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Report shows Hooksett Safety Center needs millions in repairs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:02:00 GMT

A report detailing problems at the Hooksett Safety Center proposes between $500,000 and $3.5 million in repairs.

The building housing the police and fire stations has been plagued with problems since it was built in 1996, with leaks and other issues. The report notes these problems can result in “sick building syndrome,” a term used to describe situations in which building occupants can experience acute health effects that are linked to time spent in a building.

“Right now we are reviewing the report and will be coming back to the (Town) Council with further recommendations for next steps,” said Town Administrator Carol Granfield.

“The costs in the report are broad estimates and we really need to hire a construction manager to work with the architect to review and fine tune what is needed and cost estimates.”

Granfield said she is also pursuing energy grants to assist in paying for the fixes.

On March 5, with the Building Forensic Team, the H.L. Turner Group Inc. conducted a complete evaluation of the building’s overall condition and systems. In their report, the professional engineering and architectural group identified the primary cause of the building’s flaws a product of poor building construction detailing practices and no provision for air sealing at the structure’s perimeter envelope. The company predicts even more building failures if the structure’s current needs aren’t addressed.

In its report, the building forensic team addressed concerns about three areas – the safety center’s offices, stair tower and apparatus bays.

The report said the major point of concern surrounding the center’s offices are related to the environment’s air quality and pertinent life/safety of the occupants. The proposal estimated the lowest cost option for office repairs to be around $500,000; the accelerated cost option would reach $1 million.

Among the many changes proposed to ensure the office’s safe air quality are work on the building’s insulation and storm drainage system.

Amendments to the building’s stair tower were also proposed in the report. The changes, carrying a lowest cost option of $250,000 and an accelerated cost option of $500,000 would address problems with air ventilation and drainage issues.

The proposal’s final and most expensive alterations were linked to the building’s apparatus bays. Estimated costs were between $750,000 and $1.5 million. The major change proposed to the facility’s apparatus bays are to its roofing assembly. Where a new roofing system isn’t required, the report recommended that all the structure’s lap sealants should receive new sealant coverings, as they show signs of fatigue. This process would ensure the full 20-year useful life of the roof system.

Richard Bloom defies odds with cancer

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:35:00 GMT

BY JEFF ABKOWITZ

The cycle is continuous. It has no real beginning or end. When Richard Bloom, a 43- year-old resident of Hooksett wakes up, reprisal sets itself in motion once again, leaving him to ponder how much longer he has. It goes beyond the 18 medications he must take daily and the chronic pain he suffers through. It involves a rigorous fight to defy the odds and perhaps become an anomaly in the medical world: The first person to survive pancreatic cancer. And while Bloom is approaching four years in April, nobody has made it past seven, a startling fact he came to terms with long ago.

“My entire life revolves around my medication schedule, food, diabetes and hypoglycemia. All my friends have abandoned me because they have their jobs and families. When I started getting sick, people disappeared left and right,” said Bloom.

It wasn’t always like this for Bloom. In fact, it’s a dramatic change from the robust and upbeat life he used to lead. As a high-caliber car salesman in his 20s, he would often enjoy himself by riding his motorcycle and fishing. The hobbies he once immersed himself in, though, are now things of the past, as the world he once knew was shattered by the news he received back in the summer of 1996.

It began when he started missing a few days of work, due to being fatigued. After visiting with his doctor, he found out his liver enzyme count was elevated.

It was confusing news for Bloom, a man who barely drank and was in relatively good health. After more testing was done, it was discovered that he had Hepatitis C, catching him completely off guard.

“I went in to see my doctor and he told me you have Hepatitis C. I didn’t know what Hepatitis A, B or C was. He told me, ‘You’re one of the first tested for it,’” said Bloom.

The doctors were able to trace the origin of Hepatitis C back to a blood transfusion Bloom received when he was 16. After attempting a stunt on his motorcycle, he hit his shoulder and broke it open. However, hospitals weren’t checking for Hepatitis C back then. Bloom’s initial reaction was to be relieved. It wasn’t all in his head. It would be treatable and a return to normalcy was in sight.

He started undergoing the treatment, which required three interferon shots a day and had side effects such as sweating, muscle aches and vomiting that could last up to 18 hours.

After three months, a test concluded the Hepatitis C was inert but treatment continued for almost a year to ensure it remained that way. After he stopped the injections, he found out he had permanent nerve damage in his body and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. He applied for disability and knew a return to work was unlikely.

For the next three years, things remained as they were and Bloom adjusted to his new lifestyle. But in 2001, the “game changer,” as Bloom refers to it, altered his perspective significantly. He suffered an acute ischemic stroke in the brain and part of his brain became nonfunctional, due to a blocked artery. Depression set in and he wondered how long the misery would last.

“I said to myself, ‘It can be like this for my entire life.’”

But it wasn’t. Over the next three years the rehabilitation resulted in a 95 percent recovery. He sold his house and some possessions, downsizing to a town house to cut down on costs and for easier maintenance.

A year later, however, Bloom felt chest pains and after going to two different hospitals, they found a tear in the wall separating chambers of the heart, roughly three-fourths of an inch. He was rushed to Massachusetts General and after a three-hour surgery, doctors managed to sew up the tear.

“What’s funny is that anytime a black-and-white X-ray is done, you can see my heart because it looks like a chain-link fence. You can never tell what life is going to throw at you.”

The next two years were filled with joy for Bloom. He went skiing, took a trip to Florida, and started thinking about going back to work. That vision changed when he suddenly experienced sharp pains in his stomach. It became a recurring theme and Bloom was hospitalized off and on. The hospital and his primary care physician accused him of abusing the system, suggesting he was a hypochondriac.

After he went to Dartmouth in Lebanon, they found out that the fabrication was actually islet cell tumors in his stomach. Doctors urged Bloom to undergo surgery, which involved taking out his gall bladder, removing the head of the pancreas, disabling the valves in the pancreas and liver, changing the location of the pancreas by moving it next to the spleen, removing 60 percent of the stomach, taking out the duodenum and repositioning the jejunum junction so that the common bile duct could go into it.

Bloom feels it’s a miracle that he made it this far. “This is the most invasive procedure a person can go through. Fifty percent of people who have undergone this surgery die in the next 18 to 24 months. All of the doctors are stumped as to how I’m still living.”

The complications resulting from this, however, have been severe. His autonomic system, which regulates involuntary functions such as breathing, the pumping of blood and more, no longer works properly, impacting how he operates. Also, because of all the shifting around and removal of organs that was required of the surgery, he is now diabetic and hypoglycemic.

As the bills mounted and his support system of friends shrunk, Bloom tried contacting Eileen Ehlers, a former state representative who was serving at the time. After hearing his story and exploring the options, she discovered there were no gray areas and couldn’t provide much help, as he was just barely over the poverty line.

“People are slipping through the cracks. Regulations are strict. I thought with all the safety nets out there, he’d be able to find some help. This is an in-your-face example of what Americans are going through. I think there are people in this town who would help if they knew,” said Ehlers.

Bloom goes once a week to Massachusetts General to consult with his doctors and go through testing and has found the drive to be more exhausting each time he undertakes it.

Ehlers’ husband, Bob, offered recently to drive him in one day to help out but can’t take the time off regularly from work. The Ehlers are hoping that people can possibly donate their time and services to help Bloom out.

“Driving to Boston for examinations, diagnostic tests and procedures can be very taxing for him. Without help he may not be able to drive back to Hooksett.

Helping Richard is not a fulltime job. If several people volunteer, it means that it could come down to just one trip to Boston a year or a couple of phone calls a month just to say hello,” said Bob Ehlers.

Anyone who is interested in helping Bloom may call 485- 3180.

Julie Corey shows how drumming can heal

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:51:00 GMT

BY SUSANNA HARGREAVES

Despite the disharmony in our society, Hooksett has The Village Drum to help people experience a sense of unity through the joy of music.

Listed on the NH Arts Council Roster for “Arts in Health” programs, Julie Corey facilitates community-drumming circles throughout the state and New England.

As a world musician with an inspired emphasis on native and African styles of music, Corey brings people together through the art of the drum.

Corey said drumming is not only fun, but it also provides a healing and positive experience. The history of the drum in celebration and healing practices spans hundreds of years and numerous continents.

“The heart of drumming comes from the most indigenous cultures in the world,” said Corey. “Though these people may not have much in the sense of materialism, they are well in community spirit. From the spiritual aspect, drumming helps people feel whole. Even though our culture has so much, many people feel incomplete or that something is missing. In a wonderful way, drumming brings to the West that which is missing in spirit.”

Corey said her mission is to bring hope and healing through the spiritual aspects of drumming.

“Drumming can help people feel that they belong, and it doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re the CEO of a corporation or an assembly line worker, drumming makes us all equal and brings us together,” she said. “Drums are the most powerful tool. Drums give people permission to express themselves fully in a supportive environment. Drumming fosters inclusion, fun, camaraderie and the absolute raw joy of being in the moment and being together.”

She surrounds herself with unique drums and further embraces the experience by wearing colorful costumes while she plays.

“Oh, it is just so great!” she said. “When I am teaching and drumming, singing and dancing with others, I feel an ecstatic rush that reminds me how beautiful our time here can be.

“When you’re drumming in a group environment, there is so much going on with your senses. You are so busy multitasking that you become a part of something amazing. You are watching, listening, playing, singing, dancing and laughing so much that you get distracted from your own world. You really can’t be anywhere else. You’re not in a worried state, and you forget your troubles for a while. It just carries you away, and you feel joyful and energized,” she added.

Corey, 44, said she began playing the drums nearly 20 years ago through her work in the healing arts. A licensed massage therapist and Reiki master, she believes music and sound have great healing benefits.

“The research is out that the benefits of drumming includes an increase in immunity, decrease in stress, increase in people feeling connected and the decrease in job or life burnout. A new program called Health Rhythms is sweeping the healthcare field with the exciting protocol of drumming,” said Corey, a trained Health Rhythms facilitator.

“I began playing native-style shaman drums in a women’s group,” she said. “I then learned over the years from many Native American teachers how to play drums. I studied their ceremonies, which often include drumming, songs, chants and dances. I spent several summers in Montana participating in retreats. I then was attracted to the African style of drumming and to the Djembe, which is a West African style drum.”

According to Corey, drumming can be extremely therapeutic, but it must be experienced to understand the benefits.

“It is not just recreational music. There is so much more to it,” Corey said. “I believe drumming has the potential to help heal the sadness in our culture.

“What is really wonderful about drumming is it brings people together,” Corey said. “When a group comes to the circle with willingness and openness, then something magical happens. This magical energy from playing together and being one with the music is so uplifting and positive. It helps you experience freedom through music. I believe it is our right to be free and feel free while we are here on Earth.”

She also wants to encourage others to feel free, to connect with others and express themselves through group drumming, singing and dancing.

Her work has grown to include health-related environments and has helped people experience the positive benefits of drumming through her work with the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” programs, breast cancer survivor groups and “WE CAN” weekends.

What about those of us who believe they don’t have rhythm? “We are like drums,” answered Corey with a smile. “We all have a heartbeat and rhythm inside of us.”

Corey has lived and worked in Hooksett for the past four years.

“I really like living in Hooksett. It is very quiet and peaceful, yet it is close to everything. It is a wonderful central location because it is so accessible to other communities,” she said.

Her role as facilitator and the joy of drumming can be experienced at home. Her CD titled “How to Play the Djembe Level 1 Beginners” can be purchased online.

For more information regarding Corey’s classes and music, visit www.thevillagedrum.com or e-mail thevillagedrum@aol.com.

Brain injury doesn’t stop Central senior

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:12:00 GMT

BY SUSANNA HARGREAVES

Ashley Poland, 18, says she is extremely thankful to be graduating from Central High School this June. She even knows what she wants to do with her life, which is unique from most typical high school graduates.

A survivor of a traumatic brain injury from a serious snowmobile accident in March 2007, Poland said her recovery has given her a greater appreciation for life and all its gifts.

“I am stronger because I look at the world differently. I’m so grateful for my life and for my family and friends. Since the accident, I feel like I got a second chance at life. I have a stronger faith and feel that God was telling me to wake up and change my life,” Poland said. “I believe I am here because God has a specific purpose for my future and I really want to help people.”

After an extremely challenging year filled with therapy and school work, “I’m going to graduate this June,” Poland said proudly.

Poland credits the devotion of her mother, father and sister for encouraging and supporting her through a difficult recovery experience. Poland said she is grateful for other people in her life and felt it important to share how her physical therapist and speech therapist at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester inspired and pushed her to strive.

Poland said her boss at Harborside Healthcare in Bedford, where she works part-time as a dietary aide in the kitchen, has been extremely supportive and patient.

“Also, Mr. Forrest Ransdell, assistant principal of Central High School, was unbelievable to me. He really cared and wanted me to succeed,” she said.

“Ashley is an amazing young lady. She has the drive and perseverance to overcome the challenges that would have leveled most people. She has worked very hard to achieve and is really trying to help people with her experience. You can tell she truly cares and she is such a nice person,” Ransdell said.

Before the accident, Poland said she loved sports and was an avid volleyball and basketball player. A lifelong snowmobiler since she was 7 years old, Poland went riding with her father and grandfather in Maine on the day before her birthday.

“My whole family is big on snowmobiling,” she explained. During this trip, she decided to try her father’s snowmobile. “My dad and grandfather were taking a break and I wanted to try my dad’s snowmobile. I took a trail by myself and said I would be back.”

Poland said she really didn’t think anything bad could happen. She wasn’t used to her father’s snowmobile and was looking at the speedometer instead of the approaching trees at the end of the path. She said she wanted to see how fast she could go and was going 85 mph when she crashed.

“My helmet was on, but it wasn’t strapped,” she said. Their cell phones didn’t work, so Poland’s grandfather went to find a house to call 911. Being in the middle of nowhere, it took 45 minutes for help to arrive. She was flown by helicopter to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, where she stayed for a week.

Poland said she doesn’t remember much about her hospital stay because she slept through most of it. She said she suffered a nasal bone fracture, orbital fracture, temporal bone fracture, two lacerations on her head, cranial fractures and a hematoma behind her right eye, as well as many cuts and bruises over her body.

Poland went to Catholic Medical Center, where she received physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Poland said she missed the last three months of school to recover. Furthermore, on top of all of her out-patient therapy, she worked with a tutor to complete her junior year in order to graduate on time.

Poland said she continues to deal with chronic dizziness, headaches, nausea, sensory overload, neck and back problems and memory loss. Poland said she is 85 percent back to normal, but she really struggles with her memory and sometimes gets confused in trying to find the right words.

“It can be overwhelming. I have to write everything down or it won’t get done,” she said. Depression was also something she had to overcome, but understanding her purpose and staying focused on her goals has diminished it.

According to Poland, the entire experience has made her life’s purpose more clear. Poland has been accepted to Manchester Technical College, where she said she will study exercise science and then will apply to a four-year college to become a physical therapist. Poland said she hopes her story will help inspire other children through their recovery.

“I want to be a physical therapist for children, so I can help them achieve their goals, be healthy and realize they’re not alone,” she said. “There was something about the recovery process and therapy that inspired me, and I know this is something I want to do with my life.”

Since the accident, Poland volunteers for the Brain Injury Association in Concord as a guest speaker in the community to help improve safety awareness and provide insight about the complexities of the brain injury recovery process. She said the Brain Injury Association was extremely helpful to her family by providing information and resources about how to deal with her injury and recovery.

Poland said that, though snowmobiling is fun, it is also very dangerous. At local Fish and Game centers and snowmobiling certification classes, Poland talks to students about three areas of safety in snowmobiling: “Wear your helmet, and make sure it is strapped on. Speed is fun, but be careful. Don’t go alone, and always stay in a group,” Poland said.

Though Poland has fun memories of snowmobiling, the accident has changed her outlook on the sport.

“I don’t think I will ever ride a snowmobile again. I’m afraid and also the risk of a brain injury would be so much worse.” Poland also said she can no longer participate in contact sports.

“At first, I didn’t know what to do with myself because I loved and played sports.” She said she has found other things to focus on, and now has plenty to do with her school work, church youth group, public speaking and a part-time job. Natalie Poland said she considers her daughter to be a miracle child.

“It really is a miracle that she is here, and I believe God wants her here for a purpose. Everything happened for a reason and for the good, because now she is helping others. She has come a long way and is doing really well. On the exterior Ashley looks fine, but the brain takes a long time to heal and she still has so much to deal with to this day. It has been a long year, but she worked hard. She is going to graduate from high school and now she wants to become a physical therapist,” her mother said.

Ashley Poland said she is looking forward to celebrating her graduation.

“I’m so excited and it is going to feel great after everything I’ve been through. Everyone in my family has been so supportive and helpful,” Poland said. “I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for them. You really need people to get you through something like this and I know I can help others, too.”

Mother of autistic child will never give up hope

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:17:00 GMT

BY SUSANNA HARGREAVES

Hope is a word, Kim Ryan of Hooksett understands all too well.

As a mother of a 4-year-old autistic child named Christopher, she has learned to hold on to hope very tightly.

“There is so much hope. Not to say that it isn’t easy. It has its challenges and has been very stressful, but we’re very grateful. We just keep persevering and we’re not going to give up,” Ryan said.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of related brain-based disorders that affect a child’s behavior, social and communication skills. Approximately one in 150 children are diagnosed with an ASD.”

According to Ryan, Christopher seemed to be developing normally as an infant, but at around 16 months he stopped talking.

“At first, we thought something was wrong with his hearing because he wouldn’t look when we called his name,” said Ryan. “Then, Chris started to go into his own world and preferred to play by himself.

The doctor said to wait a few months to see because he was saying some words, but then he stopped talking altogether and gave us very little eye contact. Then, by 2, he was diagnosed as having autism.”

Ryan said she was referred to Easter Seals for early intervention where Christopher received in-home therapy from a paraprofessional behavior specialist, speech therapist and occupational therapist. When Christopher turned 3, he received services through the Hooksett public school system, where he currently participates in an integrated class at Underhill.

Ryan expressed great happiness with the school system and his teacher.

“The school has been very supportive and his teacher, Lisa Pollard, and her paraprofessional have been wonderful. I believe anyone who works with autistic children is very special. Their heart is truly in it and it means so much,” Ryan said.

Ryan has learned a great deal of information. The Autism Society of New Hampshire has been very helpful, but the biggest help has been talking to other mothers of children with autism.

“Two programs which have helped Christopher a great deal are Applied Behavior Analysis which was started early, and another is a medical program called Defeat Autism Now,” she said.

Most of the help and answers she needed have been found on the Internet.

“Another reassuring voice has been actress Jenny McCarthy, who has been very vocal in the media as a mother of an autistic son,” Ryan said. “Also, Talk About Curing Autism has a great deal of helpful information.”

Ryan shared her plans to participate in The Green the Vaccine march in Washington, D.C., on June 4 to “promote awareness for the elimination of all toxins from children’s vaccines and have national health agencies reassess the mandatory vaccine schedule.”

Ryan said she is concerned about the increase in children being diagnosed with autism, and through this experience she is also more aware of the concern over chemicals and mercury in food, vaccines and the environment.

“This should be explored more,” she added and that her son is being further tested, but in the meantime she has gone “green” when it comes to cleaning products and chooses more natural solutions. “Diet, such as gluten free or casein free, is also something we’re researching.”

In the meantime, Ryan and her family are on a mission to find helpful information and to share it.

“One thing I learned is that early intervention is key,” said Ryan. She explained that her son has social, sensory and speech challenges. She said communication through pictures, sign language, play scripts and role modeling activities have helped them make a connection with their son. Thanks to his care, Chris’s communication skills have improved.

“I have seen great improvement. Now, at night Chris says goodnight to his two brothers and hugs them,” Ryan shared. Ryan said she hopes to be a resource for local residents with family members diagnosed with autism. For more about autism, Ryan can be reached at 289- 5440.