown percentage of which the Stones will be responsible for paying. Stone said the family does have health insurance, but the unclarity surrounding the structure and coverage of health care in the country has made the process of who pays for these extremely expensive procedures much less certain. These unknown numbers are not the immediate concern for Stone, who wants to be able to be with her son during his treatment regimen, which will be taking place in Portland. The time she spends with Malakai is time that she is unable to work, and that will dramatically affect the family’s income. That is the reason for the Gifts of the Heart Auction — to allow the Stones the flexi- bility to be with Malakai, take care of their daughters and household and to pay for the surgeries. “The response from the community has been over- whelming in the most won- derful way. Mark and I love being a part of this communi- ty,” Stone said. “We’ve seen it pull together for other people and we have been honored to be a part of that for others in the past. Now, being on the receiving end of it is very dif- ferent. It’s hard to ask for help but the community has been amazing.” Also involved in the fundraising effort, Siuslaw Middle School Principal Andy Marohl is hopeful that the timing of the event will allow residents to come out and help the Stones. “People can help out in sev- eral ways. We would love for a lot of people to come to the auction on June 10 and bid on items. We already have over 65 items donated by local businesses and community members, and there are many local businesses that have jars at their counters for people to help donate,” Marohl said. Donations can be made at “Malakai’s Bone Marrow Transplant” account at Oregon Pacific Bank. The family has also det up a GoFundMe account for online donations. In addition, other fundrais- ing options would be wel- come as the family will likely need continued support through Malakai’s proce- dures. For more information on participating in the Gifts of the Heart Auction, email shannongraham@me.com. Utilities going to happen on July 1 regardless of whether we charge the consumer or not. We won’t be able to recoup that if we don’t start billing for that on July 1.” In other business, coun- cilors voted to approve a bid from Pacific Lamp Wholesale, Inc. for $42,825 to retrofit the Florence Events Center (FEC) to LED light- ing. FEC Director Kevin Rhodes said, “In 2016, Central Lincoln PUD con- ducted an electrical audit of the FEC’s existing lighting fixtures and lamps and deter- mined that the FEC qualifies for a utility savings of up to $30,000 by replacing the existing incandescent lighting with LED lighting.” According to Rhodes, Pacific Lamp Wholesale was the only one of three vendors that replied to a request for bid. “They are considered to be a turnkey lighting contractor and will handle the project from start to finish,” Rhodes said. “PUD’s estimated rebate incentive is $22,660, leaving a net cost to the city of $20,165.” The retrofit would include all lighting except the theater lighting, because Pacific Lamp Wholesale does not do theatrical lighting. Rhodes said the nonprofit Friends of the FEC have applied for a matching grant to cover the theater lighting upgrade costs. He said the FEC’s current budget has allocated $45,000 for the retrofit and that the theater lighting would qualify for additional rebates. Rhodes said the estimated electrical bill savings would be $400 per month, with a return on investment in less than five years. “This is a smart move and a good investment,” Rhodes said. ReVision down the direct cost to the city and urban renewal,” Reynolds said. She added that the city is hoping Lane County will cover all or a portion of the current $1.3 million funding gap. “In addition to Lane County, we have been work- ing with ODOT. They went to the Oregon Transportation Commission, their funding governing body, to request additional funding for their part of the project, as well as additional funds for the city’s portion,” Reynolds said. During the May 31 FURA budget meeting, the board will consider the proposed $7.4 million budget. For more information on ReVision Florence, visit c i . f l o r e n c e . o r. u s / u r b a n renewal/revision-florence. from 1A Central Coast Disposal owner Dave Twombly said, “Our half of a percent (increase) on our gross is We are community minded with a passion for the people we serve. member 541-997-7121 opbc.com @OregonPacBank Do your part and volunteer today to help support these local non-proft organizations in our community! Volunteer•Get involved•Donate Florence Food Share provides food to those who are hungry in our community. If you have four hours a week available, we are in need of volunteers to staff our Front Desk and also act as Guides as clients walk through the pantry. Please call our volunteer coordinator, Gina Yates, @ 541-997-9110 (Monday – Friday, before noon) to learn more about volunteering. info@lorence- foodshare.org 2190 Spruce Street. Food Backpack for Kids www.backpackimpact.org Together, No Child Will Go Hungry www.backpackimpact.org Together, No Child Will Go Hungry Your tax deductible donations helped us feed 86 Florence/ Mapleton area children in April. Please mail donations to: PO Box 3347, Florence, OR 97439. For more information 541-997-2497. from 1A According to Reynolds, the city currently has a funding gap not being met from out- side sources of $2.9 million. FURA has the fund- ing capacity to cover $1.6 million. That leaves $1.3 million to be covered by either the city or a combina- tion of other outside sources, including Lane County and ODOT. “We are still in the process of showing reasons why it makes sense for the county to invest in this west Lane infra- structure project,” Reynolds said. “Commissioners Farr, Bozievich and Leiken were very supportive of the proj- ect.” “If we get more outside (funding), that would buy ...need a friend? Assisting those in need in our Community. Free Hot Meals Mon-Wed-Fri, 11:30 AM - 1 PM NEW LOCATION SOON! HELPING HANDS COALITION United Methodist Church, 333 Kingwood, Florence Call 541-997-5057 to Volunteer Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers. You will find an area of interest in a caring organization. Peace Harbor Volunteers MEET MAX Was found down in Old Town. Finder took into vet for treatment of fl ea allergy dermatitis. Finder would have kept but highly allergic to cats so kitty was brought into shelter. He got along with the fi nders dogs, tolerates cats. If you would like to meet Max or any of his friends, please visit us at: 400 9th Street, Florence, OR 97439 541-997-8412 ext. 209 OREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY 2840 Rhododendron Drive • Florence • 541-997-4277 www.oregoncoasthumane.org This message brought to you by: Siuslaw News Meals on Wheels are available to people over the age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness or advanced age and who are not eating properly, regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those who prefer to make new friends in a dining room setting. 7 A + 1570 Kingwood • PO Box 2313, Florence 541-997-5673 laneseniormeals.org Siuslaw News + Operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday Saving men one PSA test at a time. 541-997-6626 maribob@oregonfast.net Someone to talk to... who understands! To include your organization in this directory, please call us @ 541-997-3441 www.shoppelocal.biz FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS /S IUSLAW N EWS ❘ @S IUSLAW N EWS WWW .T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM www.shoppelocal.biz
