Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

I am very concerned and I’m sure others are to about what the Hospital Board is doing in keeping Dr. Salard from seeing his patients in the hospital.

My father and mother are both in the Wrangell Hospital and bed ridden. Dr. Salard is their doctor and he is my doctor. We don’t want to see anyone else since there is never the same doctor twice in a row that knows my history and theirs.

Dr. Salard is one of the reasons my father is alive today. He got my father medivaced to Seattle last December where he and I spent 34 days at Harbor View Hospital until he was able to come home and has been under Dr. Salard’s care ever since. My family trusts Dr. Salard.

What the Hospital Board is doing is wrong and risking my parent’s health physically and emotionally as well as others.

The people on the Hospital Board should start thinking about patients and not personal conflicts. Let the public know what you think is so bad so we can decide what is right or wrong in the care of our families.

Mark Seimears

To the Editor:

December 12, 2011 Nedra’s phone rang and we began a journey we never imagined. Our oldest son, Nathan (’98 WHS) at 31 years old had suddenly had a massive stroke. Through the veil of shock and uncertainty if our son would survive long enough for us to reach him in NY we stumbled through the next 48 hours. Immediately we began to experience the outpouring of love and compassion from our church body at Bible Baptist and the community of Wrangell.

Fifteen years earlier we had arrived in Wrangell and became a part of this quaint town. With open arms you accepted our family then and again you have responded with open arms during a traumatic time in our lives. Countless ones of you have contacted us via email, phone, texts, mail, Facebook and Nathan’s blog. We are ever grateful to each of you, our church family at Bible Baptist and to City Market (Thanks Benn & Chet) for standing by us during our absence.

Today, Nathan firstly did survive and we can only thank God for that. Once it was evident he was going to survive after the Craniotomy we were given little hope that he would have much more quality of life than a mere vegetable. Again God chose to go above and beyond human expectations. After three plus weeks in NeuroICU in Albany, NY Nathan was moved to a rehabilitation hospital for the next month. One of those first couple of days there when the therapist said they believed Nathan could walk out of there, I truly thought they were crazy. However, walk out of there he did on January 30, 2012.

His right side is still affected and he has little use yet of his right arm and nearly none of his right hand. We all remember his ability at ‘tickling the ivories’, but for now that is silent. He is able to walk using a cane and a prosthetic that is fitted to his right leg. Because the bone plate on the left side of his skull has been removed he must wear a helmet to protect his brain until the Cranioplasty surgery scheduled for March 30.

Currently, he can say some words but is unable to speak fluently or carry a conversation. We are very blessed though that he remembers everything and understands everything. Our prayer is that the Apraxia will correct itself with therapy and time.

As you see, Nathan has come a very long way on this road since December yet there is quite the journey still ahead. Nedra has remained in NY to help his wife Beth with their four young children and to help reteach Nathan to read and write. I will return to NY for Nathan’s upcoming surgery. But, even though it appears for a while yet our absence from Wrangell may be frequent, know that our hearts are here in Wrangell with you. Thank you Wrangell. It has been wonderful here for us these past 15 years.

You can watch Nathan’s progress at http://nathanshoultz.wol.org/blog/shoultz

Doug and Nedra Shoultz