Ken Speake: In his own words- MN (2)

Ken Speake: In his own words
Watch the story about Daisy, featured in February 12th's 5 p.m. newscast.
Dear Folks, It's time. I'm retiring.The work continues to be the absolute finest career I can imagine. It's physical. It's generally outdoors. It's fascinating. I get to meet new people, go new places, and learn new things. I get to work with amazingly creative, talented and intelligent people! I can't think of any career that gives a person more chances for greater variety of knowledge! And absolutely nothing provides the ego gratification of being a TV news reporter. I just so enjoy the work! And I think I'm fine at gathering news in the field.getting out...working with the photographer to get the details and images and sounds of the story to which we're assigned. (All week we'll feature Ken's favorite stories in the 5 p.m. newscast. Click here to see those stories and read more about Ken's amazing career.)But, I just get so tired! I've struggled with fatigue since West Nile Virus knocked me off my feet for two months in the Fall of 2003. I'm just so tired. There are times I want to cry. It's the mental work at the word processor that is energy expensive for me now.In January of 2006, I began working four days a week. Wednesdays, I sleep. It helps. But the fatigue piles up...kinda snowballs, if you will.I'm confused and angered that I don't have the vigor I want to have. I remember being vigorous. It was fun. So, I'm going to retire. When I told my boss Tom Lindner, News Director and VP, he suggested that I'm not retiring, so much as changing careers. I am hoping to put my voice to work and do narration as my second career. I've volunteered to read to a couple of school classes. Volunteer opportunities abound! Over the years, folks have told me my stuff was different, interesting, refreshing, and they like hearing how and why people do what they do to get through life. As my work here ends, I'm beginning to accept the fact that they weren't blowing me a lot of smoke. My life at KARE 11 has been, well, a darn good one. And, while it scares me to think of not being "Ken Speake, KARE 11 News," my new life is filled with possibilities, thanks to the support of my family, my colleagues and oh so many friends. My thanks to all of you for sharing life's journey with me.Best Regards,Ken SpeakeKARE 11 NewsKen Speake, KARE 11 News.

Ken Speake-MN

KARE reporter Speake, suffering from West Nile, retiring
By The Associated Press
.MINNEAPOLIS — Longtime KARE-TV reporter Ken Speake has announced his retirement because of the long-term affects of West Nile virus.Speake, 61, contracted the virus in 2003 and a neurologist said it has left him with brain damage in his left temporal lobe, which controls language function. That has made condensing, synthesizing and creating a story nearly impossible.Speake is known for his delivery of long-form pieces in a deep, folksy, smooth voice. But he hasn’t done a long-form story for two years because the three- to six-minute pieces became too much to handle.After taking some short-term disability leave, Speake cut back to a four-day workweek and focused on shorter news stories. But the weariness and fatigue became too much.“I don’t like the idea of retiring at all,” Speake said. “I love the work, but I’m tired of being tired. I have to come home and take a nap as soon as work’s over. If I don’t, then I’m pretty much wasted for the night.Speake’s thoughtful storytelling backed up with sharp reporting earned numerous awards over the years.“Emotions — that’s what makes the story special,” Speake explained.“I like to show people something that they might not otherwise be able to see,” he said. “I live for what I call ’Thank You, God moments’ — things that don’t have to happen when I’m there, but they do.”“Work has caused me to appreciate life and people,” he said. “It’s given me an insight to the human condition. I’ve learned what’s inconsequential to you is life-changing to someone else.”Speake’s last day at KARE-TV will be Friday.After that, Speake plans to spend more time with his wife, Donna, who is a counselor at Maple Grove High School, and his three sons, ages 17, 29 and 33. Next month, he’s traveling to Australia, and in the summer, he’s planning to go to Ireland and spend some time in the Boundary Waters.

Donnie Manry, TX

A 24-year veteran of the Bryan police department went home from the hospital Friday, after a five and a half month battle with the West Nile Virus.
NBC 6 News first introduced you to Sergeant Donnie Manry in August. Sergeant Manry contracted the virus from a mosquito bite.

He was initially paralyzed from the waist down. With short, determined steps, Manry walked out the doors of Saint Joseph Hospital in Bryan Friday afternoon.
His wife Stephanie said, "I don't know if we know of any other way to be. I mean you just have to make the best of it and that's what we were determined to do so, and that's what's gotten us where we are."

Last August Manry's neck and shoulders became stiff and his temperature shot up to 103 degrees.

At first doctors thought he had the flu, but eleven days after his first symptoms appeared, Manry was diagnosed with West Nile Virus.
Doctors said his future was uncertain, but Manry never gave up.
During the last five and a half months, Manry has undergone extensive physical therapy to relearn things that used to be second nature.

Lead Therapist Julie Cerna said, "He had to relearn how to do all of his activities of daily living, which included how to get in and out of bed, to walk and even being able to bathe and dress again."

Slowly but surely, Manry has gone from being paralyzed from the waist down to now walking with assistance as far as 600 feet.
"Just as recently as last week, there was some new progress and I had my ankle, I was able to move my ankle just a little bit.

I was on the phone with everybody because the progress is still coming,” Manry said.
Manry's children said they're glad he's finally coming home.
Daughter Chelsea said, "I am looking forward to just cuddling up on the couch, watching movies or eating dinner all together. [I’m looking forward to him just] being there like normal.”

The Manry family said while this has been a horrible experience for them, they have learned one big lesson from it; they will never take each other for granted.

WATCH VIDEO-Click Here NBC 6

Kadi Renowden, WI

Kadi Renowden, age 63, Madison, WI -September 2006

Kadi still works full time in an active hospital job, but manifested WNV over Labor Day, 2006 with the usual symptoms (headache, severe fatigue, muscle and neck pain, nausea). Her temperature was low grade, only about 100, but a white blood count at the urgent care was extremely low. Kadi, a nurse, told the MD at urgent care she thought she had WNV, as mosquitoes swarmed around her back porch, undeterred by DEETand she'd had many bites 8 days earlier. She was told she didn't have WNV. She has little recollection of the following 3 days, except for developing a rash, again being told she didn't have WNV when a call was placed to urgent care. Symptoms persisted for nearly 2 weeks, including another acute bout with nausea.

She returned to her internist to check her blood count before returning to work, suggesting she'd had WNV. "You don't have WNV," she was told. Kadi is also a post polio survivor with post polio symptoms. WNV attacks the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, in the same manner that WNV does, with many correlations. After multiple increased falls, including twice down stairs in 3 weeks, she knew her legs were significantly weaker . She requested another EMG of her legs (a diagnostic test for neuromuscular disorders). Believing she had had WNV, she asked the Dr. to order a test. She had also learned that a neighbor 2 blocks away had been hospitalized for the same time she'd been ill. She was found to be positive for WNV, the 21st confirmed case in WI in 2006. Her own Dr. still refutes that she knew when she had it.

Testing at the time she came down with it might not have tested positive. Therefore, anyone who believes they have the virus need to be tested around a week later, if negative initially.

Kadi's post polio symptoms have been aggravated by the WNV, not unexpectedly, with continued symptoms of sleepiness , fatigue and increased muscle pain. She feels her symptoms may have resolved better had she been tested and encouraged to recuperate more than the 3 days she lost from work; if doctors had listened and paid attention to the symptoms, instead of discounting them. This is possibly the first reported case of a post polio syndrome patient contracting WNV. Since the effect WNV non post polio symptoms is yet unknown, PPS patients need to be especially judicious to avoid exposure, given the specific mechanisms of both diseases, with a worsening of PPS symptoms.