UW-MADISON ANNOUNCES SPRING DEAN’S LIST MADISON, Wis. (June 3, 2021) – The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized students named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction. Most call the honor “dean’s list”, but some grant the “Dean’s Honor List” and “Dean’s High Honor List.” To view an online listing, visit http://registrar.wisc.edu/deans_list.htm. For questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact deanslist-registrar@em.wisc.edu
Whitewater, WI
Caroline Crowley, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List James Dedrick, College of Engineering, Dean’s Honor List Sophia Elworthy, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List Jaden Henneman, Col of Agricultural & Life Sci, Dean’s List Meghan Kehoe, School of Education, Dean’s List Ali Ketterhagen, School of Business, Dean’s List Nick Kuzoff, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List Milena Maroske, School of Education, Dean’s List Connor Steinke, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List
252 S Ardmor Dr, Whitewater (Next weekend) Friday, June 11, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday, June 12, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Oil Can Collection of Harley Davidson watches, kitchen bar stools, throw pillows, yarns, Christmas vintage glass bulbs, Christmas Collection of Barbie Ornaments, lights, roller blades, never worn ice skates, artist supplies, suitcases of all sizes, books, clothes and many other miscellaneous items.
A Banner Service – Garage Sale Ads
As a result of a reader’s comment that it’s hard to find garage sales in Whitewater now that we no longer have a weekly shopper, the Banner staff has agreed to begin a “consolidated” garage sale posting that will be published each Thursday morning for the upcoming weekend’s sales. This announcement will only be for garage sales (a sale of miscellaneous household goods, often held in the garage or front yard of someone’s house) in the city and school district boundaries. We will not be accepting, for example, ads for cars or other items that are not part of a scheduled garage sale. There will be a limit of three times per year for a particular property. Although we may eventually make a small charge for this service, initially it will be complimentary.
Those wishing to place a notice must send the information to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com by Wednesday at 6 p.m. You may include a brief description of the items that are for sale, the hours and days of the sale, and of course your address.
(WHITEWATER – June 4) The Whitewater Arts Alliance will be hosting the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) exhibit that features the works of non-professional Wisconsin artists at Whitewater’s Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main Street, from June 4 through June 27. Visitors will be asked to participate in health and safety measures recommended by the CDC for COVID-19, to include wearing a mask if not fully vaccinated.
Artists from Wisconsin will be exhibiting art in a variety of media including 3D, acrylic, oil, and watercolor paintings, mixed media, and drawings. Artists and art-advocates alike are invited to view the exhibit free of charge. The exhibit will run from 2 to 4 p.m. beginning June 4th and running through June 27 Fridays through Sundays. The show can be viewed virtually from the Association of Wisconsin Artists website: https://awa-artwork.org/wrap/whitewater-2021-06-27/# or at Whitewater Arts Alliance’s website: https://www.whitewaterarts.org/wrap-2021
WRAP was established to encourage Wisconsin citizens with a serious interest in art – people who make art purely for the love of it, rather than for fame and fortune. The purpose of WRAP is to encourage nonprofessional artists to develop their abilities. The Wisconsin Regional Art Program consists of many artist workshop/exhibits that meet throughout the year statewide. Each one has a different artist demonstration or slide lecture and a different judge to lead the afternoon critique. Artists may enter as many Wisconsin Regional Art Workshops as they like. The program is run by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA), formerly named WRAA.
Artists winning a State Exhibit Award are eligible to compete for monetary awards at the State Day in Madison. In order to enter the State Exhibit you must be a member of the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program – you can join the organization at any time before the state exhibit by going to wiscartists.org and click on the tab to register.
The first Rural Art Exhibit was held at the Memorial Union during Farm and Home Week in 1940. Under the guidance of John Stuart Curry, the exhibit grew rapidly, expanding from 30 nonprofessional artists in 1940 to over 100 by 1947. The energy and enthusiasm of Curry’s successor, Aaron Bohrod, the WRAP directors, James Schwalbach and Ken Kuemmerlein, and the help of the AWA have continued to make the exhibition and workshops cornerstones of activity for nonprofessional artists throughout the state.
WRAP is developed and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts. WRAP exhibits and workshops began in 1940 to encourage the creative growth of non-professional artists from rural areas.
Big thanks to our sponsor, First Citizens State Bank!
The mission of the Whitewater Arts Alliance is to promote the visual and performing arts through an alliance of artists, individuals, educational resources, and organizations to promote creativity and diversity that will serve to educate and enrich the lives of the residents of the Whitewater community and surrounding areas.
The image on the homepage, “Hello, I Am Zinnia,” is by Alexandra Doaga, oil on canvas, 18″ x 24″ x 1.5″
By Al Stanek Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
The Whitewater Common Council met in person for the first time in over a year on June 1st in what is being labelled as a “hybrid” option that includes both in-person attendance and participation via computer or telephone. The new option was not without some technical difficulties.
Live broadcast on local access cable was temporarily not available and audio for remote attendees was nearly indistinguishable at times but City Manager Cameron Clapper said that steps are being taken to make technical improvements. In a previous meeting several Council members offered the observation that during the pandemic restriction period citizen participation via phone or computer was greater than previous in-person attendance because it was more convenient.
COVID-19 pandemic impacts were still reflected in the Common Council agenda for Tuesday’s meeting as the City of Whitewater’s facial covering ordinance was officially repealed and City Finance Director Steve Hatton’s report on the city’s 2020 financial audit detailed the pandemic’s financial impacts to city operations last year.
Hatton told council members that the audit revealed what he described as a “clean” review of the City’s financial performance. Revenues were down from projections in most categories as the result of reduced income from licensing fees, Aquatic Center revenue and delayed implementation of increased water rates that were suspended to help soften the financial impact of COVID-19 on city residents and businesses. A federal “Routes to Recovery” grant of $268,000, however, helped balance the 2020 city budget, which resulted in a surplus of over $280,000. The audit also documented success in reducing city debt and increasing city reserves.
In other action the Common Council renewed city alcohol licenses including the much-publicized renewal for Pumpers & Mitchells with an agreement that requires improved management practices and suspends the tavern’s operations from September 1 through the Halloween holiday weekend. The suspension agreement came in response to a Whitewater Police Department review of the large amount of police activity tied to the college student-oriented establishment.
The Council also authorized entering into an agreement with a company offering to provide battery powered e-scooters that will be stationed at various locations around town. Adults will be able to use scooters after using a charge card to activate the device. A representative of “Bird Rides” indicated that the anticipated charge per ride would generally be in the range of $5 or less depending on the number of minutes rented. The agreement is subject to final negotiations between the company and city staff and can be terminated at the city’s request after a trial period.
The Council also took steps to fill the seat of second district representative Matthew Schulgit who recently graduated from UW-Whitewater and has moved on to medical school. The second district covers an area that extends to the western boundary of the city and to the north ends at the Jefferson County line. The southern and eastern edges are more difficult to define. This map shows the district (click on “layers,” “aldermanic districts,” in the upper right hand corner), but the City Clerk can answer questions. The position will be up for reelection next April. District residents who are interested in knowing more about what is required of someone filling the vacant position are asked to contact City Clerk Michele Smith at msmith@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-473-0102. Applications will be accepted for 30 days with interviews planned for the July 20 Common Council meeting.
(Whitewater Public Library submission) The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library offers a new craft for kids every other week! Just stop by the Library, grab your take-and-make craft kit, and follow along with the craft video! Videos can be found on their Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Children’s crafts are available the weeks of: June 7 and 21 July 6 and 19
Marquette County Sheriff Joe Konrath (Left) congratulated Captain Mike Kowalski who recently earned Certified Jail Manager. He is the first and only Certified Jail Manager in Wisconsin.
(Submitted) Marquette County Sheriff’s deputy Captain Mike Kowalski can now add the letters CJM behind his name, making him the first and only Certified Jail Manager in Wisconsin. It’s quite the honor for Kowalski, for the Sheriff’s Department and for Marquette County and it didn’t come easily.
The certification is bestowed by the American Jail Association. The American Jail Association (AJA) was incorporated in 1981 through the merger of the National Jail Association and the National Jail Managers’ Association. AJA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on excellence in services, education, the publication of an award-winning magazine American Jails, best practice, collaborative partnerships, and steadfast support of jail personnel. AJA “asks every individual to recognize the American jail for what it is: a vital community agency which renders superb service to the public 24 hours a day/7 days a week.”
AJA offers certification for Jail Officer, Jail Supervisor, Jail Manager, and Correctional Trainers. The American Jail Association says, “The Certified Jail Manager (CJM) Program was launched in 1997. This program focuses specifically on the individual jail manager and is an indication of his or her competency in this specialized field. Jail managers who become CJMs are distinguished as individuals who have reached one of the highest levels of achievements in their field.”
Captain Kowalski met the stringent requirements for Certified Jail Manager and received his certification in April of this year. He will be required to recertify every four years and meet jail management, education, training and related leadership activities during that certification period.
Kowalski grew up in Whitewater, Wisconsin and attended Blackhawk Technical College doing a seven-week internship with the Rock County Sheriff’s Department in 2001. He worked for the same department until taking a job with the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department in 2004.
In 2013 Kowalski became Patrol Sergeant and in 2016 Captain/Jail Administrator. Asked what it is he likes about working in the jail, he said, “I like working with the staff of hardworking people and I enjoy working toward positive changes and improving policy and our custody manual.”
The Marquette County jail serves up to 40 inmates a day. During COVID they have had 25 to 30 inmates a day and have successfully prevented COVID infections in the jail population in Marquette County. Sheriff Joe Konrath is working towards housing an additional up to 10 inmates from other county jails in the future. These would be low risk individuals on work release detention and would utilize jail infrastructure while generating income for Marquette County. Presently there are 20 fulltime Deputies in the jail supervised by Captain Kowalski. Operating a quality jail takes leadership and high standards of performance. In 2020 Marquette County received a Gold award for excellence in law enforcement policy management from Lexipol Connect. This award was given for the extensive work completed to improve the custody manual in law enforcement and continued actions to maintain performance levels and knowledge of staff.
Lexipol is a risk management company for public safety and local government. The company saves Marquette County about $30,000 a year according to Sheriff Joe Konrath. It was County Clerk/Administrative Coordinator Gary Sorenson who brought the services to the attention of the Sheriff that led to policy changes and updates, saving money mostly through insurance costs. Sheriff Konrath and Captain Kowalski are administrators of the custody policy manual. Among other requirements, Sheriff department staff are required to take regular training bulletin educational reviews from Lexipol and their scoring in the high 90s was one qualification for being awarded the Gold level for excellence in law enforcement policy management. Captain Kowalski follows the lead of Sheriff Konrath and is continually seeking education and training that helps keep Marquette County Sheriff’s Department including the jail operating under high standards. Sheriff Konrath attended the FBI National Academy in 2008, becoming President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Academy from 2013 until 2017. He sent Captain Kowalski to the National Academy in 2018.
In 2017 Captain Kowalski attended Wisconsin Command College with the Department of Justice and became a Certified Public Manager. That made him eligible to apply for certification with the American Jail Association.
There is a twist to the story here. In 2016 then Sheriff Kim Gaffney attended the National Sheriff’s Association conference and won an application for Certified Jail Manager. The cost of the application was the prize because all requirements still had to be met. He passed it on to Kowalski who put it into an envelope and kept it in his desk. Life circumstances including back surgery and the death of his father put the quest of CJM on the back burner, but he never forgot that he had that letter that might mean his chance to seek the certification. When it was the right time, he pulled it out and he and the Sheriff inquired if it would still be honored. Since the letter hadn’t been dated, AJA said yes, they’d honor it and Kowalski filled out the 20-page application. He scored well above the required 500 point minimum and went on to take a 250-question test over four hours and received the honor of Certified Jail Manager.
Captain Kowalski is also a State Firearms Instructor and a Canine Handler. His canine partner Axel is now 11 years old. Sheriff Konrath said, “I appreciate Captain Kowalski’s hard work and determination to stay on top of his field.” That hard work brings some prestige to Marquette County. It now has the only Certified Jail Manager in the state and Kowalski joins a professional list of people around the country who have earned this high honor.
“If it wasn’t for the support of Joe and Kim (Gaffney), I wouldn’t have had these opportunities,” said Captain Kowalski. “I also really have to thank my wife Sara. I wouldn’t have been able to do this alone. She and my son Michael support me. It’s not easy being the family of law enforcement especially a canine handler. I get called out at all hours.”
Adding that CJM after his name, Captain Kowalski really adds it to a list of honors and achievements that make Marquette County special. The honor of having the only Certified Jail Manager in the State of Wisconsin says something about how Marquette County sets standards of professional performance.
(Police Dept. press release) – The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG) will be making an assessment and examine all aspects of the Whitewater Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operation, and support service. The assessment will take place Tuesday, June 15, 2021 through Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Verification by the WILEAG team is necessary for the Whitewater Police Department to meet the Board’s state-of-the-art standards as part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation.
“This is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” Chief Aaron Raap said.
The public can provide comments to the assessment team by calling (262) 473-0109 on Wednesday, June 16th between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with WILEAG’s standards. The current WILEAG accreditation standards can be found at the WILEAG website located at http://www.wileag.info/full-accreditation.html. Individuals can offer written comments about the Whitewater Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation and send them to Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, WILEAG at WILEAG at P.O. Box 528, Hartland, WI 53029.
“The Whitewater Police Department must comply with 233 standards in order to gain accredited status,” said Raap. “The achievement and subsequent maintaining of accredited status are truly landmark accomplishments for our department. It vividly represents our commitment to providing the highest quality law enforcement services possible and is one important aspect of our commitment to organizational excellence.”
“The assessment team is composed of three law enforcement practitioners from other agencies within the state,” said Deputy Chief Dan Meyer, Accreditation Manager for the Whitewater Police Department. “The assessors will review department documents, interview employees, and view offices and the places where compliance can be witnessed.”
Assessors for Whitewater will be Lieutenant Matthew Wagner (Team Leader), Assistant Chief Rob Abraham, and Sergeant Brad Kurkiewicz.
“After completion of the assessment team’s review of the agency, the assessment team leader reports back to the WILEAG Board so a determination can be made as to whether the agency will be granted accredited status,” Meyer stated. Accreditation status is granted for three years during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
For more information regarding the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, citizens can email executive.director@wileag.info or write to:
WILEAG P.O. Box 528 Hartland, WI 53029
A copy of the standards is available at the Whitewater Police Department. Citizens can contact Deputy Chief Dan Meyer at (262) 473-1371 for further information. Whitewater Police Department 312 W. Whitewater St. Whitewater, WI 53190
(UW-W Press Release) After Paul Lauritzen arrived on the Whitewater State College campus in the fall of 1964 to start a special education program in its college of education, he soon found himself providing informal services for students with disabilities through the admissions office.
One day he took a call: “I have a student who uses a wheelchair. Can I admit them?”
Lauritzen said yes — mostly on determination and faith that the campus would make that student their own.
Lauritzen had kindred spirits in many places on campus.
One of them was Patrick Monaghan, an assistant chancellor and budget manager who helped Lauritzen apply for grants, a principal source of funding for support services and staff. Also in the Chancellor’s Office was Chuck Morphew, a vice chancellor and advocate whose wife, Jane, used a wheelchair as her primary source of mobility from having contracted polio.
With their support, dedicated services for students with disabilities began in 1968.
Then, during the 1970-71 academic year, a force of nature rolled across campus. John Truesdale — by all accounts a “character,” “a tireless advocate” and “a wonderful human being” — arrived to work at Whitewater through a joint project with the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, which was founded the same year. He began the college’s Disabled Student Services office, which served about 10 students.
“That’s something that I think this campus can be very proud of for a number of reasons,” said Truesdale. “Number one being that — well before there was any legal requirement to provide students with disabilities access to programs and services — UW-Whitewater had been doing for quite some time. And, in fewer than 30 years, the university was nationally recognized by student affairs professionals as one of the best programs of its kind in the nation.”
Truesdale and Monaghan succeeded at stitching inclusion for disabilities into the very fabric of the campus mission statement, which is the university’s spiritual governing principle. In 1973, campus administration adopted a mission for serving students with disabilities at UW-Whitewater, and the UW System Board of Regents approved it. That set the stage for new possibilities.
These days it isn’t uncommon to see a wheelchair user hop from their chair into the driver’s seat of a vehicle, disassemble their chair, toss it in the back and drive away. Truesdale promoted the teaching activities of daily living through physical therapy.
“That’s where you learn to be as independent as you can,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to get a degree and not be able to work. We were going to provide services to help you live and work in a community just like everyone else.”
Truesdale is also credited with starting adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball, and even coaching the team for eight years. Curb cuts and ramps for wheelchairs began to appear on campus and around the city well before it was required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990.
Wade James Fletcher, a business major who graduated in 1978, remembers how his wrestling coach, Willie Myers, worked with Truesdale to help keep the campus accessible. Myers had written his graduate thesis on how to prioritize removing architectural barriers to provide access to an institution.
“At UW-Whitewater, Willie was also the director of facilities management,” said Fletcher. In the winter, as part of a work-study project, Warhawk wrestlers worked to clear the snow and ice from sidewalks so that students with disabilities could safely and easily get around campus.
Truesdale’s department grew from a staff of one to more than eight professionals and 50 student employees. The mission to serve students with disabilities has been included in all updated campus mission statements and endorsed actively by every UW-Whitewater chancellor since 1973.
Looking back, Truesdale credits the success of the Center for Students with Disabilities to colleagues across campus — from faculty who see that an accommodation for a disability can improve learning for all students to the facilities worker who shovels the sidewalks.
By the 1990s, UW-Whitewater was recognized as a best-practices campus and a national model. The program was serving more than 300 students when Truesdale left in the early 2000s. Elizabeth Watson, who served as the director of the Center for Students with Disabilities for the majority of the time since Truesdale retired, remembers her first day as director, when former Chancellor Richard Telfer walked into her office. Telfer then was in transition from provost to becoming chancellor, and he wanted to meet Watson.
“He walked into my office to say ‘hi’ and it was about 20 minutes into the conversation before I realized this was someone important,” she said. “He said, ‘Do you think you could recruit 50 more students (with disabilities) a year?’”
“We left our comfort zone,” said Watson, as her staff began making recruiting visits to secondary schools. Some of the students they met had been told they never would go to college.
“These students became Warhawks. With CSD services and a campus-wide community, they went on to earn degrees.”
Victor, the service dog of communication major Elizabeth Fideler, enjoys a nap during commencement, held on Saturday, May 19, 2018.
Meanwhile, Telfer and other administrators supported CSD with funding and put Watson at the table during architectural and design decisions. This was a revelation for Watson, who had been used to fighting for the spoils before coming to Whitewater. Accessibility, she said, is expensive. But the commitment was there.
“The university is creating thousands of disability advocates as they translate their college experience into the working world,” said Watson.
Over the years, the scope of the CSD mission has expanded to include services for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing, as well as students who have learning, psychological, chronic health and vision disabilities. The connections around campus extend into each of the colleges and to Warhawk Athletics. The center serves more than 1,200 students a year. And, in 2021, UW-Whitewater was named a Top 5 Mobility Friendly Campus in the nation by Mobility Magazine.
“It’s amazing to think about how the program has given so many graduates who happen to have disabilities the opportunity to live and work in Wisconsin communities,” said Truesdale. “And how UW-Whitewater has succeeded in carrying out its unique mission to develop and provide services for students with disabilities.”
A 50th wedding anniversary is a highly momentous occasion for any couple, but for Jim and Michelle Schmaling of Whitewater, WI, reaching their golden anniversary on April 13, 2021 was extraordinarily meaningful.
About five months earlier, Jim and Michelle were out walking their dogs one early November afternoon when Jim, now 73, suddenly started to lag behind his wife.
“Are you ok?” asked Michelle, after looking back at her husband.
“I’m not going to make it,” was Jim’s frightening reply. Michelle was further alarmed when Jim could not follow her directions to look to his left.
Michelle didn’t realize it right away, but Jim was having a stroke. A large clot in the back of his head was interrupting the flow of blood to the brain, killing millions of neurons each minute and putting Jim’s quality of his life in great jeopardy.
Instinctively, Michelle called 911 right away – a simple but life-saving act that set the stage for a series of events that ultimately led to Jim’s amazing recovery.
Nikki Storm, the Schmaling’s younger daughter, happened to be working that afternoon in the Emergency Room at Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, just 10 miles from Jim and Michelle’s home.
“My co-worker Carole handed me the phone, saying it was my mom,” says Nikki, a health unit coordinator in the ER. “Mom was frantic and out of breath and said my dad was coming to our hospital in an ambulance because he suddenly became disoriented and could not follow her instructions.”
Daughter immediately suspected a stroke
Working in an ER, Nikki immediately suspected a stroke, alerting everyone who needed to know that her dad’s ambulance would arrive shortly. Doctors, nurses, imaging technicians and other staff prepared accordingly to ensure no moment was wasted.
Fort Health Care emergency physician Eric Snell, D.O., met Jim at the door. After observing and examining Jim, Dr. Snell agreed that a Level I stroke was almost certainly the diagnosis. Due to COVID-19 hospital visitation restrictions, Michelle had been keeping in touch from home. (That very month, Jim and Michelle both tested positive for COVID about two weeks apart.)
Brain scans made Jim’s stroke diagnosis official. As not much time had elapsed since his first symptoms, Jim was eligible for a clot-busting intravenous treatment called alteplase or TPA. Seeing how large Jim’s clot was, Dr. Snell called UW Med Flight, knowing that UW Health – one of just five comprehensive stroke centers in Wisconsin – offered the highest level of medical resources to treat Jim. With Med Flight on the way, Michelle and her other daughter, Laurie Wilson, hopped in the car for the short drive to Fort Atkinson so they could watch Jim’s flight take off for Madison.
Just before he was taken from the Emergency Room to the helipad, Jim looked at Nikki, who took her father’s hand.
“Dad, you’re in good hands,” she said. “They’re going to take good care of you.”
Jim’s speech was slurred, but three words came out in return: “I love you.” Nikki darted across the street to meet up with her mom and sister. All three had lumps in their throat as the Med Flight helicopter whisked Jim into the sky.
“I knew he’d get excellent care at UW”
“It wasn’t easy watching him go, because I’d no longer be with him,” Nikki says, “Still, I knew he’d get excellent care at UW.”
Another good sign, Nikki thought, was learning that the Med Flight physician flying with her dad, Dr. Wade Woelfle, was someone she knew through work.
“Dr. Woelfle works mostly for UW Med Flight, but he also works part-time at our ER here in Fort Atkinson,” Nikki says. “He and I have worked several night shifts together, which made the whole situation more comforting.”
Triggered by Dr. Snell’s call from Fort Atkinson to Madison, UW Health’s stroke team prepared immediately for the likelihood that Jim would undergo a mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally-invasive clot-removing procedure performed by a team consisting of a neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist and an endovascular physician, nurse and technician, among others.
Fortunately, Jim remained stable during the 13-minute flight to Madison, staying awake and lucid enough to understand everything Dr. Woelfle or the Med Flight nurse said. By 4 pm, the helicopter had landed at University Hospital, where Jim was wheeled into the Emergency Department.
Knowing that Jim had a large brain clot, UW Health physicians ordered CT perfusion imaging, which shows how much of the brain is damaged and how much can be saved.
“Most of Jim’s brain was still looking good,” says UW Health neurosurgeon Azam Ahmed, MD. “Given the size and location of his clot, we moved ahead with the mechanical thrombectomy. Similar to a cardiac catheterization, we go in through the femoral artery in the groin, guiding a small catheter and instruments through the arteries until we reach the brain,” says Dr. Ahmed. “Once we reach the right place, we ‘fish’ the clot out,” he says. “It’s like using a stent on a stick.”
The procedure was over shortly after 6 pm, and Michelle was back in Whitewater as the UW Health team repeatedly updated her by phone.
Great relief after clot was removed
“The nurses were awesome,” says Michelle. “Once they told me the clot was out and Jim was doing OK after the procedure, I felt a great sense of relief,” she says. “Once he was in a room, the nurses took all my calls and answered all my questions.”
Jim spent the next four days recovering at University Hospital. On Thanksgiving 2020, he was transferred to UW Health’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Madison for nine more days of physical, occupational and speech therapy. Aside from some vision disturbance in his left eye that ultimately resolved, Jim was doing quite well by the time he came home in early December. He has no memory of the stroke or the four days in the hospital, but nobody considers that a bad thing.
“Most patients improve after we perform a thrombectomy,” says Dr. Ahmed. “About half of them – including Jim – recover dramatically. They arrive in a bad way, unable to speak or move on one side. A few days later, they walk out of the hospital. It’s kind of a Lazarus-like procedure, and when you see people like Jim leave functionally independent, you know you’ve done some good for someone that day.”
Dr. Justin Sattin, a UW Health neurologist who took the original call from the Fort Atkinson hospital, says the entire process worked like a well-oiled machine.
Time is the greatest enemy
“When it comes to strokes, UW Health’s system of care really stands out,” says Dr. Sattin. “Time is out greatest enemy, and we are set up to jump into action on several fronts. Our Access Center, Med Flight team, Emergency Department, our ability to share images among hospitals and our ability to use video to observe and communicate with some of our distantly-located patients all contribute to this capability. Each piece is vital to the task of getting people like Jim here as safely and quickly as possible so Dr. Ahmed and his colleagues can do their amazing work.”
Jim’s case also illustrates how valuable people like his wife, Michelle, are to preserving a stroke victim’s quality of life. As soon as she knew something was wrong, she didn’t flinch. “Sadly, some people don’t call 911 the way Michelle did,” says Dr. Sattin. With a stroke, there simply is no time to wait it out, sleep it off or even call your primary care doctor. Millions of brain cells die each minute and they cannot be brought back, so recognizing stroke signs and symptoms is absolutely critical to preserving the patient’s ability to function independently.” Less than two months after coming home from the Rehabilitation Hospital, Jim returned to work. With his vision fully recovered, he also was able to resume driving by April 2021.
“He is back to his usual joking self,” says his daughter, Nikki. “To remember how he looked the day of the stroke and see him now, you really wouldn’t have a clue that anything happened.”
For a couple that just celebrated 50 years of marriage, no material gift could exceed the value of Jim’s remarkable recovery from a major scare just five months earlier. “We are extremely lucky to reach this great milestone together, knowing that the outcome could have been very different,” says Michelle. “We have so many people both at Fort Memorial and UW Health to thank for making this such a happy occasion.”
BE-FAST: How to recognize stroke signs and symptoms
Each letter in “BE-FAST” stands for an important stroke sign or symptom. If a person shows even one of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately. B – Balance E – Eyes F – Face drooping A – Arm weakness S – Speech difficulty T – Terrible headache
(WHITEWATER – May 31) The ever-popular Fran Achen show is back! Join us for our twelfth annual competition and exhibition. The exhibition will take place July 1-25th in both a physical and virtual format.
Amateur and professional artists are invited to exhibit their photography at the 12th Annual Fran Achen Photography Competition. This show is open to all photographers and will be broken down into two categories: “Youth/Teen” (under 18) and “Adult.”
The Whitewater Arts Alliance Board and staff are excited to announce that the 2021 Fran Achen Photography Competition will return to its traditional in-gallery display format. In addition, all of the photographs will appear in the online virtual show.
The Awards Presentation Program and Opening Reception for the Fran Achen Photography Contest will be held live and in-person in the Cultural Arts Center Gallery on Sunday, July 11 with awards to be announced at about 2 p.m.
KEY DATES
Entries & Fees Due: Thursday, June 17th by 11:59 p.m. Photo Drop-Off: Monday, June 28th, and Tuesday June 29th from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Awards Announcement: Sunday, July 11th at 2:00 p.m. in the Cultural Arts Center Gallery Viewers’ Choice Award Announcement: Sunday, July 25 Photo Pick-Up: Sunday, July 25th from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
AWARDS
BEST of Show Award: ($125) Second Place Award: ($100) Third Place Award: ($75) Outstanding Youth Award: ($50) Local Interest Award: ($50) Viewers’ Choice Award: ($50)
Jeff McDonald, chair of the show and former Whitewater Arts Alliance Board Member, said,
“The Fran Achen show is truly one of the highlights of the year. Fran Achen was an exceptional photographer, and his catalog of images continues to inspire. This show, organized in his honor, is an excellent opportunity to showcase the outstanding work created by both established and aspiring area photographers. I am always excited to see the many ways these artists interpret the world through their images. Viewing each year’s collection is a real treat.”
A Note About Our New COVID-19 Policy:
In conjunction with the City of Whitewater and the Centers for Disease Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines, the WAA Board recently voted to lift the capacity limits which have been in place during the COVID pandemic. Masks are now optional for fully vaccinated persons; however, masks are still required for those that have not been fully vaccinated.
*We continue to request that persons who have symptoms of COVID-19, persons who have been a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or persons who are waiting on test results not enter the gallery at all, even with a mask.
The mission of the Whitewater Arts Alliance is to promote the visual and performing arts through an alliance of artists, individuals, educational resources, and organizations to promote creativity and diversity that will serve to educate and enrich the lives of the residents of the Whitewater community and surrounding areas.
