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August 2008 |
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County Solid Waste Department needs more money for gasoline and propane
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Increased fuel, propane and natural gas prices are causing departments and offices within the county to find other sources for extra money to cover costs.
Last week, increases in diesel fuel, but largely propane, have contributed to the need for additional funding in the Solid Waste supplies budget, District Coordinator Dave Reichelderfer said. Reichelderfer is the latest county department administrator to request a budget transfer to address high fuel costs.
Reichelderfer requested $7,000 additional from his cost allocation budget, which is typically set aside for unanticipated operation costs, be moved to the Solid Waste fund supplies line item. Commissioners, who approved the change, said he is just one of several department administrators facing that situation mid-year. |
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Tuesday, 01 July 2008 |
Terminally ill Wapak man to get his wish
By ANDREA POTEET
Staff Writer
Jim Pass still works full-time.
He still plays golf often and still teases his wife, Roberta, for her love of clocks, which decorate their Daisy Street home.
“To look at him, you wouldn’t know he was sick,” Roberta Pass said, “unless you looked into his eyes, then you could tell.”
A look into the 59-year-old’s eyes reveals the cloudiness indicative of some health problems, but his eyes do not reveal the lung and lympnode cancer that physicians have diagnosed the Wapakoneta resident as suffering from. They estimate he has six months to one year to live.
On Saturday, Jim Pass can take advantage of a longtime wish, one granted by the Van Wert-based Angel Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill adults.
This Saturday, Jim Pass plans to be sitting near first base for the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Washington Nationals. Reds ace pitcher Aaron Harang is to be on the mound. The tickets include the opportunity to watch both teams’ batting practice.
Jim Pass’ Tri-County Visiting Nurses and Hospice nurse presented the Wapakoneta man with the tickets.
Roberta Pass said she discovered the non-profit organization through Tri
County Visiting Nurses, who have been administering in-home hospice care to her husband for the last two months.
“We didn’t know it existed for adults,” Roberta Pass said. “Tri-County Visiting Nurses and Hospice were very helpful and explained how it worked and everything to us.”
When Jim Pass, a longtime Reds fan, found out about the foundation, he could think of only one wish — the closest seats he’d ever have at a ball game and a chance to throw out the first pitch.
Despite Roberta Pass’ e-mails to Reds Manager Dusty Baker and star outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., her husband likely will not be able to throw out that first pitch, but she said she’s still grateful to the Angel Foundation for giving him a special day.
“I’m grateful knowing his last wish will come true,” Roberta Pass said, dabbing tears from her eyes. “It helps your situation seem a little more bearable — knowing someone out there does care.”
Pass’ battle with cancer began more than a year ago when Jim Pass noticed problems swallowing certain foods. On Easter 2007 he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and underwent surgery to remove his esophagus and the tumor that was growing there. Pass underwent 13 weeks of chemotherapy and lost his hair and 80 pounds, due to his inability to comfortably eat many foods.
Eleven months after his initial diagnosis, his physician, Dr. Scott Melvin at the The Ohio State University Medical Center, told him the cancer had spread to his lungs.
“I guess I thought surgery would take care of it,” Jim Pass said, shrugging his shoulders. “It did. I don’t have esophageal cancer anymore.”
Jim Pass, who has smoked for more than 45 years, said his physicians do not believe the smoking played any part in the lung cancer.
After the rounds of chemotherapy, the treatment began to take its toll on him, and he’d often feel nauseated. He was “sick and tired of feeling sick and tired,” he said, and opted to end the treatment. He’s also had to cut down from 55 to 45 hours per week as a safety manager for Koneta Rubber Inc. in Wapakoneta.
He said he experiences no pain except for occasional stomach cramps after eating and has been prescribed a pain reliever, which he says he has not felt the need to take.
Jim Pass said he still has trouble swallowing certain foods, such as steak and bread.
“Most people when they eat, they look up to swallow,” Jim Pass said. “I have to look down to swallow.”
He said the illness has not affected his daily life much. He can still perform daily chores, like mowing the grass, but now takes breaks when he feels fatigued.
“There’s nothing I could do before that I can’t do now,” Jim Pass said. “I would say I miss smoking, but I don’t even miss that anymore.”
Jim Pass’ hospice nurse, Kris Place, visits twice a week to examine her patient, take vital signs, and monitor his pain. She said he, like many male patients, tends to underreport his pain.
She said she is impressed with his ability to maintain a positive attitude and good sense of humor throughout his illness.
“He’s very well-humored with the whole thing,” Place said “He’s coping well. “
While his physicians have estimated he has less than a year to live, Place said Pass’s cancer seems to be progressing slowly.
“He’s the exception,” Place said. “Most of them, by the time they come to hospice, are very sick, almost bed-bound. I’m glad we got him early to help him enjoy his time more.”
When his illness does progress, Place said Jim Pass may lose his voice and sees evidence that the tumor that was removed from his chest may be reappearing near his jawline. A comfort care package is to be delivered from Tri-County Visiting Nurses and Hospice to the Pass home soon. The facility will also offer bereavement services to the Passes for up to one year after Jim Pass’ death.
Place said eventually Jim Pass will have to further scale back on the hours he puts in at his job.
“Jim was determined to keep working,” Place said. “As things progress, he’ll have to cut down more. Luckily, we’re not there yet.”
In addition to the Reds game, Roberta and Jim Pass plan to have a family picnic this summer with their children. The couple was married in 1992.
Roberta Pass works as a home health aid through Interim Nursing in Shawnee, caring for her son, Danny Jones, 29, who has Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Her daughter, Marilee Johnston, is 28, and her son, Chris Jones, is 21. Jim Pass has a son, Jim Pass Jr., 34, and a daughter, Julie King, 29.
“We just want to have some quiet time,” Roberta Pass said, “that and take care of the family.”
Through her husband’s illness, Roberta Pass said she has been able to cop due to the support of her friends and church, Salem United Methodist.
“I pray a lot,” Roberta Pass said. “Pray and cry.”
The hardest part of the illness, Jim Pass said, is knowing he will have to say goodbye to his family. He remains hopeful that the physician’s timeline given him is not set in stone.
“There’s always a chance,” Jim Pass said. “It’s what God needs and when he’s ready for me, I’ll go. He may not need a safety manager right now. He may just hold off.” |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 July 2008 )
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