Wednesday Aug. 7, 2013 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Man dies after dive into river
rCmP: Caution urged in unknown waters.
By Barb Brouwer oBSeRVeR STAFF
A Shuswap family is in mourning following the death of a 49-year-old man on the Adams River Saturday. chase RcMP received a report of a man who had sustained serious injuries after diving into shallow water approximately 800 metres north of the Adams River Bridge, says const. Jonathan Spooner. Shuswap Search and Rescue (SAR) search manager John Schut received a call for assistance at 2:30 p.m., responding with nine members of the team. Schut says friends and family members had pulled the man to shore and, by the time SAR arrived, paramedics had hiked into the gorge area with a stretcher, and members of a local river rafting company were also trying to help. It took a combined effort on the part of chase RcMP, Bc Ambulance and SAR to transport the critically injured man overland to a Bc Ambulance helicopter in a staging area just west of the bridge. Spooner says the man was unconscious with a very weak pulse and, despite efforts by paramedics, succumbed to his injuries before the helicopter could depart. “Alcohol was not a factor, just some wrong judgment,” he says, noting the water level in local lakes and rivers has dropped substantially. “It’s a tragedy, but from the RcMP perspective, it’s a warning about diving into waters, especially unknown waters – it’s extremely dangerous.” Spooner has high praise for the members of SAR, who he describes as being a great help both during the rescue event and once the matter was turned over to the coroner’s office. “I was glad to have them with me,” he says. “It was hard going.” Victim’s Services has responded to the grieving family and, out of respect for the family’s privacy, the coroner’s office has not yet released the man’s name.
James murray/oBSeRVeR
Nature’s palette
Local artist Lori Talerico mixes her paints to capture all the subtle colours and hues of McGuire Lake during Paint The Town, sponsored by SAGA Public Art Gallery. Works by all the participating artists will be on display until the end of August at the gallery.
Lyme disease recognized Vindicated: Blocked report supports what ‘Lymers’ have stressed. By Barb Brouwer oBSeRVeR STAFF
Sheri and Rory Mahood know well the hell that can follow a tick bite. Both are suffering the debilitating effects of lyme disease from tick bites they received on their own Sunnybrae property in the fall of 2009. And, while their health is slowly improving, the couple still agonizes over what they say is a refusal by doctors to accept that lyme disease is present, and a downright dismissal by eR
This week Acts of kindness aren’t so random in Salmon Arm, with more planned. See A13. Resident draws attention to need for improvements as renovations proposed. See A3
doctors across the country who tell patients their symptoms are a product of their imagination. The couple has formed the lyme disease Association of B.c., a group with board members from across the province, to advocate for fellow “lymers” with a collectively louder voice. But this attitude could be changing as a public health doctor is currently working with Interior Health on the issue of lyme disease. Through a freedom of information request, the Mahoods got a copy of a 2010 report,
Chronic Lyme Disease in British Columbia – a Review of Strategic and Policy Issues, commissioned by the Provincial Health Services Authority and clearly marked, “not for distribution.” Prepared by Brian T. Schmidt, retired senior vice-president of the provincial health authority, the report laid out the nature of the disease and offered several recommendations. chief among them is improving diagnostic methods for chronic lyme. “urgent attention should be
given to ensuring B.c. patients receive the best possible diagnosis through adoption of more advanced technologies… This is the first and highest priority for B.c.” Schmidt also calls for B.c. to continue national and local efforts to improve diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic lyme, and for doctors to develop a realistic and flexible course of treatment for individual patients. “The province of B.c. should See Public on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Sports................A18-A21 Arts & Events ... A22-A24 Time Out................... A25 Vol. 106, No. 32, 48 pages