Page 14
The Colebrook Chronicle
Friday, May 6, 2016
Around The Region
WOMAN RECEIVES
A SECOND CHANCE
In the March 25 edition of the
Colebrook Chronicle we
reported on a very bad car accident that left a lady hanging
upside down in four feet of icy
water in St. Isidore de Clifton.
That chilly day, Diane Robillard
who was the new school principal
in St. Isidore de Clifton, was
driving along Clifton East Rd.
just at the entrance of the village
and hit a slick spot causing her
car to skid out of control and go
over a steep ditch and land
upside down in four feet of icy
water. Christian Labrance, a
local trucker, came along and
saw skid marks down over the
ditch and the vehicle. He is a
firefighter, and he radioed his
chief, Daniel Fortier, to send help
right off. Daniel was there in
three minutes. They entered the
water and at first glance didn't
see the victim, but at a second
look, spotted a leg. The victim
was quickly removed from the
car and brought up onto land.
The lady was not breathing, so
CPR was started. By then the
fire rescue had arrived on scene
along with first responder-firefighter Bruno Rouleau of the
Cookshire-Eaton Fire Rescue.
Bruno was driving by and saw
the problem and hopped into
action.
CPR was done for very close
to 40 minutes along with the
paddles. They were used many
times. This lady was in rough
shape. Fire Rescue would get a
heart beat then it would stop.
This happened three times and
they were ready to give up. They
shocked her again and a huge
breath came out of her. She was
back. An ambulance was waiting
and they took over from the
rescue.
She was whisked to the ambulance and quickly taken to the
hospital, where she was kept in
a coma for four days due to her
severe injuries. After that, she
was woken up and monitored in
ICU at the CHU. After a few
days she was deemed okay to go
home. She is now suffering from
many broken ribs from the CPR
given on scene.
The evening of April 27 she
came to St. Isidore de Clifton to
meet up with the brave men that
literally gave her a second
chance at life. Diane Robillard
arrived at the Senior Center with
her family at around 6 p.m. to be
greeted by the team of men that
saved her life that day. Diane
presented the Rescue team with
guardian angels that clip onto a
sun visor. They say “Never drive
faster than you guardian angel
can fly.”
She was greeted by St. Isidore
de Clifton Fire Chief Daniel Fortier and his team of men. She
thanked them from the bottom
of her heart for what they did
that cold slippery morning back
in March. The Chronicle was
the first media there that March
morning. We and other media sat
down with Diane and Chief Fortier told her the story of her
accident. Diane was there with
her family, but she was also
there with her new firefighter
family too. She was asked if she
remembered anything from that
day. We were told, “No.” Diane
was asked if her near death
experience makes her look at life
in a different way. She said that
it does–to her, the colors are
brighter, the scenery is prettier
and even the air smells better
since that morning.
The quick thinking of the St.
Isidore de Clifton Fire Rescue
and Firefighter-First Responder
Rouleau certainly made the difference between life and death.
Diane thanked them for their
hard work that morning. She
was told they were there to only
help, and she did the hard work
of coming back to life. She is now
recovered and the only effect she
has now is broken ribs.
Everyone involved certainly
deserves a pat on the back for
what they did that cold morning
back in March. This group of men
were working smooth as silk that
morning.
–Corey Bellam
ST. GEORGE’S
RUMMAGE SALE
Saturday morning, we visited
the annual Spring Rummage
sale at St. George's Anglican
Church in Lennoxville. This sale
all kicked off Thursday with a
wide array of very useful and
nice items ranging from the
smallest knickknack right up to
furniture and all at a reasonable
price to help raise money for
their historic old church. We
arrived Saturday morning to be
greeted by the smiling faces of
Kay Hartwell and Ferne
Lapointe. These ladies greeted
all the visitors and also handled
the money as folks paid for their
purchases. Saturday was their
bag sale. Visitors purchased a
garbage bag for $5 and filled it
up with all sorts of things. We
were told that the sale raised a
little over $1500 for their church.
–Corey Bellam
SPECIAL GUESTS AT
SAWYERVILLE BAPTIST
Saturday, we were invited to
a special event at the Sawyerville
Baptist Church to celebrate missions weekend with Rev. Bill Ball
and his wife Judy. This couple
are missionaries that often work
in war-torn regions of Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, Russia and many
other areas in that part of the
world. Bill and his wife Judy
work with the Slavic Gospel
Association.
This past weekend they rolled
into the small town of Sawyerville with many things to tell
about their work. Saturday at
suppertime we all enjoyed a
lovely potluck supper in the
Diane Robillard with the team that saved her life last March, including Rejean Ruel, Christian Labranche,
Chief Daniel Fortier, David Vaillancourt, Yann Valliere, Alain P ouliot, Bruno Rouleau and Gaetan
Perron. Corey Bellam photo.
church hall then it was time for
a Powerpoint show that kept all
on the edge of their seats from
their travels overseas.
The Slavic Gospel Association
is able to get people help, build
health care places, buy something folks need and be a friend
in a time of need in dangerous
regions. A few years ago the
Balls jumped into this cause with
both feet and said that they don't
regret it a bit. Bill told us that,
according to him, a few years ago
God tapped him on the shoulder
and said they were needed over
there. It wasn't long until they
were helping the many displaced
citizens and countless children
over there. These two, plus
countless others around the
world with some living in some
of the most dangerous places in
the world, are helping people
through some very tough times
on a daily basis.
–Corey Bellam
LUNENBURG
OPEN MIC
The weekend after Mother’s
Day isn’t too late to treat mom,
grandma, or other mother you
admire to an enjoyable night out.
This month’s Lunenburg’s Open
Mic could be that outing. It will
be held on Saturday, May 14 at
6 p.m. in the Lunenburg Methodist Church building.
This historic building is
located at the top of the Lunenburg Common on Bobbin Mill
Road. It is accessible and heated.
Bring instruments, voices, and
dancing feet or plan to sit and
enjoy the evening in the beautiful setting. There is a $3 admission; kids free with an adult.
Please bring a finger food to
share, and beverages will be
provided. A door prize drawing
will take place during the evening. The Top of the Common
Committee will sponsor an Open
Mic each second Saturday into
the fall months, so mark your
calendars and spread the word.
Pastor Michel Houle of Sawyerville Baptist Church and his wife
Annette Guay with Judy Ball and Rev. Bill Ball. Corey Bellam photo.
On Sunday in Ascot Corner, auctioneers Ross and Scott Bennett were
tasked with selling off the goods of Routier 2000 truck stop, which
closed recently. Folks came from far and wide to pick up dishes,
cutlery, pots, pans, and glassware. Corey Bellam photo.
For more information, call
(802) 892-6654 or e-mail
[email protected].
SONGBIRD WALK AT
WEEKS STATE PARK
A field trip consisting of a
Songbird Walk lead by Dave
Govatski will occur on Thursday,
May 12, 2016 from 7 to 11 am at
Weeks State Park. Meet with
Dave and other interested parties at the Park Entrance.
Weeks State Park is located
on the east side of Route 3,
approximately two miles south
of Lancaster, New Hampshire.
This free Field Trip is sponsored
by the Weeks State Park Association, NH Division of Parks, and
UNH Cooperative Extension.