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Boreal Community Media

Hovland resident finds lifesaving help through Boreal email service

Mar 10, 2018 08:58AM ● By Editor

The influenza season hit Minnesota hard this winter.   One local resident had her own life changing experience with the horrible bug that hit so many over the past couple of months.

Tory Wentland of Hovland knew she was in dire need of medical assistance late at night on January 25th.  With her phone service out of order, she had no way of calling anyone for help.  Her quick thinking saved her life.  She reached out to the Boreal community members through an email listserv (email group) Boreal Community Media provides.  She sent a email plea for help, hoping that someone would be able to call an ambulance for her.  Her email read as follows:

Would someone call an ambulance for me?  I don’t have a phone.  Tory Wentland, Hovland. Bad case of the flu.  Thanks.  (She listed her address in the email, which is omitted to protect her privacy)

As luck would have it, looking out for neighbors is not just a passing phrase in this wonderful little community.  A representative from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department sent an email out a few hours later to let the members of the listserv know that they could stop calling, and that Tory was taken care of.  

Tory said that she spent a couple of days in the hospital.  Medical tests revealed that she was close to heart failure.  If she had not arrived at the hospital when she did, she may not have survived.

Tory herself later followed up with a thank you email to her Boreal friends:

I want to thank all the folks who responded to my call for help last week. I heard the sheriff's office got a lot of calls. Thank you all!   I also want to thank the EMTs and ambulance staff that arrived to take care of me. You all are so wonderful.

I believe the mice have chewed up my phone line but won't be able to rewire until spring. The only way I could think of to get help was through Boreal. You all came through. It's great to live in an area that watches out for other people. Three cheers for Northlanders!

Thanx,

Tory

Tory had many people looking our for her best interests during her illness.  Because she needed to take additional time off work, her coworkers at Grand Portage Casino generously offered to donate their leave hours to her, allowing her to recover without having to worry about taking time off without pay.   Tory also said that Care Partners transported her back to her home when she was released from the her hospital stay.

Those who visit Cook County may be in awe of the pure beauty of the area.  For those who live here, looking out for our friends and neighbors is just something that we do, without a second thought.  It is what makes us proud to call this little slice of heaven our home.

Boreal Ship Spotter - larger view here