The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 36, Milford, Kosciusko County, 17 October 1990 — Page 17

SIDS parents help others through tragedy

I By MARK HUFFMAN Staff Writer Over two years ago Michael and Loretta Sumpter lost their son, Melvin, to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), commonly known as “crib death.” Today they still grieve, yet they are attempting to help others through their tragedy as members of the Michiana Chapter of the National SIDS Foundation. “It’s been 2M- years since my son died and it still hurts, but we’re aware that we can help to make positive things happen,” Loretta says. One of those positive things is to inform others about the dreaded disease that takes the lives of 8,000 infants in the U.S. each year. The leading cause of death of children from birth to one year old, SIDS is a recognized, unpredictable medical disorder. It is the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant. No one is to blame, yet parents, babysitters, physicians, and others often do place blame on themselves and others. “SIDS has no rhyme or reason or cause. It’s not possible to fake SIDS,” Loretta says, adding, “Suffocation or choking is not SIDS, it is an apparently healthy child dying for no apparent reason.” While the Sumpters are able to

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PLACING SECOND — The Marching Warrior Pride from Wawasee High School took second place honors at a regional competition last Saturday, Oct. 13. Though this was only the second time the band has marched at the regional competition, it improved its point score from last year, meeting a goal set by the talented musicians. The regionals took place at Rice Field in Elkhart. Directed by David Blackwell, the band celebrated its achievements at a pizza party on Monday.

Award for Investigator Rigdon

Florida State Attorney Kirk Zuelch announces that Jay Rigdon, a senior investigator for the state attorney’s office has for the second time, received an “Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer Award.” The award was presented to Investigator Rigdon October 12 by the United States Attorney, Dexter Lehtinen, during an awards ceremony held in Miami, Fla. Originally from Indiana, Rigdon is a 19-year resident of the Florida Keys. He is married and has five grown children. His mother, Billie Rigdon, is a resident of Lake Wawasee and a member of the Syracuse/Turkey Creek Library Board. His son, Jay A. Rigdon, resides in Warsaw and is town attorney for the town of Milford. Investigator Rigdon, a 17-year veteran of law enforcement, has been employed by the state attorney’s office since 1985. In 1988

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accept such truths, guilt inevitably creeps in. “You always question whether there was something you could have done to prevent the death but there isn’t,” she says. Nevertheless, such guilt often transforms into seclusion or anger, which is most easily directed towards a wife or husband. “There’s a 90 percent divorce rate among parents of SIDS babies because it’s so unexpected and so many things happen as a result,” Loretta says, noting that the unexpected death allows no preparation for grieving. According to thetook “Healing a Father’s Grief,” by William H. Schatz, often husbands have a different way to deal with grief then women. They may choose to keep it inside or become outwardly angry at others. Or, they may choose other ways to distract them from the grief, such as another woman or visits to the local bar. Loretta notes that her own husband became reclusive immediately following Melvin’s death. “I’ve said cruel things to Mike and it was like a slap in the face because it was so hard to see that he wouldn’t talk about it (Melvin’s death),” she says. However, the couple was able to come to grips with its loss with the help of family and friends in the Milford community, where

he received his first “Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer Award” for his work on Operation “Dreadlock” in which eight subjects were inducted and later pled guilty for a Jamaican/United States drug conspiracy. In 1983, Rigdon received a personal commendation from the then director of the FBI, William Webster. This award was for

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they live. Loretta and Mike also attended their first meeting of the Michiana Chapter of SIDS Foundation when she was seven months pregnant with Johnathon Peter, who is now 14 months old. “The meetings really helped us deal with Melvin’s death. We are now contact parents for two counties and have been blessed tremendously by talking with other parents and sharing experiences,” she says, noting that the Michiana chapter serves all of northern Indiana and parts of Michigan. “The closest chapter is in Indianapolis, so we handle quite a few calls throughout the area,” she adds. SIDS Foundation members are trained in parent support. “We don’t counsel,” Loretta stresses, noting that group members draw support from one another. While there are many theories about SIDS, there is no plausible explanation and no class or race is immune to the death. Abraham B. Bergman, M.D., who is vice president of the National SIDS Foundation, says, “A special place in hell should be reserved for those who feel impelled to impose pet theories that aggravate guilt on newly bereaved parents.” While autopsies are not mandatory in Indiana in the death of an infant, Loretta stresses the importance of making the difficult decision to have one. “It

drug conspiracy case involving defendants from the Upper Keys and Miami. Investigator Rigdon who specializes in investigating complex international drug conspiracies will continue to work with local, state and federal law enforcement agents in their effort to combat the importation of illicit drugs into the Florida Keys.

removes the questions later on of what happened,” she says, adding, “Elkhart County Coroner Carl Yoder told me, ‘you need to know for sure what happened to your baby and to let Beth (the babysitter where Melvin died) know that she didn't do anything to cause the death’.” While federal funding for SIDS autopsies has been cut, the SIDS Foundation encourages parents to pursue such testing. Bergman writes in a commentary on the matter: Certainty, however harsh, is better than

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS DONATE TO EDUCATION — At the recent annual Tootsie Roll Drive by St. Martin’s Knights of Columbus, |1,145 was raised. The money raised by this local group was donated to the Wawasee Special Education Fund. Dr. Roger Thornton, Wawasee School Corporation superintendent, and Henry Smith, Wawasee's assistant superintendent for instruction, are shown receiving the check from Kaz Szynal, Knights of Columbus representative.

"Glasnost Film Festival 9 videotapes at Milford

The Milford Public Library is pleased to announce that the Milford Nutrition Site will be viewing the “Glasnost Film Festival,” an extraordinary collection of videotapes produced in the Soviet Union since 1987. The relaxing of restrictive policies in the USSR has cleared the way for documentary filmmakers to begin offering views of their country, that until now, have been unavailable. Critics have called these films “the unknown cinema.” The “Glasnost Film Festival” consists of 12 VHS videocassettes featuring more than 20 different films. These films deal with a wide variety of subjects including the Chernobyl disaster, the I,oooth

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lingering doubt. 4 lt is well to remember that in from 10 to 15 percent of infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly, a cause such as overwhelming infection or intracranial hemorrhage will be found. The concept that “nothing will be found at autopsy” stems from the lack of agreement among pathologists until recent years on criteria for the diagnosis of SIDS. The most important product of research in the last decade has been the establishment that SIDS is a definite disease entity with defined

anniversary of Christianity in Russia, ethnic tensions, the problems faced by soldiers returning from Afghanistan, Russian’s artistic avant-garde, the attitudes of restless youth, and the painful process of coming to terms with the Stalinist past. In style and content, these films may be unlike anything one has seen before. They will provide the audience with unique and provocative perspectives on the nature of life in the Soviet Union. Milford Public Library will present a six-week series this fall with perhaps the last six in early spring. The staff would like to begin this series at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18. The film runs about one hour.

clinical and pathologic criteria for diagnosis. Kosciusko County witnessed two cases of SIDS last year, while two infants have died of SIDS this year. Hoping to help parents of such babies, the Michiana SIDS Foundation provides information, sponsors seminars and memorials, and provides funding for SIDS research. The Michiana chapter meets at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Beardsley Street in Elkhart. “We can make arrangements to pick up other parents to attend the meetings,” says Loretta, who is currently spearheading the organization’s fundraising efforts. All funds raised will go toward operating expenses and SIDS research. “The sooner parents and others affected can get the information, the sooner they can go through the grieving process and get on with their lives,” Loretta says. Attempting to get on with their own lives, the Sumpters still have daily thoughts of Melvin, who died at 2*/ 2 months, but they are able to focus on the happy thoughts. “One of the things we looked at is that God provided us with our children and they are a loan from Him to us. Melvin was a short-term loan and now we appreciate the time we have with our other children even more,” Loretta concludes. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Anyone wanting more information about the Michiana chapter of the SIDS Foundation, or wanting to contribute to the chapter’s efforts, may call Loretta Sumpter at 658-9747.)

Everyone is invited. A bibliography of books on Russia and the Soviet Union that are available at the library will be provided to all who attend. If there are any questions, call the library at 658-4312.

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Wed., October 17,1990 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

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DENTISTS SPEAK TO WAWASEE KIWANIS CLUB MEMBERS — Twenty-three members and three guests of the Wawasee Kiwanis Club were present to hear Drs. Larry and Michael Beachy give a presentation on dentristry. Larry and Michael Beachy are father and son dentists from Goshen. The meeting was held at Gropp's Restaurant, Syracuse, Saturday, Oct. 13. The doctors indicated that 60 percent of the population do not go to the dentist due to both fear and cost. However, prevention is the best way to keep costs down, due to fluoride. The dentists described improvements within the last 30 years, such as air drills rather then beltdriven drills. Materials used have also been updated from two cement types to six adhesive types, which are now used. Cosmetic dentistry was discussed. Porcelain veneers are now used, which last 25 years or longer, compared to the old type of plastic veneer, which last only about five years. Using CAD-CAM machines, dentists can now change the shape, placement, and color of the teeth. Pictured receiving certificates of appreciation are Mike and Larry Beachy. Presenting the certificates, on the right, is Harold Hazenfield, Kiwanian.

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