Comments on: Strongheart Memorial Fund

By: Lee323

Lee323 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:43:14 +0000

Thanks for the information on the Strongheart Memorial Fund, AKM.

By: UgaVic

UgaVic — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:47:26 +0000

Just popped in to find out what the rest of the world has been doing and found this post.

Thanks AKM!!

Also as another rural Alaskan, who is lucky enough to live in a village with running water, I still had my eyes opened farther when visiting Ann and Segundo’s village.

Many issues are the same BUT when you add hauling water, lack of easy waste disposal and groceries that can set you back some hefty money (remind me to tell you of the few things we had shipped in from Emo for the funeral and some basic groceries – $591.00!! I did a double take and I am accustom to bush prices!!) the whole picture changes.

Also as much I believe we need to be responsible for ourselves there are so many things facing rural Alaskans that statement is hard to sort out.

I know for my husband, getting life insurance is out of range of probably 90% of others like us. He does the things many do to support us, like commercial fishing, that make it almost impossible to make the payments a part of our budget without much sacrifice.

To feel that a 38 y/o man who is just getting his family started and his nest egg built, and also commercial fished, would be thinking of such things, it just was not an option.

Maybe there are solutions? We will see as we look at options. I can tell you that in my short time in rural Alaska I have seen more untimely deaths that I have in the rest of my life. Most just doing what they do each day and something went ‘wrong’ led to so many dying too early.

Anyway… more to come later but thank you all for the support for Ann and her family. It is helping and giving her strength.

Victoria

By: Martha Unalaska Yard Sign

Martha Unalaska Yard Sign — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:43:23 +0000

@ lettersfromeurope

You said it just right.

http://anonymousbloggers.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/ann-strongheart-discovering-the-new-me-and-grieving-for-the-old/

By: lettersfromeurope

lettersfromeurope — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:01:06 +0000

I remember Ann´s first post here on the comments. From that comment onwards she was unstoppable and she will remain unstoppable with a little help from her friends.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wG6Cgmgn5U&hl=de

I suspect that is what Segundo would want.

By: deist

deist — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:07:20 +0000

I had a hunch that would be your next claim, visitor. I’d invite you to join us and support the memorial fund. Thanks for your generosity.

By: Visitor

Visitor — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:44:48 +0000

deist: I’ve not only been to rural Alaska, I’ve lived in rural Alaska.

By: Alaska Pi

Alaska Pi — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:32:13 +0000

@8 Visitor Says:
August 29th, 2009 at 4:13 PM
This is a good reminder to revisit our life insurance policies.
—————————-
For all who have this option, yes, use this time of remembrance to do the best you can for your family.
As the politics of personal responsibility has played out the last decade or so in the US we have seen a turning inward by folks- to see only that which is theirs- and to lose sight of our more general experience. We have forgotten that all of us do not share the same options or abilities. We have forgotten someone must always take those jobs so many of us look down on. We have fought the notion of a living wage by retreating into a skewed notion of meritocracy.
We must also use this time of remembrance to reevaluate what it is we value.
We must turn to our everyday lives and see that we mostly want home and family and a decent living and as much safety from harm as we can manage… and then we must make it real for all of us…

By: Grandma Nancy

Grandma Nancy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:47:06 +0000

I love the music of Elvis Presley, and this says more than I can say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmkNCpfgQzI

Ann, there are many of us out here who love you without ever having met you.

Sending big cyberhugs…..

By: Kath the Scrappy

Kath the Scrappy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:42:33 +0000

I remember at the time last winter, I was a little flabbergasted that the Rural Folks weren’t simply washing cloth diapers, rather than using costly disposable diapers. Growing up, my family in Phoenix AZ had up to 5 foster babies at a time, no dryer. I earned my way to summer camp each year hanging 5 batches per day of laundry on the clotheslines. By the time one batch was coming out of the washer, the previous batch was practically dry in the sun because of the heat.

Wow, Ann’s stories sure straightened out any misconceptions I held!!! First off, during winter they couldn’t heat the house enough to DRY diapers. Secondly, the hard work to simply OBTAIN the water, just for drinking, cooking and washing dishes – sure wasn’t to be wasted washing diapers:

“Life without running water in Nunam Iqua”
http://anonymousbloggers.wordpress.com/life-without-running-water-in-nunam-iqua-alaska/

Yes, Ann & Gundo & CC have done a LOT to open our eyes and teach us so much! It’s a whole different world there, that we who haven’t experienced should make judgments, as I did before.

By: Kath the Scrappy

Kath the Scrappy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:20:51 +0000

@ 14 Visitor “An adequate supply of disposable diapers can cost over $100 per month.”

Umm Visitor, perhaps you should read from Ann’s “Shopping day in Nunam Iqua”. Sheesh, those were happier times, it hurts to read it frankly. While you check it out, please also check out the prices on just regular, normal groceries. They did not go on a binge by any means.

Bear in mind, that CC was 18 months old, in the process of being toilet/honeybucket trained.
http://anonymousbloggers.wordpress.com/shoppin-day-in-nunam-iquq/

“$82.55 —- 1 case size 6 Huggies diapers (144 diapers)”