Rare disease leaves Vicki's family and friends devastated
Vicki LaMere has spent much of her adult life championing causes to benefit the city of Lake Shore, a community she has lived in and loved her entire life. She has spent the last 15 years on the Lake Shore City Council.
Now LaMere's friends and family are devastated as they helplessly watch her battle Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare neurological disease. There are only 200 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. About 90 percent die within a year of the onset of the disease, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Diagnosed on Dec. 14, LaMere was given six to 18 months to live but her family said the end likely won't be long now. She is bedridden, can't speak and suffers from dementia and hallucinations. She is at the Cuyuna Regional Care Center in Crosby.
Vicki LaMere, 51, is a 15-year member of the Lake Shore City Council and lifelong community resident.
"This whole situation is so devastating," said Lyle LaMere, Vicki's husband, through tears. "It just seemed like you could watch from day to day how she deteriorated. Things she could have done yesterday she couldn't do today. She cried so many times, just bawled, that I wish I could be the old Vicki. She knew things were going on and she couldn't stop it and there was nothing any one of us could do."
LaMere, 51, began noticing something was wrong the first part of October, said her husband. She complained of feeling dizzy. He said his wife was still well enough at the end of November to prepare their Thanksgiving meal but she nearly dropped the turkey because of her declining coordination. Her speech became very measured, as if she was going to say something but needed to make sure it was the right thing to say first, her husband said.
Her last day of work at the Crow Wing County auditor's office, where she's worked for the past 30 years, was Dec. 9. Many county workers donated weeks of their vacation time to help the LaMeres through this difficult time. Her supervisor, Kathi Sharp, drove her to her doctor's appointment at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis Dec. 14 where she was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The women have been friends and worked together for all of LaMere's 30 years in the auditor's office.
"We're all one big family here and it's been very difficult on all of us," Sharp said of LaMere's illness. "She's extremely caring, a friend to everyone. She worried about everyone but herself. In fact, the day I drove her down to Abbott, I had to tell her on the way down, Vicki, don't worry about that, just worry about you. She worried about everyone and everything before she did herself and she was absolutely a friend to everyone."
Lyle LaMere said his wife's disease progressed dramatically before and after Christmas. She was admitted to St. Joseph's Medical Center on Jan. 3 - her 51st birthday.
In addition to her time on the city council, LaMere has spent the past 10 years on the city's park and recreation committee, as well as serving on the environmental committee. She also was an adult leader for the Black Bear 4-H Club for at least eight years.
Cindy Terwilliger worked with LaMere on the 4-H Club and the park and recreation committee.
"Vicki always showed such care and thoughtfulness for all the young people in the club," said Terwilliger. "She really wanted them to succeed and spent time helping them do so. She was dedicated. If she said she would be there, she would be there."
Terwilliger said LaMere used her years of council experience to help teach the 4-H members about parliamentary procedure. LaMere was quite familiar with running meetings and wanted to pass it on to the young people in the club, she said.
The LaMeres have two children, Ron, 26, who lives in Fargo, N.D., and Mandi, 17.
To learn more about LaMere's condition and to leave messages of support - which her daughter reads to her - visit her CaringBridge Web site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/vickilamere.