A34 C I V O P I M O N S E
WEDNESDAY, February 10, 2021
I N S I S N A T C A R E U S E D S A N P L A T A I N W O R K E R I C B A S A T H R P O L A R I D M I N I P O E M A S N E
L E T S O U T M O N T E
E M I R Y O K E D
P A R S L E Y S N A R F S
L T O W I L I V G O S T S E R D
E S O U T O R A M R R P I A D A B H O E A F R I G O L O R O L I R I G N M E O R P L T U I N C A N G I N A G R P L A L E O G O T A D A
A J A R K I W I A L L Y T S A O D R S A H O I E G O P U N N E N S O I D P T A L A N T E S I R S E Q T H E B O S O S N F T H E A R I A R O C K
R O O S T R U E R O N U S
M A T E G R U N M E R C A T O T L U O V E R P A D A L O G H O V E A R E R E M M I N S W A K O N N I N N U N T Y A G N C I O C O T C E L A T D E L A
ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD FOUND ON A43
S T I N G Y E R
H E Y
ACTIVITY PROGRAMS We thank you for your patronage, understanding, and patience as we work together during this unprecedented time. Visit Kamloops.ca/COVID for updates Programs are cancelled if the minimum numbers are not met.
Historical Book Club
Join the KMA for a book club with a historic twist! We will explore works of historical fiction, non-fiction, and a variety of historical topics based on monthly themes. February theme “Love is in the Air” Tue Feb 23 10:30 am–12:00 pm FREE
BC Family Day: Heritage Explorers
Join the KMA virtually, exploring four different cultures through family friendly stories and crafts. Heritage Explorer Kits will be available at the KMA February 11, 12 and 13 for your family to participate virtual Family Day activities. KMA gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
FAST Tennis
Fun Adult Starter Tennis (FAST). In this program you will learn tennis fundamentals, including basic tactics and techniques, rules, and scoring. In partnership with the Kamloops Tennis Centre. Mar 3–Mar 23
Wacky Winter Sports
Bundle up and try some wacky snow and ice sports. In this play-based program, you will try various activities. We will have fun with obstacle courses and relays. Children will learn to move their bodies on the snow and ice, which will prepare them for their winter physical literacy journey. Riverside Park-Tennis Cour Ages: 2–3 Wed Jan 27–Mar 3 4:30–5:00 pm 6/$30
Drop-In Pickleball
Singles Play. Visit www.kamloops.ca/TCC for more information
Kamloops.ca
SPORTS
Mutrie talks physical improvements From A33
G R A Y
City of Kamloops
Kamloops Tennis Centre Sun
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to move him forward and research and see if we can get him walking again,” Lori said four days after the accident. “He’s staying in good sprits, but it’s tough. Nobody is giving us any good [news]. They’re just telling us to plan for the worst
and the long road ahead of us. We’re not giving up. We have high hopes. Ky’s a fighter and he never gives up.” Evan said he found it difficult to find reasons to live in the first few years that followed his paralysis. “It feels like your life is over, really,” he told KTW in 2017. “I feel like a burden to some people. It just
pisses you off and makes you feel like you can’t do anything.” A shift in mindset occurred in 2016 when he moved into a ground-floor apartment on the North Shore. He also got a handle on technology that allows him to surf the internet from his bed, skills that enabled him to move back into
NOTICE OF INTENT TO TREAT The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Thompson Okanagan Region, is planning to aerially treat up to 29,200 hectares of Douglas-fir and western hemlock forest to reduce the populations of the western spruce budworm (Choristoneura freemani) and western hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa). Depending on weather conditions, the biological insecticide Foray 48B (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) will be applied by rotary-wing aircraft (315B Lama and Hiller UH12ET helicopters) once on each site between June 15 to July 30, 2021. The proposed treatment sites are located within the Thompson Rivers (Kamloops Timber Supply Area) and Okanagan Shuswap Districts (Okanagan Timber Supply Area). TSA Location Kamloops TSA Deadman Creek Criss Creek Greenstone Mtn. Beaton Creek Indian Garden Creek Barnes Creek Okanagan TSA Perry River Mt. Griffin Crazy Creek Pukeashun South Pukeashun North Josh Mtn. North Total
Target insect Hectares western spruce budworm 313 western spruce budworm 3,828 western hemlock looper 3,146 western hemlock looper 5,208 western hemlock looper 1,936 western hemlock looper 1,668 western hemlock looper 1,262 western hemlock looper 1,324 western hemlock looper 3,997 western hemlock looper 2,105 western hemlock looper 2,096 western hemlock looper 2,278 29,159
All sites proposed for treatment are coved by the Southern Interior Area Forest Health Program Pest Management Plan (PMP) #2017-2021-4, confirmation #402-0672-17/22. The PMP and maps of the treatment areas may be viewed at: Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Thompson Okanagan Region – Forest Health Program 441 Columbia Street Kamloops, B.C., V2C 2T3 250 828-4179 Anyone wishing to contribute information about the proposed treatment sites may send comments to the address above until April 30, 2021.
football in coaching and scouting roles for the Broncos. “I think we would have lost him if he hadn’t been doing that,” Nancy said, recalling how amazing it was to see her son in his chair on the sidelines at Hillside Stadium. Nancy noticed a major uptick in Evan’s outlook in 2020, in large part because he began marshalling his own staff, controlling the hiring, firing and training of caregivers. “He’s taken everything over,” Nancy said. “It’s completely empowered him.” This past year has also seen inspirational physical improvements. Evan was able to lift his entire hand up at the wrist and bend one of his legs. “For the most part, I’ve just been able to wiggle a couple of fingers and toes,” Evan said. “It’s pretty weird to see my limbs moving. That’s pretty big. It’s still a long way to go, but it’s a significant personal improvement.” Nancy has learned to temper expectations for Evan’s future as it relates to physicality, but her prognosis for her son’s career has never been more positive. “I would be overwhelmed if he could have a toggle switch or use his hands on the keyboard,” Nancy said. “That would be incredible to me. But the world is his oyster. I still believe he could have a
pick of anything he wanted because of everything being online and he has astonishing access with all his equipment, with the way he is set up with his sip-and-puff equipment.” Evan offered advice to friends and loved ones who may be struggling to approach Kyrell, whether in person or through phone calls, emails or texts. Again, he acknowledged everyone is different, but his theory is simple. “Take the kiddy gloves off,” said Evan, who has gained strength in recent years and sounds like he has mastered speaking through his ventilator. “I’m sure he’s got the same sense of humour. Things are different, but he’s still the same guy. I’ve ran into it before. People don’t know how to interact with me because they don’t think I’m the same person or they don’t want to hurt my feelings or say the wrong thing, but he’s still there.” Nancy said it was Evan who broke the ice with some of his friends. “The look of sadness and sorrow on those poor boys’ faces, dragging their butts and keeping their heads down,” Nancy said. “They all stood back about four feet from his bed. “Evan said, ‘You know, Dave, what the [heck] did you do to your hair? The other one, ‘Colin, geez, you’ve got fat,’ and, oh my, the howling. The room just burst
into laughter and immediately it was broken.” The Mutries follow technological advances in areas such as surgical implants, stem cells and gene editing, but Evan acknowledges imminent help for his particular condition does not appear to be forthcoming. “It sounds kind of crappy to say that you lower your expectations and you focus on what abilities you do have, but that’s probably the key because there are a lot of things you can’t control,” said Evan, noting he would love to chat with Kyrell. “I think my timeline has lengthened. Maybe with another five, 10 years, hopefully, within 20 years, technology will catch up to me.” Nancy was not interested in offering instructions to the Sopotyks, only support and encouragement in their quest to navigate the long road ahead. ‘I don’t believe you ever can give up hope,” Nancy said. “You see those Humboldt boys and some of those terrible injuries that occurred. Some of them have recovered to a certain extent and some have done very well. There will be certain things he will achieve and then they will settle in. But the timeline will be unknown on that. There is no right or wrong to this, but they will have to, unfortunately, plow through as best you can.”