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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Lea Bowers is the caretaker for her father Rick Bowers since he had a stroke in February at near his Arlington home.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 Father, daughter: 2 types of heroes He pulled a man from a burning car. She set aside her life and career to care for her father. By Kristi O'Harran, Herald Columnist Lea Bowers, 29, is following in her father's footsteps. She's a hero, helping her hero. Two years ago her father, Rick Bowers came upon a car accident along Highway 530 in Arlington. He joined another man and they pulled the driver from the burning car. Then Bowers cut away the seat belt of the car's passenger, releasing the unconscious man so they could pull him to safety. For their quick action, Bowers and the other man received awards from the state, the Arlington Fire Department and the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross. In February, Bowers, 52, suffered a stroke and fell into brush during a walk. His chocolate Labrador, Coco, stayed with him for two and a half days, chasing off pesky crows until help arrived. When he didn't show up for work at Kimberly-Clark, co-workers called the sheriff's office to check on their friend. A deputy found the Arlington man near death. Lea Bowers was living in Olympia and working at a bank there when her father fell ill. She packed her things, quit her job and moved into her father's home on a 5-acre ranch. "Dad said I could have a pony," she joked recently, sitting on the front porch with her father. She interpreted for her dad. As a result of the stroke, Rick Bowers is too self-conscious to speak to a stranger. Both smiled. Lea Bowers is learning how to care for the spread and its critters. "I've had to do hay runs," she said. "We have a horse and a mule." On a typical day, the morning goes well, or not, depending on her father's muscle spasms and nerve pain. "We have doctor appointments every other week," she said. "I try to plan our schedule so I can get the most done in one trip." She drives him to therapy and speech sessions. Before he goes to bed, she spends a half-hour putting on the braces he wears at night on a leg and a hand. "He takes medications four or five times a day," she said. "It's all very hectic." When he is unsteady on his legs, Rick Bowers uses a wheelchair. If he feels up to it, he walks, braced on a quad cane with four rubber feet. His daughter patiently waits for him to creep down the ramp from the front steps of his home to his truck. She takes him to stores and to a swimming pool in Marysville. "He was such an active outdoorsman," Bowers said. "It's hard to see him the way he is." Even though her assistance includes very personal care, she says family members must step up to the plate when someone is sick. "I would like for people to understand what it takes to be a caregiver," she said. "It could happen to anyone." One recent afternoon, she asked a relative to stay with her father so she could slip out to get a haircut and buy underwear. "Planning for time to myself is very tricky and does not happen very often," she said. "It is even hard to get an oil change or a haircut, as I can't really take dad with me." In her spare time, she is in college and will work as a reading tutor while getting her degree. She mentions caregiver burnout. Sometimes she can't sleep. From her constant smile, one wouldn't know she had bad days. Sitting next to her father, she pats his arm, asking if he is chilly, making sure she accurately conveys what he wants to say. The two heroes recently took a nice drive. They went into the mountains. Her father wanted to look out the window of the truck, and at least look out on the places where in better days he would be hunting. Beverly Bowers, who lives in Everett, says her daughter and former husband are both heroes. "How easy is it for a young person to stop everything in their lives?" her mother said. "He wouldn't have survived without her." Lea Bowers won't call herself a hero. "I'm doing what anyone would do," she said. "Like when he saw the accident." Columnist Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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