TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 05/08/19
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Abington The
MAY 9, 2019
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INSIDE
Derby day in the Summit See page 7.
T H E VO I C E O F T H E A B I N G T O N S
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Paving the path
Jake Danna StevenS / Staff PhOtOGraPher
A runner makes his way along a trail near Lackawanna Lake on Friday, May 3 at Lackawanna State Park in North Abington Township.
Lackawanna State Park receives $7,500 grant By Clayton over Staff Writer
Lackawanna State Park Manager Rob Barrese sees many of the same people daily — seniors, dog walkers and others — strolling the paved path that runs by the lake, pool and picnic areas of the park. Walking that path will become a bit easier thanks to a $7,500 grant from the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation and the Scranton Area Community Foundation. The funds will cover a repaving project of the blacktop way, which has become warped and worn in spots over the years, Barrese said. “It’s time for it to get a little TLC,” Barrese said.
“Walking is the most popular form of outdoor recreation and is available without the need to purchase any special equipment, Research has shown that walking can help to reduce the risk of lifestyle related diseases, such as diabetes.” Marci Mowery
President, Pennsylvania Parks and forests foundation
The path, which begins at a parking lot just inside the Route 407 entrance to the park on the lake’s north shore, is one of the most popular in the park. While the park boasts trails aplenty for hikers, runners, bikers and more seasoned fitness enthusiasts to use, the paved path is relatively flat and is attractive to senior citizens and other casual walkers, Barrese said. Repaving it will ensure it remains safe and accessible. The project also includes the installation of two educational wayside panels to serve as a self-guided environmental education tour to showcase different habitats at the park. “Walking is the most popular form of outdoor recreation and is available without the need to purchase any special equipment,” Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, said in a statement. “Research has shown that walking can help to reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and can ease the pain of arthritis. We are excited to work with the park and the Scranton Area Community Foundation to make this project a reality.” Work on the path isn’t expected to begin until late summer or fall, after the parks busiest and most visited time of the year through the summer, Barrese said. Once completed, it will be a great positive for both the park and the people
Jake Danna StevenS / Staff PhOtOGraPher
Wayne and Joyce Wescott of Nicholson walk with their dog Sandy along a trail that will be replaced in Lackawanna State Park in North Abington Township. who frequent it, Barrese said. “This will maintain the inclusiveness that people have come to expect at the park,” Barrese said. “For a lot of the senior population, this is their daily exercise and this is a guaranteed location where people know they can come and walk.” Contact the writer: cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363; @ClaytonOver on twitter
JUlIe JeFFery ManWarren | SUBUrBan Life
Born fast This Mother’s Day is special for the Gutierrez family who is thankful for the safe arrival of Keziah Joy on April 22. Born in a surprise delivery at their Scott Township home, Keziah came faster than first responders could get there. Lauren Gutierrez and her husband Pablo had no idea the birth of their third child would happen so quickly. “I told my doctor, ‘I don’t think I should wait an hour when I start having contractions because I feel like she could come really fast.’ My friend Arlee went into labor and didn’t make it to the hospital. She and I have the same doctor and I joked with him that I didn’t want what happened to her to happen to me and end up having the baby at home,” Gutierrez said. “I did think it could be fast, but I never imagined that Pablo and I would deliver the baby in our dining room.” Gutierrez was 40 weeks pregnant when she woke in the middle of the night on April 22.
“I didn’t even feel contractions at first,” she said. “It was so weird, I couldn’t tell if the pressure I was feeling was actual labor. But at 3 a.m. I got out the contraction timer and knew the baby was coming. I told Pablo, ‘We need to go.’” The couple called Gutierrez’ parents who were 20 minutes away, to watch their two older children. Then they called the doctor’s office and got ready to go to the hospital. “I walked from the bedroom to the bathroom to get my makeup on and pack my bag when everything started coming really fast, and I knew we weren’t going to make it,” Gutierrez remembered. Gutierrez called 911 and had just given the dispatcher her address when her water broke. Seconds later, the baby was coming out. Gutierrez’ husband Pablo threw towels on the ground and caught his daughter, Keziah Joy, as she came into the world in their dining room. “Pablo was right with me,” Gutierrez said. “He stayed calm and he
ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Suburban Subplots
Lyme life Everyone can look back and realize how different life would be if one minor detail changed. Sometimes it’s as dramatic as when another vehicle pulls into your lane and comes within an inch of crashing into you. Or it might be as simple as a decision to attend a social function where you end up meeting your future spouse. These “what would have happened if...” experiences have a knack for keeping us awake at night. One such moment that comes to mind began about 11 years ago in the back room of an area retail store where I worked after high school and during my first year of college. I hadn’t been feeling well all day, and my flu-like symptoms worsened as I worked. Eventually I grew too fatigued to continue, and I went home early. The mysterious illness persisted over the next few days, undiagnosed until a telltale rash developed. It was shaped like a “bulls eye” with rings surrounding a center dot. A visit to my doctor’s office confirmed my suspicion: Lyme disease. A couple weeks and a round of antibiotics later, I was fine. Even though I no longer have Lyme disease, I am acutely aware of what might have been, had the rash not appeared and the infection continued, undiagnosed, into the next stage. Many people are not so fortunate. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and I’d like to introduce someone who has “been there, done that.” This is a question and answer interview I conducted via email with Beka Waters, 22, of Clarks Summit. The responses are her own, but due to cognitive dysfunction (a symptom of the disease), she had some help forming the sentences. It is my desire (and hers) that her story will bring awareness to people who know little or nothing about Lyme disease and hope to those who may be on the same or similar paths in life. Can you tell a little about your journey with Lyme disease, how it first started and when it was diagnosed? My journey with Lyme disease began in the summer of 2010, when I was thirteen years old. My symptoms started as a high fever that left me bedridden for a week. Then in the weeks and months that followed, I developed more than 20 symptoms as it Please see Lyme, Page 11
What’s inside Calendar ........................ 2 Suburban family ............. 2 Contest .......................... 3 Obituary ......................... 4 School ............................ 5 SUBmitteD PhOtO
Lauren Gutierrez looks forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with her children, Misael, Briel and Keziah. grabbed her. It was a little scary but the lady on the phone said ‘as long as she is crying, she should be OK.’ Pablo put the baby on me, and we kept her warm. The dispatcher was great, and stayed with me on
the phone until the ambulance got here.” Mom and baby were transported safely to the hospital where they were checked out. Please see Fast, Page 11
Green Scene ................... 6 Just for fun .................... 8 Sports ............................ 9
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