Wednesday July 30, 2014 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Megan undergoes transplant By martha Wickett obServer STAFF
They were hoping for a miracle – and they got one. Megan leverrier’s family received the word on Saturday they had been praying for. A liver had become available for transplant, a child’s liver. “I’m just so thrilled,” said Megan’s aunt Tracey nickolson Monday, who has remained in the Shuswap. “everything worked out like clockwork – it was definitely the miracle we were waiting for.” The blood type of the child donor who had died was a match for Megan, so surgery was scheduled immediately. “It happened so fast, we’re still in shock,” she says, her voice bubbling with gratitude for the bitter-sweet gift. “It’s the greatest gift of life.” Surgery began at 5 a.m. Toronto time Sunday and, for the next eight hours, 21 Megan doctors worked to remove Leverrier four-year-old Megan’s liver and the huge tumour liver recipient attached to it – and then replace it with the donor liver. Michelle and Jaime, Megan’s parents, posted on Facebook Monday that the tumour weighed 13.2 pounds, almost double Megan’s birth weight. Megan remains in the intensive care unit in Toronto’s Sick children’s Hospital, the facility she has been in since April as doctors have attempted to shrink the tumour while waiting for a donor liver. Her parents write: “She wakes up now and then and tries to talk around her breathing tube but it is important that she rests. We hold her little hand and try to give her as much comfort as possible.” now it’s a waiting game. “As long as her body doesn’t reject it and no infection sets in,” says nickolson. “The doctors said they couldn’t have done it any better... She was a little trooper getting through that eight-hour surgery. It’s the best we could have hoped for. everybody’s just elated.” The leverriers are expected to have to remain in Toronto for several months as Megan recovers.
JameS murray/obServer
Surf’s up
Kate Eckland and Jadyn Schneider bounce along on top of the waves on a tube Sunday afternoon on Shuswap Lake near Canoe Beach.
Council votes for raise remuneration: Increase won’t take effect until January 2015.
By Lachlan Labere obServer STAFF
Salmon Arm mayor and council voted Monday to give the next mayor and council a 19 and 44 per cent raise, respectively. As of Jan. 1, 2015, remuneration for council will be increased from $15,000 to $21,660, and from $44,800 to $53,725 for the mayor (totals exclude expenses). Future an-
This week Businesses rely on presence of four-legged ‘employees.’ See A8 for details. It was a big weekend on the courts for Salmon Arm tennis players. See page A13.
nual increases will be tied to the b.c. consumer Price Index. council approved both of these following the presentation of a survey by Maurice lamb of lamb and Associates. lamb was hired by the city to complete a salary and benefit survey for mayor and council. Summing up his findings, lamb said he found the mayor’s pay to be $8,925 less than
the survey average, while councillors are paid $6,660 less. “So, my recommendation is that you pay the survey average rates,” said lamb. “I think it’s very important that municipalities maintain survey average rates, because if you don’t, all of sudden one year you’re faced with a huge catch-up, and also, you want to have rates out there to attract more people to run for
political office.” The survey results provided to council include remuneration rates for other b.c. communities with populations similar in size to Salmon Arm’s. Among them is cranbrook, where the mayor is paid $53,319 and council $21,676, langford ($34,252 and $16,107) and Squamish ($64,490 and $27,731). See Kentel on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Time Out..................... A9 Sports................A13-A18 Arts & Events ... A19-A22 Vol. 107, No. 31, 44 pages