Five months ago, Liam Blake Maddox arrived to a family overjoyed to welcome their newest member.
His mom and dad, Paul Maddox and Jaci Wright, are a Durango love story. They met while attending Fort Lewis College and planned to make their lives here. Maddox has graduated, and Wright was finishing her degree when they got the kind of diagnosis every parent dreads.
Liam had idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a fancy medical way of saying he needed a new heart. After a flight to Seattle Children’s Hospital, Liam got his new heart Sunday in an emergency transplant.
In the best of times, this would be a financial hardship for a young couple just starting out, but to add to the medical expenses, Paul will likely have to quit his job here because they’re going to be in Seattle for some time getting Liam stabilized and making sure he has the continuing care he needs.
This being Durango, Team Liam was created to help raise funds to get them through this rough period.
A Liam Blake Maddox Donation Fund has been established at Wells Fargo Bank, 200 west College Drive, or any Wells Fargo Bank.
And of course, there’s going to be a benefit concert. Sugar Creek Bluegrass will perform at the event, which will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. May 9 in the beautiful garden at the Rochester Hotel – a great way to celebrate TGIF. Donations will gratefully be accepted at the garden gate.
Liam’s grandparents are Darrell and Eileen Maddox of Durango and the Wright family of Wrangell, Alaska. They’re hoping this community will come together as it has for so many neighbors who are going through a tough time, to help Liam and his family. I hope so, too.
Liam has had a rough start in the world. I hope as he grows into a healthy little boy, he will know it wasn’t just his family who welcomed him into the world but the whole community.
HHH
It may be cooler for these folks’ birthdays, but the candles on the cake will help keep them warm – Vicki Ochocki, Donna Jean Hensley, Nancy Carr, Sandra LeFevre, Connie Brennan, Sandy Sunderland, Deanna Schardt, Sophie Brill, Carrie Vogel, Bob Riggio, John Sandhaus, Cheryl Wiescamp, Clint Wolf, Barbara Denk, Mark Mishou, Lucinda Lieberman, Dian May, Hannah Helms, Etha Johnson, Tom Helms, Tim Martin, Trinity Schiess, Suzan Lane, Susan Thompson Smith, Cheryl Schou, Carol Clark, Tim Walsworth, Antonia Clark and Kim Washuta.
HHH
Many people know by now about the serious injuries Mike Dietzman suffered on a bike ride Tuesday. The Durango Devo and Durango Nordic Ski Club coach and his wife, Deb Sussex, have only been in Durango for about a year and a half, but they’ve both been amazed by the outpouring of warm support from their new community.
(Once again, I’m stuck on an inadvertent theme, people dealing with health challenges who will appreciate support. Go figure.)
Sussex has created a page at www.caringbridge.org in his name – folks who call him “Mike” or “Deitz” will have to remember the formal name, Michael Dietzman, for the search. She’ll update it periodically as he heals, so it’s a good place to catch up, plus you can also leave messages for the couple, which are always welcome.
HHH
It’s the time of year when Leadership La Plata is seeking applicants for the Class of 2014-2015. I’ve written before that it’s one of the best things I’ve done for myself as an adult, and what I learned in the Class of 1991-1992 – I know, so last century – have helped me both in my work and in my contributions as a volunteer.
Visit www.leadershiplaplata.org for the application form. A committee of LLP alumni handles the selection process, and members are looking for as diverse a class as possible because a lot of the learning is gained from your fellow classmates. Two letters of recommendation are also required, and they suggest at least one of those be from an LLP graduate.
If you don’t think you know one, think again. More than 400 people have graduated, with a complete directory also on the website. If it turns out you don’t know anyone, email them and they’ll introduce you.
This is a three-year commitment – one year as a class member, one year as a class organizer and one year giving back to the organization in some way, whether it’s Curriculum, Steering, Selection committees or alumni activities, so it’s not something to take lightly. But it’s also fun, energizing and rewarding, so as far as I’m concerned, well worth it.
So make this the year you go for it.
HHH
Oh, no, John Peel is gaining ground on me in the Twitterverse. I used to have a seven-follower lead, but he has narrowed the gap to four!
I don’t tweet all the time, but I try to give a preview of upcoming stories (including Neighbors) and let people know when I’m at a cool fundraiser that still has tickets available. My handle, so to speak, is @Ann_Neighbors.
Help me surge ahead and lengthen my lead. Bragging rights are at stake here, folks.
HHH
These folks may be waking up to a late April snowstorm for their anniversaries – Kermit and Karen Knudsen, Stan and Alice Crapo, Bob and Shannon Kunkel, Jim and Jane Marentette, Peter and Kelly Cunnion and Fred and Pauline Ellis.
HHH
Here’s how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items.
I am happy to consider photos for Neighbors, but they must be high-quality, high-resolution photos (at least 1 MB of memory) and include no more than three to five people. I need to know who’s who, left to right, and who to credit with the photo. Candid photos are better than posed, and photos should be submitted as .jpg or .tif attachments.
