Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2022)
Friday, January 7, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3 ‘I thought I would never get it, and boy was I wrong’ By ABBEY McDONALD The Astorian Gigi Thompson doesn’t remember the August night when she knocked on her neighbor’s front door, des- perate for help. She doesn’t remember getting in the neighbor’s truck to go to the hospital, or saying good- bye to her husband and ask- ing him to watch over their pets. She doesn’t remem- ber being transferred from Providence Seaside Hospi- tal to St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland the next day, or getting the scars on her neck. What she does remem- ber, from moments in and out of consciousness, is the feeling of the oxygen mask tight on her face and her sense of suff ocation. She remembers a night- mare that seemed so real, where she died and cold hands pulled her into the darkness of a mortu- ary drawer as she kicked at them and begged God for more time. She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget that. Thompson spent 122 days in the hospital after contracting COVID-19. Her neighbor drove her to Providence Seaside on Aug. 15, and she was quickly transferred to St. Vincent, where she stayed until early November. She then spent another month back in Sea- side, getting less-inten- sive treatment and physical therapy. Thompson has pieced together what happened through conversations with doctors, family and friends. Her neighbor fi lled her in about the night she was admitted. Her daughter told her she had approved Lydia Ely/The Astorian Providence Seaside Hospital staff clap for Gigi Thompson as she leaves to return home. the emergency tracheot- omy that cut into her neck, leaving scars but saving her life. After she woke from a monthlong coma, a doctor told her she had nearly died twice. Grateful There’s a lot to be grate- ful for, Thompson said. She can walk a little bit and can dress herself. And she has hope that her health will improve with time. “That experience with COVID, that actually changed my life for the better,” Thompson said. “I have a better outlook on cer- tain things, and I always try to keep a positive attitude.” Thompson, who is 72 years old, was discharged from Providence Seaside on Dec. 15 after several months of treatment for the virus. She exited the hos- pital in “Rocky” themed attire, wearing boxing gloves, an American fl ag and a nasal cannula. The hospital staff lined up and clapped, some teary- eyed, as they said goodbye to the long-haul COVID patient. Two days later, Thomp- son sat at home after her nurse left for the evening. Her cat, “Amara,” which will have her 22nd birthday in March, sat on Thomp- son’s lap as she told her story over the phone. “She just won’t leave me alone. She has to sleep on me and keep touching me to make sure I’m still there,” Thompson said. Being back home has been an adjustment. When she fi rst arrived, her hus- band, her son and a neigh- bor had to carry her wheel- chair up the stairs to the front door. They’re looking for fi rst-fl oor apartments, but fi nding few options. She can’t make dinner anymore, and for now has resigned to observing and critiquing her husband’s work in the kitchen. “I’m doing OK. It’s time-consuming, that’s what healing is,” Thompson said. Her statements were sometimes punctuated by brief coughing fi ts. Thompson’s daugh- ter, Carol Dickeson, said she is amazed her mom got through her battle with COVID. “She had one foot in the grave there, and that scared us,” Dickeson said. She talked to the hos- pital daily for updates on her mom, calling from her home in Colorado. “Just the thought of los- ing her? Oh man, that was — it really, really scared me,” Dickeson said. “She’s a feisty woman. She’s very, very feisty and she’s a fi ghter. She won’t let noth- ing keep her down.” Thompson worked in the fi shing industry her whole life, from shrimp picking in Gold Beach to Pacifi c Sea- food in Warrenton, and up to Alaska for a time. She retired in her 50s after an on-the-job shoulder injury while hauling 35-pound crab buckets. Dickeson described her mom as selfl ess, and said she always had a place at her table for neighborhood kids. She said her fried chicken recipe was so good that her siblings would ask her to make extra just so they could share it at school. “With my mom, she’s always ...” Dickeson said, before getting emotional. “There’s not enough time to say enough good about my mom. She always — always — is looking to help other people.” A struggle to get vaccinated Prior to her hospitaliza- tion, Dickeson and her sib- lings had struggled to con- vince their mom to get vaccinated. “Now that she’s had this COVID, and went face to face with that. She’s tak- ing it seriously now,” Dick- eson said. “So I’m glad she went through this to realize that it’s not funny or any- thing, and I’m glad that she survived it. I’m happy that my mom’s still with us, and we get to put up with her wittiness.” Now Thompson can assure them that she received two vaccine doses during her stay at Seaside, having changed her mind after dealing with the virus fi rsthand. She plans on get- ting the booster as soon as she is eligible. “I thought I would never get it, and boy was I wrong. It smacked me down like nothing. And I’m glad I got those two shots,” Thomp- son said. Thompson is a mother of eight, including two step- children and an adopted daughter. She described the support of her family and her faith as her strengths. “With my strength in the Lord, and my kids and my husband, we all got together. And so many peo- ple — people I didn’t even know — were texting my phone and saying, ‘God bless you Gigi. We’re so happy you made it. You’ve been through the wringer.’ And I said, ‘I have literally been at hell’s door and came back,’” she said. She thanked the hospital staff for their work and said that she’s glad to be alive. “There’s still things that I want to do, and things I want to see. I’ve been a fi sh fi lleter for over 40 years. I did a little bit of logging for three years, and raised my children before all that. Life has been alright, you know, it’s like a roller coaster,” she said. “I’m here and I’m so grateful that I am here, and I want to thank everybody for everything that they have done.” New Clatsop County Jail set for completion this year By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian WARRENTON — The new Clatsop County Jail, originally slated for com- pletion in 2021, is now esti- mated to open in September or October. The jail is under con- struction at the former North Coast Youth Correc- tional Facility, which closed in 2017. In December, con- struction crews raised the walls for an addition that will house the jail’s general population. “It’s been a moving tar- get, which has been frustrat- ing,” Sheriff Matt Phillips, the project supervisor, said. A combination of sup- ply chain disruptions, labor shortages and rising material costs has slowed progress. The bid date was postponed when contractors involved needed to fl ee fi re zones during the historic wildfi res of 2020. When the county went out to bid, the bids that came back were signifi cantly over the nearly $24 million con- struction budget. The project is being fi nanced by a $20 million bond voters approved in 2018, a bond premium and money from the county. The county scaled back the design by eliminating a few housing units and mak- ing other compromises, such as reducing the number of skylights. But the new facility — a project overseen by Corner- stone Management Group and designed by DLR Group — will be a drastic improve- ment, Phillips said. The existing jail in Asto- ria, which opened in 1980, has 60 beds — 40 in use because of coronavirus restrictions — and a long his- Lydia Ely/The Astorian The new Clatsop County Jail is expected to be completed this year. tory of overcrowding. The new jail, designed to have 148 beds, will allow the county to house inmates who normally wouldn’t qual- ify for the county’s pretrial release program but who still get sent back into the com- munity shortly after they’re booked. “This will certainly put OREGON CAPITAL PUBLIC SAFETY LOG SEASIDE POLICE DEPT. PUBLIC SAFETY LOG Dec. 25 9:33 a.m., 2200 block Cedar Street: Police respond to a request for a welfare check for dogs left outdoors all night and into the morning. Police are unable to contact the owner. 2:05 p.m., U.S. Highway 26 Elsie/VineMaple: A crash is reported. Dec. 27 8:52 a.m., Avenue R and Roos- evelt: EMS call. 12:44 p.m., 1200 block S. Wa- hanna: Caller reports children’s father has violated a restrain- ing order by sending the kids presents. 5:43 p.m., 86000 block U.S. Highway 101 @Circle Creek: Caller reports female yelling from inside a trailer to let her out. The subject was contacted and agreed to keep the noise down for the night. 10:21 p.m., Seventh and King: A prowler reported around a construction site is the prop- erty owner checking on their property. Dec. 28 10:04 a.m., 400 block Avenue G: Police assist a motorist stuck on the ice. 2:37 p.m., 900 block Avenue H: A deceased person is reported. 5:12 p.m., 2500 block S. Roos- evelt: Another deceased person is reported. 10:04 p.m., Broadway and Holladay: Caller requests a welfare check on a person who activated an emergency button on their vehicle. Dec. 29 1:32 a.m., 900 block S. Holl- aday: Caller reports possible abuse of dogs. Owner is contacted who said dogs are howling because they need to go to the bathroom. Ruby’s: A person is arrested on a warrant. SEASIDE FIRE & RESCUE PUBLIC SAFETY LOG Dec. 25 2:07 p.m., N. Wahanna: EMS call. Dec. 27 9:27 a.m., 1600 block Whisper- ing Pines Drive: EMS call. Dec. 28 10:40 a.m., Wahanna Road: EMS call. 11:48 a.m., 1700 block 12th Avenue, Thousand Trails: EMS call. Dec. 29 Dec. 30 3:30 p.m., 900 block Avenue H: Fire alarm. 3:57 p.m., 500 block S. Edge- wood: Caller reports a person at her door wearing blue pants she thought was a police offi - cer. It wasn’t. 8:45 p.m., U.S. Highway 101 by INSIDER We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! 11:48 a.m., Avenue C and Roo- sevelt: Caller requests welfare check on a person described as screaming and barefoot. 11:15 a.m., 800 block Avenue C: A person is arrested on a warrant. us in a position to where we won’t have to make forced releases,” Phillips said. The Astoria jail has one exam room. “It literally used to be a closet,” Phillips said. The new one will have a medical suite with two exam rooms, as well as a mental health interview room. At the current jail, visitors talk to inmates from a tight row of stools. The upgrade will include private booths for visitors. The new jail will also have a kitchen where staff can prepare and serve break- fast, lunch and dinner on site. Inmates now eat from pre- made meal trays. Among the most signifi - cant upgrades: The wing that used to house the juvenile detention center will become an intake unit where jail staff can hold inmates in one-per- son cells when they fi rst enter the premises. At intake, they can be monitored, their condition assessed. Deputies can see if the person is ill or detox- ing from drugs or alcohol, or has drugs that need to be removed. “If someone is going through withdrawal, it’s pretty awkward to be laying in a day room or in a dorm 1:23 p.m., 1100 block Broad- way: Fire alarm. Dec. 30 6:27 a.m., 2500 block S. Roos- evelt: Fire alarm. 2:48 p.m., Seventh Avenue: Fire alarm. 9:16 p.m., First and Necanicum: Motor vehicle accident with injuries reported. with a bunch of people who are feeling well,” Phillips said. The new jail will be a more rehabilitative environ- ment for inmates, he said. “People have to remem- ber that every person that comes into this jail is some- one’s family member — mother, brother, sister, son, daughter — and that most of the people that come into the jail are members of our com- munity,” Phillips said. “And oftentimes, it could be the person checking your gro- ceries, pumping your gas, it’s the person that built your house, that cycles through the jail.” The facility, he said, will give law enforcement bet- ter tools to take care of these community members. “And hopefully to get them to a place where they don’t have to come back and visit us,” he said.
