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Letters to the Editor - 3-28-24
Mar 27, 2024
Thankful farewell after 41 years of practice
This week brings to conclusion more than 41 years of my practicing Ophthalmology in Lakeville.
There are many people I wish to thank for making it the experience of a lifetime. My parents were always encouraging. By paying for my education, they allowed me to complete my training unencumbered by student loans, making it possible for me to borrow the money I needed (at a 16% interest rate!) to start my practice. My wife, Sue, had more confidence in me than I had in myself that we could move to the area after my residency and start a practice. Along with our daughters, she put up with my coming home from work late many nights, being called away on weekends for emergencies, and the occasional eye surgery video on our TV (long before personal computers and tablets). Sue, our daughters, their partners and our grandchildren have given more joy to my life than I ever imagined.
I will always be grateful for the wonderful people I have worked with at the office. They have been more like friends and family than employees and have created an environment that I have been happy to return to every day. I was very fortunate to be able to bring Dr. Avinash Tantri into the practice. He has been a pleasure to work with, and his excellent medical and surgical care of our patients has allowed me to retire knowing that I am leaving the community in good hands.
I thank everyone at Sharon Hospital for the excellent care provided to our patients for so many years. The last four decades have seen many changes in the field and the staff have always quickly adapted to new procedures and techniques. There have been a few different administrations during that time, but each one has always provided the equipment we needed to provide state-of-the-art surgery.
I have had the pleasure of working with skilled and caring colleagues — optical, optometric, ophthalmologic and medical — and I thank them all for working with me for the benefit of our mutual patients.
Most of all, I am grateful to all the people who came through the door and entrusted me with the care of their most precious sense. I know I kept many of you waiting, and I know I was often too busy to get to know you personally as well as I wanted, but I always tried to do my best for each of you. It was an amazing experience.
While I am leaving the practice, we are staying in this wonderful area, and I hope to still seemany of you. Thank you all!
William M. Kirber, MD
Lakeville
Grateful for Sharon Hospital and the staff
Where can I go! To get excellent medical care, It was a question that many of us thought about. About 4 years ago I moved to Sharon, Connecticut. It’s a beautiful small town with lovely scenery and great people. And an outstanding hospital, I had the pleasure of being there a week from a tick bite. However about 3 months ago I had a terrible pain in my left hip and went to see my doctor in Amenia Dr. Dweck and he sent me to Sharon Hospital to get an x-ray. And to my shock the X-ray was not what I expected. I needed a new hip! I did not know where I could turn, so I called my family and they told me to go to a New York city hospital to have the replacement. They felt that I can get the best care there. However I know that you can get excellent surgeons but I am not too sure about the care. So I decided to call Sharon hospital and I was told to see doctor John Mullens in Sharon. He is an Orthopedic Specialist. I was skeptical so I made an appointment. When I met Doctor Mullens I was very impressed with his bedside manner I said to him what hospital will you perform the surgery and he said Sharon hospital. I was delighted because I love Sharon Hospital and I know I will get the best care there. The surgery was in February and they were very careful with me because of my heart condition and Doctor Mullens was especially careful to keep me infection free. I will always be grateful to Doctor Mullens and the staff at Sharon Hospital for the great care I received and one last thing: the food at Sharon hospital was fantastic.
Angelo Prunella
Sharon
Preserving Housatonic scenic shorelines
In May 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a bill creating the Housatonic River’s National Wild and Scenic River designation from the Massachusetts—Connecticut boundary (in western area of the state).
Just to let you know, the Housatonic River Commission meets occasionally in the Cornwall Consolidated School regarding the Housatonic River and its future in Northwest Connecticut and the lower reaches.
More land could be purchased on the west and east shorelines for preservation. If not government (National Park Service) then perhaps private donations of land or private (individuals or business) buying land and giving to National Park Service.
Christopher G. Redington
West Hartford
Anticipation
The ‘billionaire’ is so broke
Now we see through the smoke
The con man was exposed today
I’ll wait before I say hooray
The day will come for me to cheer
And toast the jailer with a beer
Then follow with a bourbon shot
What will he do? What has he got?
Michael Kahler
Lakeville
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Confessions of a Non-Adopter
Mar 27, 2024
It drives me crazy when people immediately embrace the shiny new object, the latest trend. Worse, I rejoice when it crashes and burns. The failure of something like Google Glass, a solution in search of a problem, makes my day. I thought I had a “winner” in Bitcoin but its recent comeback has put a damper on my victory celebration. Admittedly, schadenfreude is a character flaw. In my case, probably a defense mechanism to ward off those who insist that I’ll be left behind if I don’t get on board immediately. Still, nothing to be proud of.
My impulse to push back is not entirely irrational. Betamax, New Coke, MySpace, the Segway, Theranos, even the electric knife: did they ever have a chance? As a society, we are programmed to immediately accept the new and vastly underestimate how long it will take to become the norm.
The hoopla surrounding autonomous driving has vanished in a wave of bankruptcies amid the recognition that many issues must be resolved before driverless transportation is widely accepted. Recently, this rush to acceptance has resulted in a major pullback by the auto industry regarding their commitment to EVs. The New York Times reports that $3 billion in venture capital money has been lost in pursuit of a meatless food supply and proponents see no timeline when it could be feasible at any reasonable scale. CBD is mired in regulatory hell, misinformation and significant skepticism about why it needs to be added to foods, dietary supplements and other consumer products in the first place. Although most are loath to admit it, fear of missing out plays a role. Usually it is cloaked in a virtuous wrapper like climate change; as if we are going to drive or eat our way out of global disaster.
Lest you think that I just sit back and gloat “I told you so” (well, sometimes), being an analog person in a digital world has its challenges. Labeled a reactionary or other unprintable names is the price that must be paid by the non-adopter. Having a landline, reading a physical newspaper. Ridicule comes with the territory. Choking guffaws always follow when I admit that I pay my bills by check. And these are my friends!
But I take comfort in knowing that there is always something new that the masses are promoting as a panacea that I should non-adopt. Mold in HVAC mini splits is just starting to gain traction and I anticipate a rash of Ozempic lawsuits in the not too distant future.
Hope springs eternal.
M.A. Duca is a resident of Twin Lakes, narrowly focused on everyday life.
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Hose company feeds Lakeville
Mar 27, 2024
Patrick L. Sullivan
LAKEVILLE — A couple hours before the 5 p.m. start of the Lakeville Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary St. Patrick’s Day dinner, Anna Pattison was on potato slicing duty.
Watching her manipulate tuber and slicer, it was apparent she had done it before.
Elsewhere a crew held a brief discussion on technique and proceeded to slice Irish soda bread. There was a lot of it.
Inside the dining area there were tables laden with 140-plus raffle items. A completely arbitrary sample: a wood bead bracelet from Dara Robinson; a lemon basket from the Buckley family; a gift certificate from On The Run; a gift certificate from Kristi Spear, hair stylist; and a flex pass from Sharon Playhouse.
Pattison said the team was preparing enough food for 250 people: “We usually come close to selling out.”
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In Appreciation: Anne Kremer
Mar 27, 2024
Anne Kremer was a remarkable woman with many accomplishments. While living in Florida, she was a social worker who designed programs to help families at risk for child abuse. She owned an independent bookstore which hosted author talks and created a literary community. She was a leader in gun violence prevention. Locally, she became involved in affordable housing issues and led the Salisbury Housing Committee for 10 years. Anne was one of my best friends. I was deeply saddened when she recently passed away. Not surprisingly, she had many other friends who mourned her loss. When I spoke with many people, they always described her as “so nice.” I smile when I think about it because I say to myself, “Yes, Anne was really nice but that wouldn’t be the first adjective I’d use to describe her.” I remember Anne as courageous, loyal, undaunted, principled, loving, stubborn, and forgiving. But I think what I will remember – and miss – most is her humility. The world was a better place with her in it not because she told you all that she had done but because she – well – was so nice.
Sarah Zarbock
Lakeville
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