Senator Jason Atkinson almost DIED after helping a friend

A year ago, Senator Jason Atkinson thought he was doing a favor for a friend.  See, Atkinson can fix bikes and someone asked him to give his two-wheeler a tune up.  What  the Senator did not know, was that there was a bag on the back of the bike holding a gun.  When Atkinson took the bag off and tossed it on the floor, the gun went off shattering his femur and ripping through an artery.

If not for quick thinking by his wife to apply pressure and fashion a rudimentary tourniquet out of spare tubing, he would have bled to death on the floor of his workshop.

But he survived, spent a year in recovery, unsure if he could save his leg.  And when his leg was safe, having to learn how to walk again.

Now, he walks with a limp, deals with constant pain, but says he’s GRATEFUL for the experience.

See, Atkinson says he now has a better understanding of what it’s like for people living with constant pain, people who have lost limbs and feels he can serve the community better with that knowledge.

He lives everyday with greater happiness and gratitude than ever before.   Whether you agree with his politics, I think we can all give Jason Atkinson a thumbs up today.

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Project Linkage fills needs for countless individuals every day

A lot of charities focus on a large need.  Food banks that collect millions of pounds of food for the hungry.  Fundraisers to pay for medical research or treatments.  But sometimes, you find a nifty group that has found a unique way to tackle a seemingly smaller need.

That’s one of the many reasons we love Project Linkage.  The group run through Metropolitan Family Services offers a lot of services that may seem minor to the rest of us:

Scheduling regular visits between a volunteer and someone who is stuck in the home for the most part.

Driving people to the grocery store, the vet or the dry cleaners.

Heck, even CALLING once a day to make sure they haven’t fallen or need help.

The list goes on (sadly, Project Linkage does NOT offer a compass, toothpick or tweezers).

While the group does many wonderful things every day, they need YOUR help to do more.  Go here to learn more about how to volunteer.

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The fight against Breast Cancer has a new ally in Clark County.  The Southwest Washington Medical Center unveils the Kearney Breast Center today.

GNPDX spoke with Ken Cole at the center and he says there are two key factors they wanted when they set about building the 12,000 sq ft facility:

Top of the line equipment.  Check.  One of their machines is so state of the art, the FDA hasn’t even finished the approval process (don’t worry, they won’t use it until it gets the formal thumbs up).

Soothing atmosphere.  Check.  Cole says they put in great  attention to make sure the facility would ease anxiety that comes with treatment.

And if you’re wondering what the community thinks, you can ask the 1,000 people who helped raise $4 million to get the doors open.  Talk about grassroots.

The Kearney Center is open to anyone in the area, Oregon and Washington, and is designed to serve a woman’s needs for an entire lifetime.  For more info, go here.

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