Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Artac, Djubenski, Wildish, Rasmussen
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/12/2022
Community Rallies to Support Artac and Her Family (Dec. - 2021)
Alane Artac, a senior at Greenwood High School and a firefighter, recently spent time in the hospital for pancreatitis. The community has stepped up to support Alane and her family in a variety of ways.
Submitted photo
By Valorie Brecht
December was a memorable month for the Wayne and Lisa Artac family of rural Greenwood, but not in the way anyone would want it to be memorable. Their daughter got seriously ill, and Wayne’s parents’ property was damaged in a freak storm. However, they also got to experience the power of community as friends and neighbors offered support to help them through a challenging time.
“The generosity we have experienced through this ordeal is nothing short of a true blessing,” Lisa wrote in a Facebook post.
Alane Artac is a senior at Greenwood High School, very involved in her school and community. Her year was disrupted when some ongoing medical concerns came to a head in December.
“She had been having some bouts with abdominal pain for about a year,” Lisa explained in an email. “During the same time she was having severe pain in her wrist as well. She ended up having to get the bone in her arm shortened to fix that but [the doctor] also discovered blood pressure issues at the same time. By the time all of that was straightened out, it was time to start volleyball season and we decided that once that was over, we would start looking into the abdominal pain.”
As soon as the volleyball season was over, Alane met with her primary doctor and got a referral to the gastrointestinal department. She was scheduled for an appointment there Dec. 10.
“She didn’t make it that long. On the morning of Dec. 1 she started having severe pain. As the day progressed, she started to run a fever and her overall demeanor declined,” Lisa said.
Lisa rushed Alane to the ER, where they found out Alane had pancreatitis.
“She had been to the doctor a couple times, but we never got the impression that things were serious,” Lisa said.
About one in five cases of acute pancreatitis are severe and can result in life-threatening complications, such as multiple organ failure. The realization of what was going on was “a little stressful,” said Lisa.
Initially, Alane was hospitalized for a week, during which time the hospital staff ran tests to determine the cause of her condition, which turned out to be malformations and dilation of the ducts. In the meantime, she received lots of IV fluids and could not eat or drink anything.
Because of the findings, surgery was the best treatment option. Without it she would have ongoing bouts with pancreatitis and a high likelihood of developing cancer,” Lisa said.
Alane was scheduled to have a Whipple procedure Dec. 28. Before that though, the family received another blow. The tornado-producing storm that tore through the area Dec. 15 damaged Wayne’s parents’ barn and two sheds. The barn is where the family kept its 60 pigs.
After dealing with cleanup from the storm and moving the pigs, soon Alane’s surgery date arrived. The surgery took six-and-a-half hours and went as expected. After that she had a week of recovery in the hospital. She is expected to spend about two months at home recovering.
Although it has been a lot for one family to deal with, Lisa said community members reached out right away to help however they could. “Initially with Alane’s first hospital stay, there were people reaching out offering help if we needed [and] also sending well wishes and prayers. Then the storm hit and within 30 minutes there were neighbors and friends who met us at the barn with flashlights and trucks and trailers helping get as many animals as possible out that night. We did have to leave some pigs there until daylight when it was safer to dig them out. Some people had damaged properties of their own and some had to drive around downed trees and power line to get there,” said Lisa.
“Since then the support of neighbors and the community has been amazing. We had to find shelter for around 60 pigs of varying sizes – that isn’t easy in the middle of December in a prominent dairy-based county. We were able to find temporary places. Currently we have found a barn to rent but need to do quite a bit of remodeling to be ready for sows to farrow at the end of January.”
When Alane had her surgery, people volunteered to do barn chores so Lisa could stay with Alane the first couple days.
The support has continued. Rachel Djubenski reached out to the family about doing a pie fundraiser on behalf of R&R Repair. That led to Cindy Wildish Rasmussen also setting up a GoFundMe page for the family to help with medical expenses or whatever else they may need.
Cindy knows the Artac’s well, as they were her neighbors for years. Their son was in her son’s class and their daughter in her daughter’s class. Cindy’s daughter Mesa and Alane were co-captains of the Volleyball team this year.
I’ve known the family for a long time. I thought any help they could get would be important to them,” said Cindy.
“Alane is a good friend to all those around her and super hardworking,” she said.
Within one day, the GoFundMe had raised more than $3,000.
Lisa said all the support received, financial and otherwise, has been a lot to take in.
“It was honestly weird at first. We are usually ones just to push through times of adversity. The way things have evolved is very humbling; the saying ‘it takes a village’ is very fitting. All of the support has made this time easier. We are beyond grateful for everything people have done – [even] the simple prayers and just checking on us.”
Now, Alane is focused on recovering and getting g back to doing the things she loves. Alane loves being outdoors and showing cattle and pigs. She also has a passion for volleyball. She’s in 4-H and FFA and is a member of the Greenwood Fire Department. She would like to attend the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course.
Wayne and Lisa have five children: Kaitlin, Brittney and Wyatt, all in their 20s; and Alane and Jaylinn in high school.
To donate to the family go to gofund.me/c9040198.
