98 yr old volunteer January 27, 2009

98-year-old Howard Bell has never missed a shift at Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center

by Tom Hallman, The Oregonian

Monday January 26, 2009, 9:30 PM

Faith Cathcart,/The OregonianHoward Bell, 98, works in Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital’s short-stay unit where — between cracking jokes and flirting with nurses — he helps with paperwork and errands.

At 98, Howard Bell has earned the chance to relax.

But twice a week, Bell has an early breakfast and sets out from his Northwest Portland retirement center to walk to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center to spend a few hours volunteering.

Bell is the oldest of the hospital’s 538 volunteers and works in the short-stay unit where patients await surgery. He’s logged nearly 3,000 hours over the past seven years and has become a favorite of everyone who works there.

And a legend.

“He’s never missed a shift,” says Ashley Moulton, the hospital’s volunteer coordinator. “We treat volunteering kind of like a job. Most people work one shift a week. He does two a week.”

Moulton, 25, adds: “When he walks in, everyone brightens up. I’ve never met anyone like Howard.”

Faith Cathcart, The OrgonianBell walks from his retirement home in Northwest Portland twice a week to volunteer at the hospital. “He’s never missed a shift,” says Ashley Moulton, the hospital’s volunteer coordinator.

Bell began volunteering after his wife died in 1999 and he moved from their Southeast Portland home. His wife had volunteered at a Northeast Portland hospital. With Good Sam just down the street, Bell thought he might give it a try, too.

What does he do there? “My stock answer is that I do everything up to brain surgery,” says Bell, sitting at a dining table at his retirement home. “What I really do is run errands and collate papers.”

And why? “Keeps me off the streets and out of the beer halls,” he quips. Six women laugh from the next table.

“OK,” he says, “I’m a joker.

He reveals another reason. “I was married one month short of 61 years,” he says. “My wife didn’t make it here with me.”

He pauses. “I’d like to think she’d be proud of me.”

The moment passes, and Bell turns playful again.

“Want to know the secret to not getting old?” he asks. “Chasing girls.” The women at the next table twitter.

“We heard that, Howard,” Pat Lawrence says. “I think the ladies have been known to chase you up and down the hall.”

“I don’t want to get caught,” Bell says, drawing more laughter.

He pushes back from the table. “Let’s get out of here,” he says.

On the way to his room, Bell says he’ll turn 99 in November. He’s going strong — he gave up driving only five years ago — and says he plans to break 100.

“In fact,” he says, “I got 102 in mind.”

His apartment is filled with memories: photos of his wife — they met as Franklin High School students — of his children, and of his parents, brothers and sister. In his bedroom, a large painting depicts a young Bell standing in front of a delivery truck.

“I was in the motion picture industry here in Portland,” he says. “The unglamorous side. Had a company that took care of the needs of the theaters in town. We’d supply the advertising for the front of the theater, pick up the films and sell the theater everything from thumbtacks to screens.”

He leads the way back to the living room.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he says, “I’ll pop a few pills, and we can take off.”

He grabs his cane and pulls on an old fishing cap — setting it just so. Outside, he sets off down the street. After a block, he stops to catch his breath.

“You know you’re getting old,” he says, “when you have to stop — going downhill.”

He arrives in the volunteer office about 15 minutes later, slips into his volunteer shirt and clips on a badge.

“Ladies,” he says, “how are you today?”

Bess Dodd, the unit secretary, grins. “Howard,” she says, “there’s no one else like you. What would we do without you?”

He laughs as he grabs a stack of paperwork. “Without this job,” he says as he walks away, “I’d be bored stiff.”

January 26, 2009

“You cannot control the world, but you can change how you react to it”

Not sure where I found that quote or who wrote it but I think it is a good one.

To move or not to move that is our question? January 19, 2009

I know I have written about our whole dilemma whether to move or not quite a few times on here. We are still in great debate about it. More so,  we seem to be split 50:50 in our opinions about whether to move to the Midwest or stay here in Portland. For many of you from the pacific NW, the answer would seem obvious and the question almost comical. Most people who live in the Pacific NW feel it is one of the most live-able places. And we do to. It is just we have this gut feeling, deep inside that something is missing…and that something is closeness to family. Now, I know we could make it work out here. We would just have to travel a bit more back home to visit and our family would have to mount up and get out here more often then they do. We could do that and maybe it would work out well. Or maybe it would get quite expensive in all the money spent traveling to these places, and we would hardly have time or money for “fun” vacations because most of our time would be spent traveling back there. Also, spending time with people for 1 week here and there is great–but that doesn’t compare to a grandparent being able to stop by after work to watch your child’s baseball game–or attend the dance recital. Or to be there easily on many of their birthdays, or to see them learn to ride a bike, or just to be able to eat Sunday dinner together. You cannot recreate those moments in quick week long vacations. It is just too hectic. I am not saying isn’t good–just not the same.

The problem is we LOVE Portland. And I mean love it. We love the city, the recreation, the people, even the rain. It is truly one of the best places to live in our minds and it would be VERY hard to say good-bye to this place that means so much to us. It would also be hard to say good-bye to some of the best people in my life. Friends that I adore and enjoy spending time with. Friends who have been there with us since we were 18 yrs old and have watched us grow and mature. We have been there for one another and saying goodbye to that would be very hard.

However, at some point we all have to move on. People get called to new places and things for various reasons: Love, jobs, divorce, money, lifestyle etc. We all have to say good-bye sometimes to things that mean a lot to us. It is called change and to me change is an important thing. If nothing ever changed, then life would be boring. Things would just be predictable and the same. Change challenges you and helps you develop depth as a person. The thing about change is it usually isn’t easy. It is always easier to chose not to change rather then to leap into change. Some people avoid change at all costs and run from it their entire lives.  I do not wish do that.  I don’t want to be afraid of change and I do not want to be afraid of making a mistakes. Life takes risks and you never know if you will succeed until you try. Maybe all this is just a bunch of cliches. If so, whatever……it what I believe.

I am proud of the life I have lived thus far.  I have taken some risks and so far haven’t made too many mistakes. I have left the comforts of my hometown and tried new places. I am sure there are many people out there that have lived far more extravagant lives and been to much more exotic places than I. However, I am thankful for the experiences I have had.

I am thankful for the years I spent in Missoula, a small college town in the rockies.  I have many fond memories of that place, and when I left it was hard to do–but change was needed. I met some of my best friends there. I remember the “oval” on campus in the fall; full of students reading or napping in the sun or playing frisbee. I will never forget the cold wind whipping through hellgate canyon, or the way Mount Jumbo looked when the sun was setting.  I used to love taking long walks with my dog Luna up in Paytee Canyon and I can still remember the way a ponderosa pine smells on a hot summer day.  I will always remember the way the mountains looked with the first snowfall of the year and the child like quality adults took on when it happened. I am thankful for the all the mornings spent being lazy with friends, nursing a powerful hang-over ( we all need a good hangover from time to time). Or better yet, waking early and driving up to the mountain with coffee and bagel in hand for a full day of skiing. I will never forget meeting my husband there and the fun we had early on in our relationship. And I’ll always remember the day I packed up my car and moved out of town, having completed that chapter in my life.

As for Portland the things I will miss if we leave will be: the way the earth smells after a good rain.  The way the city comes alive on that first spring day with sunshine. The road trips to the beach with friends, the fish and chips and brew pubs. I’ll miss driving in the Columbia Gorge, one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on ( next to Glacier National Park). I’ll miss forest park and the Willemette River. I’ll miss walking around in the mist and fog with a cup of coffee in hand.  I’ll miss the “greenness” in both the scenery and the people. I’ll always remember the trips to the mountain snowboarding and to Smith Rock to go rock climbing. I’ll miss walking down to Butch’s house and going out to breakfast on Sundays. Most of all I will miss my friends.

All of these memories are important to me and have helped shape me into who I am today. I will never forget the way these places feel or smell and what they mean to me.  And while it all sounds so sad to be missing these things, it really doesn’t have to be sad. It is more just a part of life. It is apart of growing up. I guess our big debate has been –what is more important?–the place in which you live or the people in it?? I think we are lucky in that we have such a great family that we enjoy being with and want to be apart of our daughters life. To me, that is priceless. You cannot buy a luxury like that. You are blessed with it. Not everyone has what we have and we are very lucky.  At some point you have to stop and ask yourself–what is best for my kids? Not just what do I want, or what matters just to me–but what kind of life do I want for them? Do they care about all my friends or will they care more about being near their grandparents and aunts/uncles. Will it mean more to them to be able to live in a cool city that mom and dad picked, or to grow up with a strong supportive family?

vicks vapor rub and infants January 15, 2009

Interesting report below regarding Vicks Vapor Rub.

FROM AAPA

Study suggests Vicks VapoRub may increase mucus production in children under two. The Los Angeles Times (1/13, Maugh II) reports, “Many parents slather Vicks VapoRub on their sniffling, coughing kids when they’re sick,” but “using the ointment to ease coughing and congestion in children” under two years of “age might lead to severe breathing problems by increasing mucus production and inflammation,” according to a study published in the journal Chest. For the study, Bruce K. Rubin, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest’s Brenner Children’s Hospital, and colleagues, “applied the ointment directly to cultured ferret tracheal cells, as well as under the noses of healthy ferrets and ferrets with tracheal inflammation similar to that of humans with a cold.” The researchers also “applied K-Y jelly instead of VapoRub to a similar group of ferrets,” which served as controls, USA Today (1/13, Rubin) adds. The investigators found that, “compared with the K-Y jelly groups, mucus secretion rose in the VapoRub groups by 14 percent in the healthy ferrets, and eight percent in those with inflamed windpipes, which itself increases mucus production.” Based on these findings, Dr. Rubin “said that, while the product and other similar inhaled aromatic compounds can make people feel better by creating the sensation that their airways are opening up, they do not in fact improve air flow,” the Canadian Press (1/13) reports. He further explained that the product “doesn’t help the underlying problem,” and cautioned that “particularly in children who already have small airways that are further compromised by viruses and the like, you need to be careful.” Canada’s Globe and Mail (1/13, Weeks) points out that the researchers “embarked on the study after taking care of an 18-month-old girl who was brought to the hospital with severe breathing problems. Doctors couldn’t figure out what had caused the girl, who was suffering from a cold and hadn’t been given any medication, to suddenly experience ’severe respiratory distress.’” When they pressed “the child’s grandparents to think of anything they may have done before she began to have trouble breathing, her grandmother said she had put Vicks under her nostrils less than an hour before.” Because of this case, “doctors at the hospital began to routinely ask about the use of mentholated ointments, and found several cases were similar.” WebMD (1/13, DeNoon) also covers the story.

sunday afternoon video January 12, 2009

Okay, so I found this on my friend, Mr. Diggles blog. He is always posting interesting and funny things.

what a year it has been. January 5, 2009

Happy new year! What a year it has been. I would have to say it has overall been one of the best years of my life due to the arrival of our daughter Anna. I never new just how much fun and joy she would bring into our lives. It has been a crazy journey so far.  Two days from now marks the start of my 10.5 week bedrest sentence due to pre-term labor. It is really just amazing to me that it has already been a year since that all happened.

Much of that day is a blur because at the time I just could not grasp what was happening to me. I was in denial I guess. I had been having what I thought were “braxton hicks” contractions. Low and behold they were much more than that. (so, a word to the wise to any pregnant woman reading this, If you are having contractions, even painless contractions, and they seem to be happening several times a day–PAY ATTENTION to them. You should sit down and time them and if you have more than about 4 an hour–call your doctor right away.) I finally went in to the doctor because these contractions seemed to be coming on frequently and regularly. When I got to the clinic, they did and exam and an ultrasound and put me on the monitor. Low and behold I was contracting every 4-5 minutes and my cervix was changing.  I was 26 weeks pregnant. So, they shot me some terbutaline ( a medicine which can slow down and sometimes stop contractions) and sent me to the hospital. I remember it was a a rainy, dreary day here in Portland. I distinctly remember it pouring as Ryan and I drove over the Freemont bridge heading up to St. Vincents hospital. I remember Ryan calling his mom and that he could hardly get the words out of his mouth to tell her what was going on. Although I was nervous, I think seeing him so choked up hit me harder than anything.  And, from there I spent 5 weeks or so in bed at the hospital and another 5.5 weeks in bed at home. I could only get up to use the bathroom and to take a quick shower. Every week was a blessing and we watched the calender like hawks. First our goal was to get to 28 weeks, then to 30 weeks, then to 32 and lastly to 36 weeks.  It was hard and challenging but I guess overall I knew everything was going to be okay. Or, I guess that is what I had convinced myself of. In the end, it all turned out well when on March 20th we delivered a healthy baby girl ( at 36 weeks and 6 days gestation).  It was the greatest gift ever.

Ryan and I have had such fun with her, watching her grow and develop. She is 9 months old now and there are times at night when we walk by her crib while she is sleeping and we both say…”is that OUR daughter?”.

We had tremendous support from our family and friends which is really what helped us through. It was however hard not having family close by. All of our family was back in the midwest.  It was also hard because Ryan had just started his new job and was working long hours, then coming to the hospital after work, then going home at 10pm only to wake up and do it all over again. I must say, it greatly strengthened our relationship. Things do happen for a reason.

Shortly after I landed in the hospital I started this blog. It was to help accomplish a few things: #1 give me something to do, #2 keep people posted on everything, #3 chronical our journey.

I wish I were a writer. January 5, 2009

First off, lets get something straight, I am not a good writer. I would have to say writing has never been my strong point. Although, I was always an above average student, I some how always slide by under the radar in my English classes. You would think having completed high school, undergraduate and graduate school that I would have developed at least some decent writing skills, but really I have not. I am even worse at grammar ( is that even spelled correctly?).  In school, none of my teachers seemed to push the grammar on us. Sure, I had the basics that we all have to learn, but after that, most of my English teachers seemed to care more about English literature and creative writing than actually the logistics of grammar.

I have written many essays and research papers all of which have been mediocre. None have been outstanding or remarkable or interesting. They allowed me to get by.  I usually passed with B’s in English; never a C or a D and usually not an A.  I got into graduate school with the help of my husband who spent endless hours with me, helping me write my entrance essay. It also didn’t hurt that I was a science major so nobody really cared if you could write well or not.  Recently, I have had dreams to be a writer. The lifestyle sounds great. Wake up when I want to, snuggle up to the morning cup of coffee and start writing. Maybe take a break, take the dog for a walk and reflect on the work in progress only to return home to more writing. I would end the day early feeling a great sense of accomplishment. It also sounds nice to be able to work on your own time-to wake up and work at your own pace with your own goals in mind. I sometimes dread my standard 8-6 job where I have to be there on time and get my standard 30 minute lunch ( although some days I get no lunch–what is up with that).

Maybe I’ll start writing my first novel. It can be about a girl from a quite small town in Minnesota located on a river and all the adventures she has growing up there. Then the second book can follow her off to her first year in college, away from home for her first time in life. It can chronicle all the life lessons, hardships and joy she has come to experience in those glorious college years.

I dunno, I am not good at writing and I am not very creative, so the likelihood that I could pull that off would be miraculous. I definitely should not quit my day job just yet. Although, I am a firm believer in that we can accomplish anything if we just put our minds to it. I have usually succeeded at the things I put my mind to. I am not known to be  failure or one who gives up easily.  I almost always succeed at what I do. Of course, there may be something to say in that I likely chose to do the things that I will be likely to succeed in. I have never really attempted to write a novel because I am such a bad writer so why bother??

Well, I’ll keep you posted, if I suddenly become a writer and publish my first book, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I guess I’ll just keep writing silly things on this blog.