Springy Day; Neighborhood Miracle

 

Another round of snow is quickly melting, and this time, it feels like spring may be on the way and that it will stay. 

I loved yesterday because warmer temperatures, and ever-expanding stretches of green grass emerging as snow melted inspired me to spend most of the day outside.

The first job:  remove all the squishy doggie deposits that had been accumulating with the most recent snow. 

Then, I spent a couple of hours cleaning and pruning a flower bed next to the driveway.  

I have circled that bed so many times on the lawnmower, always wishing that the rosebush stems would quit poking me.  Yesterday's pruning should take care of that. 

Plus, the bed looks much neater after the removal dead grass and limbs. 

Looks like another good day of yard work ahead AND some time spent at Roxane's where Laurie will be riding CB. 

SOME SPECIAL NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Our neighborhood, specifically a family over on Forest Siding Road,  has an amazing story to share. 

Today Brett Peterson will be discharged from an Arizona hospital, much sooner than expected after undergoing a double lung transplant. 

"... his doctor said he is ready to be discharged tomorrow. We honestly didn't think it was going to be this soon, but he's had a significant recovery," Brett's daughter Stephanie told me yesterday.  "He'll have many appointments the next couple months but the best healing is at home with family. We are so very grateful for his team."

I have known and admired this family ever since we moved out here to Selle 20 years ago. Their oldest daughter Stephanie was a student in my last-ever English class back in 2001-2002. 

There's a memorial at the north end of our road honoring Stephanie's sister Holly who died in a car accident when she was in her early teens.  A barn at the Bonner County fairgrounds is named after Holly. 

Last year I featured Katie Peterson Hansen in a blog post.  She and her husband own a classy traveling bar, which they use to provide beverages at weddings and other events.  

Brett's wife Sally retired a while back after a career with the Bonner County Sheriff's Office. 

Both Brett and Sally (Mitchell) are beloved Sandpoint natives, so this good news touches the hearts of a wide array of local residents. 

Yesterday Stephanie directed me to the story she and her sister Katie put together after their father's surgery.  

As you'll see, while reading the story, along with such medical "miracles," there are financial burdens.

So, I encourage you to read the story and maybe even consider a donation to the GoFundMe account. 

I can assure you that this wonderful family is so deserving. 

Thank you.   

Stephanie's comment with the photo above with Katie, Sally and Brett: No oxygen needed; it just melts me!

Below:  Stephanie with her dad. The family story below. 

The Miracle 

We are beyond grateful to share that our dad, Brett, received his lifesaving lung transplant on February 15th and is currently in the ICU doing well. 

This second chance at life would not have been possible without his incredible medical team, the selfless organ donor, and the love, prayers, and support that have carried our family through. 

For the first time in years, there is real hope! 

The Journey That Brought Us Here 

Brett’s fight began in November 2021, when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and quickly became critically ill.

He was admitted to Kootenai Health, where his breathing continued to worsen. He was moved into the ICU, and as his lungs deteriorated, he was placed on a ventilator.

What followed was a battle for his life. 

Through determination and strength, he survived — but the road back was long. 

He spent nine months in a rehabilitation center, fighting to regain enough strength to come home in late July of 2022. 

Since that day, he has been on oxygen 24/7. Despite everything, he pushed through, his pulmonary fibrosis continued to progress, slowly taking more and more from him. 

The moment that changed everything 

In the spring of 2025, his pulmonologist gave us devastating news — Our dad, Brett, likely had only one to two years to live. 

But he also gave us something else: Hope! 

He told our dad that he was too young to give up and urged him to pursue a lung transplant.

So in January 2026, our dad and mom, Sally, made the move to Phoenix, AZ, where they were blessed to be accepted by an incredible transplant team at

St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center. 

After completing extensive testing, he was officially accepted and placed on the transplant list on February 4th. 

Just 11 days later, on February 15th, we received the call. 

The gift of life. A miracle we will never, ever take for granted.

Who Our dad Brett is 

He is a dedicated husband to his lovely wife, Sally, who has been his rock and supported him since day one. 

 He is a hero to us—Stephanie and Katie—and a proud papa to his three grandkids: Lexi, Erik, and Bryant. 

He is also a great friend to many, always ready to lend a hand without being asked. He is the strong, steady person we all count on, and we feel lucky to have him in our lives!

He means everything to us — and to so many of you. 

Why We Are Asking for Help Now

While the transplant is behind us, the journey to healing is just beginning. 

The Coming Months Will Require (6 to 12-plus months):

*Remaining in Phoenix near the transplant center

*Frequent follow-up appointments and constant monitoring

*Temporary housing

*Travel and fuel

*Lifesaving medications

*Full-time caregiving and extended time away from home for our family so we can stay by his side

These are the unexpected burdens that come after the miracle. 

We are raising funds to support him during this critical recovery period so he can focus fully on healing without the added weight of financial stress. 

Any contribution is a personal gift that will go directly toward his recovery and the essential living expenses that come with this season. 

From our family — THANK YOU! 

We have already witnessed a miracle. 

Thank you for loving our dad, Brett. 

Thank you for standing with our family! 

Thank you for helping him take these next steps toward strength, healing, and a full life with his new lungs.

When he is strong again, our hope is to pay this kindness forward to another transplant family walking this same road. 

With love and endless gratitude,

Stephanie & Katie

 

https://gofund.me/50f523fb7

🫁💓💙💚🫁

Bill spent a few minutes working as Terry's assistant yesterday. 

It was time to add sheet rock to repair the hole in our upstairs ceiling. The damage resulted from a violent wind storm in December.   

Yesterday, Terry needed another set of hands to hold the sheet rock in place while he secured it in place.

So, the two worked well as a team. 

Later, Terry moved on to the next stage of taping seams and mudding the sheet rock.

Today he'll come back to sand and do the final surface prep to match the rest of the ceiling. 

I can't remember the term for that process, but I can tell you I've learned some contracting terminology through this repair session. 

Soon, the ceiling should look like nothing happened. 

We have enjoyed having Terry hanging out at our house this week.   

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

No doubt there will be a tinge of revenge when Gonzaga's Bulldogs host the Portland Pilots in the Kennel tonight. 

The Pilots handed the ZAGS one of their only two losses for this season.

So, I feel confident that the ZAGS are thinking, "Not in our house!"  especially on Senior Night. 

Just two regular season games remain before next week's West Coast Tournament in Las Vegas, and it will be nice for the ZAGS to boost their win record to 28. 

Tip-off tonight is at 6 p.m. PST. 

The game will be telecast on KHQ, Channel 6 or you can stream it on ESPN+. 

Speaking of tournaments, Willie's Bulldogs took a tough loss in Lewiston last night BUT this tournament action is double elimination. 

So, Sandpoint tips off against Moscow tomorrow (Thursday) night at Les Rogers Gym.

The winner of this game moves on to Grangeville Saturday to compete against a Southern Idaho team as a second opportunity to go to State. 

It's a long process when you lose on tournament game, but with double elimination, the opportunity for a trip to State still exists. 

So, I'll post more specifics about the  Sandpoint Bulldogs game tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we're pulling for the ZAGS tonight. 

Happy Wednesday.