The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The Naselle High School basketball schedule for the coming week is as follows: Thursday (tonight)- girls home game against North Beach at 5:45 p.m .; Friday, girls away game at LaConner at seven p.m. and boys away game at LaConner at 8:30 p.m .; Saturday, LaConner Tourney with the girls playing at two p.m. and boys playing at 3:30 p.m. Go Comets!

For a fun family evening, plan to attend the annual Christmas program at Naselle School scheduled for seven p.m. on December 17. This program is always a big hit with everyone, both those who perform and those who attend the event.

The Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board will meet on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. There are lots of new things going on with the school campus, so why not find out the details and be better informed? The meetings are open to the public.

There’s now less than two weeks until Christmas. Here’s hoping you have all your shopping nearly complete. Naselle students will start their Christmas Break on December 19 and will return to classes on January 2, 2013.

Don’t forget that the Naselle Comet Booster Club birthday/anniversary calendars are now available. They can be purchased for $4 at Okie’s in Naselle, the Rosburg Store in Rosburg and at the District office at the school.

Other news from the Westend

The Grays River United Methodist Church invites everyone to their annual Christmas Program on December 23 at six p.m. The event will include a special narration, music, poetry and a reenactment of the Nativity, closing with a candlelight ceremony. After the program, refreshments will be served by the ladies of the church. Please join them for an unforgettable Christmas celebration.

On January 20, the Johnson Park Advisory Board will host a Chili, Chowder and Chicken Noodle Soup Supper fundraiser at the Grays River Valley Center from one to four p.m. Included on the menu will be chili, cornbread, chicken noodle soup and clam chowder with crackers. The suggested donation for the meal is $5.

Tickets will go on sale January 1 for a spaghetti dinner at Johnson Park to be held on March 9. Tickets cost $10 and will include spaghetti, salad, French bread, dessert and a beverage. A silent auction will also take place.

Beginning January 7, the Grays River Valley Library and Computer Center hours will change. The new hours will be Mondays from three to seven p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from one to five p.m. The new evening hours will allow more after school access to the available computers and homework help as well as later library access.

Happy Birthday to the following: Margaret Slayton, Maija Rose, Nathan Erickson, Carson Lanz, Tyler Smith, Adrian Corona, Rebecca Busse, Dale Tienhaara, Caleb Haataia, Chase Haataia, Gary Olmstead, Breanna Smith, Ron Salme, Samantha Henry, Sonja Engebretson, Christina Jackson, and Brian Macy. Have a wonderful celebration.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out this week toEd and Rita Rafferty, Jim and Lynn Laney and Monte and Mona Givens. Wishing you many more.

A very special Happy Birthday to our “adopted son” Alan Gregory. We had told everyone that only our family was going to be able to hunt our property, so he asked if we would adopt him. He may want to be un-adopted after not getting an elk here this year. Thank you for being such a supportive and good friend. Have an awesome birthday.

I want to share information about an event occurring on Sunday from noon to three p.m. at the J.A. Wendt School multipurpose room. This is a fundraiser for a Puget Island resident, Mike Phelps, who suffered a stroke that has left him unable to walk or use his hand and made speech difficult. He has no insurance so the bills will be very difficult to handle. The meal will consist of beef sirloin tips over noodles, salad, rolls and cookies. There will also be various raffles including a load of wood, a load of rock and many other items. Please join my husband and me in giving this man and his family a hand up during this trying time.

As many readers may remember, my husband suffered a stroke three months ago with the same debilitating consequences. He could not speak and his right side was paralyzed. After the exceptional therapy he has received (yes, we have insurance), he can walk with a cane, has movement in his hand and arm and can say some words and phrases. That said, Delvin and I will be donating $1000 to the Mike Phelps account already set up at the Bank of the Pacific, and we are issuing a challenge to individuals, organizations and groups to match our donation.

Anyone who has been affected (whether it is the victim, their family and especially their primary caregiver) by a stroke understands what a totally immediate and debilitating event it is. One day things are normal and the next, your lives change forever.

I wanted to focus on the primary caregiver a little bit and how a stroke changes them. Her/his loved one is now their number one priority and it’s a 24/7 job especially when they come home from hospital. Now they are doing everything for the stroke victim, themselves, their family if there are children, their pets, the usual household duties, vehicle maintenance, decisions that were made together or by the loved one, and the list goes on. Now, everything that was normal is secondary in order to do what needs to be done to help the stroke victim get better.

Believe me, it is the most difficult time I have encountered in my life. The frustration of not understanding what Delvin is trying to tell me or make me understand brings me to tears almost daily. If that is what it does to me, think about what the stroke survivor is going through. Especially if they know what they want to say and it won’t come out in words. I want to thank our good friends and neighbors and especially our family for all the support and understanding through all this. Unless the caregiver has a good support group in the form of family and friends, they could not get through the long process of helping their loved one heal. It is a horrible thing to have happen, but it does happen, when you least expect it. Please, find it in your hearts to give Mike and his family the support and the means to get through this experience together.