Letters to the editor July 11

Three angels

I have been blessed to have a moderately healthy, happy life, less a traumatic brain injury, Covid and a black mold infection.

I’ve learned to manage my TBI w/ the help of my employer, The Brain Injury Alliance and a number of homeopathic treatments to calm my brain and stay active in the outdoors fly fishing, bow hunting, yoga, running and martial arts.

I was fortunate to have a somewhat successful athletic career that put me in the path of lifelong relationships that I enjoy today.

God intervened in this path in a special way on June 24 in Augusta when I drove down to attend the annual rodeo there.

When leaving Choteau, I started to feel heavy pressure in my chest, feverish and very nauseated. I called my good friend Charlie Taylor, and EMT in Augusta and asked him to be ready to check my vitals and assess my condition. He met me at my vehicle where I collapsed and went into a convulsive state and immediate cardiac arrest.

Charlie provided emergency care and I got airlifted to Benefis Hospital in Great Falls.

Angel No. 1 was obviously my friend Charlie who saved my life.

Angel No. 2 was my nurse Taylor Anty who cared for me with a smile, understanding and compassion like I’ve never seen before.

Angel No. 3 I believe is someone known to most of us in the Flathead Valley and owner of Two Bear Air Rescue, Mr. Michael Goguen. His gift to the Augusta EMS and Rescue provided them the necessary funding to upgrade and continue God’s work, even 170 miles away from my home!

All three deserve recognition for their work, not only in my dire situation, but in countless other instances that have saved many lives.

I am scheduled for a triple bypass in a couple weeks and hope to meet a few more angels that day, as well.

— Kevin Moore, West Glacier

Be neighborly

I felt so very sad when reading Cynthia Winters letter (How to be neighborly, July 6). To be so fixated on a sign in someone’s yard because it hasn’t been kept up to your specifications. Many people had a lot of extra time for puttering during the Covid “problem.” Maybe the owners of the sign are ill, overworked, overwhelmed, older or just worn out. There are a million reasons they have let the upkeep of their sign slide.

Then you flew almost into a rage regarding people shooting off fireworks to celebrate our country. Yes, some people do get carried away and it is disruptive to our lives, but we don’t have a naval base to gather at and enjoy a barbecue while watching “community fireworks” and listening to the Navy Band blasting out “America the Beautiful.” I’m sure it was a gorgeous sight, but can it compare to the joy felt when setting off your own fireworks?

I am sure most people never ask permission from their neighbors any more than the kid with the loud truck, the guy with the loud bike, the teenager with the loud music, the city worker with the heavy equipment, etc. I really don’t think all of these people can be swept together into the same box and labeled “unneighborly”.

What if you go speak to the people with the sign. Introduce yourself. Bring them a pie. Talk to them about their sign. Offer to do the upkeep. Be neighborly. Maybe start a movement of “Be Kind.” I’ll be the first in line to buy a sign. Who knows how far it will go? What goes around comes around.

— Eva Kaiser, Kalispell