Inside A3 Public invited to Groove in the Garden
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Eike chooses UNC, Majors headed to World Series
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 5
July 24, 2019
Cooper Stuart home and healing after surgery By Laura McFarland News Editor
P
OWHATAN – Ask Cooper Stuart what it was like to have a tumor the size of a small orange removed from his head and his response is pretty blasé. “It wasn’t the funnest thing ever,” the 12-year-old said while lying on the couch of his family’s home in Powhatan. He was a little tired – that happens now – but that is to be expected after going through two brain surgeries and numerous other procedures. When the Stuart family sat down for an interview with the Powhatan Today on July 17 to talk about how they are doing, Cooper had only been home from the hospital nine days. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, everything is still obviously a little raw for Cooper’s parents, Renee and Ray, who had their whole world rocked on its axis on June 6, when their son was hospitalized with seizures only to be diagnosed with a brain tumor. In the days that followed for them, they were in survivor mode, Ray said. Renee described those first few days as one long Thursday night because they didn’t leave the hospital for several days and time seemed to stop having meaning. “Ray and I talk about that often. Our days and nights ran
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
After undergoing two surgeries to remove a tumor from his brain, Cooper Stuart, right, is home recuperating with his mom, Renee, younger brother, Reece, and dad, Ray.
together,” Renee said. “Once (Cooper) came through the second surgery, one of the neurosurgeons asked if he knew what day it was. That wasn’t a fair question. We had been in the hospital 21 days. I didn’t know what day it was.” But if they can’t adequately describe how terrifying it was to watch their son go through that ordeal, they also can’t say enough about how grateful they are for the support from their community. The first words out of Ray’s mouth were to talk about the outpouring of love, support and prayer from Powhatan and beyond and wanting to get across his family’s gratitude. And just like an overwhelmed entertainer giving an acceptance speech at an awards show, he was worried about missing someone – starting with the sheriff’s office and fire and rescue personnel who responded when Cooper first collapsed just outside their home after coming back from watching a baseball game. Then the hospital staff at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and people associated with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond for their care and attention during his hospital stay. But they are also grateful for everyone in Powhatan who has helped the family along the way: friends, family, neighbors, the school division, Pocahontas Elementary School families and staff, and local businesses and churches. see COOPER, pg. 5
Powhatan adds text-to-911 By Laura McFarland News Editor
Campers stay engaged over summer CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
Powhatan County Public Schools helps keeps young minds sharp by offering summer camps, including the Puppetry Camp these students participated in the week of July 15 to 19. More photos see Page 8.
POWHATAN – Local 911 communications has taken the next step to making sure anyone experiencing an emergency can reach help by adding a new textto-911 capability. Powhatan 911 emergency communications will go live on Aug. 1 to give people in the county the capability of reaching help with a text as well as a phone call, said Tom Nolan, department of public safety communications director. While calling 911 using a phone remains the quickest and most effective way to relay information so emergency help can be dispatched, there are situations where a phone call isn’t possible, Nolan said. Some of the scenarios where texting
see 911 TEXT, pg. 3
Strangers work together to help save local man’s life By Laura McFarland News Editor
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
911 has proved effective included when someone was hearing impaired or in a situation involving hostages, active shooters or a domestic assault. There have also been cases where someone is uncomfortable because they are in a room where a crime is being discussed or planned. “They are giving valuable, timely information without anybody knowing they are doing it while they are sitting in the same room as the suspect or potential criminals,” Nolan said. Having text-to-911 capability is the next step in Next Generation 911 and very important given how prevalent cell phone use is to communications in the county, he said. “About 80 percent of all 911 calls are made by mobile phones in Powhatan, and that follows closely with the national
POWHATAN – When the worst happened, several strangers came together to help save a life. The life of an elderly Powhatan man possibly having a heart attack was saved thanks to a family member, a 911 dispatcher, and two men who happened to be passing by the scene. The group worked to resuscitate the man for the several minutes before EMTs arrived to start giving him trained medical attention. At 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, a call came into the 911 center about a man who was found unresponsive in his vehicle in the driveway of his Powhatan home. The man’s wife told the dispatcher that her husband had called her from the driveway
PHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN PUBLIC SAFETY
Powhatan emergency 911 shift supervisor Cory Chaffins talked a woman through CPR to help save her husband’s life.
because he believed he was having a heart attack. When she came outside and found him, he was already unresponsive. Shift supervisor Cory Chaffins took the frantic woman’s call, which started just after the woman discovered her husband in the driveway and said hishe didn’t appear to be breathing. After gathering information so another dispatcher could send help, Chaffins then instructed the woman to get her husband out of the vehicle so she could perform CPR. “She resisted a little bit because of course the weight can be intimidating. But I just told her to pull him out however she needed to pull him out to get him out of the vehicle and onto a flat surface. Once I was able to determine she had done that, I started with CPR instructions and continsee CPR, pg. 3
Complete Count Committee forms to promote Census 2020 in county PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
The first meeting of the Powhatan Complete Count Committee, which will coordinate local efforts to publicize the 2020 Census, was held on July 17 at the Powhatan County Public Library. Those who attended were: back row, from left, Kathryn Waycaster, Connie Moslow, Brad Nunnally, Lee Sullivan, Jean Gannon, Gail Hairston, and MacKenzie Heidelmark; front row, Gay Bartlett, Ruth Boatwright, Rachel Tomlin, Whitney Berriman, Carla Neidigh, and Terri Allison.