This week is such a big week for us. Not only are we celebrating the first edition of our 47th year, I’m celebrating my own anniversary at the paper. On Halloween, I will celebrate 17 years working at The Mountain-Ear. I wish I could fill the pages with the history of the paper, but alas, this week’s edition is so full I have to decide which news to hold for a week. So, I’m going to say, THANK YOU, for supporting the paper for 46 years. And THANK YOU for supporting my involvement in the paper for 17 years. And I’m gonna move on.
First, before I share any of this story, I want to say THANK YOU to the medics, firefighters and flight for life pilot that saved my husband’s life over the last several years. Not to mention the amazing doctors. You all are the reason he is here today.
I’m going to share a quick story of my own, on a HOT topic here in Gilpin County. On May 22, 2016, my husband suffered a heart attack. Thankfully he recognized the signs and made it to the Nederland Fire Station. Kate Dirr evaluated the situation and gave him aspirin, which saved his life (I still call her his personal angel). He was transported to Boulder Community Health and spent the first of many days/weeks of stays at the hospital. After the heart attack he attended physical therapy in Boulder three days a week. Then twice a week. Then once a week. For months.
After that time, he had two strokes (in 2016 and 2017). Each medical emergency turned into more weeks of treadmills, occupational therapy, physical therapy and more. Each time, we made the long trek to Boulder (or Lafayette) for these appointments.
On September 16, 2019, he went in for a double bypass and valve replacement. Yup, more therapies. More miles on the vehicles. More hours off work. He regained a lot of his movement after a while and we had the option of doing our own physical therapy closer to home. With a plan in hand, we started going to the Gilpin Rec Center. We went three to four days each week. And we did it at different times of the day. And he swam. And he lifted weights slowly. And he used the treadmill and machines to get his strength back. And without that Rec Center, it would have been hundreds more days of driving back and forth, putting miles on the car, missing work.
His last stroke was less debilitating (although the scariest of all of them because I literally watched it happen in front of my eyes). And again, hours and hours at the Rec Center to strengthen and rebuild. And thankfully it’s now almost 4 years and he’s stronger than ever. And winter is coming and we will look forward to getting back into the Rec Center again. And we will be thankful for the facility. And the amazing people that run it. And the hours they are able to be open. And we WILL vote YES on 1A. We’ll vote for the next family that experiences anything tragic, like we have. And we’ll vote for the kids to have access. And we’ll vote for a secure future for this facility that has saved our lives, saved our cars from driving down the hill, saved our kids by giving them healthy opportunities to hang out with their friends. We’ll vote YES on 1A, because it makes sense to give the Rec Center the dollars and cents.. it needs..
