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Ready to spread their Wings:
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Struggles with painLocal woman perseveres despite physical trialsPhotos
Jane Lethlean Anna Marie Sieberns, 25, of Freeport lives a full life, despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Diagnosed at the age of 5, she has climbed many mountains. She looks forward to completing her college degree in the near feature.By Jane Lethlean Posted Jun 01, 2010 @ 03:05 AM Freeport, Ill. — For the past 20 years, Anna Marie Sieberns, 25, of Freeport has had her struggles with pain. She remembers the day she first developed the pain that has taken hold of her life. At the time, Sieberns was just 5-years-old. She was in kindergarten and awoke one morning with severe hip pain. She had recently fallen on the ice. Her parents, John and Nina Sieberns took their young daughter to the hospital. The pain went away. Life resumed. Two weeks later, the pain returned. It had spread to other joints in her body. Sieberns said she remembers horrific pain. Her parents took her to a specialist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wis. The diagnosis was juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as (RA). This is an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body’s immune system activity. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women. At that time her future was unknown. The disease can be progressive. It manifests itself differently in each person. “I have been on steroids ever since I was diagnosed,” Sieberns said. “It stunted my growth. I have osteoporosis and it has affected my bones.” Sieberns smiles, despite her trials in life. She said having arthritis makes life tougher, but this young women said she has enjoyed life to the fullest. She takes medications to help get her through the difficulties. One medication, methotrexate, is often used to treat patients on chemotherapy. She has never lost her hair, which happens to many people using this drug. The drug is designed to stunt the growth of the cells that create the disease. There are some side effects, but Sieberns said she has tolerated the drug well. She also takes a more common drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis — Enbrel. Enbrel is a drug used to treat autoimmune diseases like this form of arthritis. Sieberns, who is only 4’ 10” tall, said she knows her limits, but this hasn’t stopped her from living a normal life. She has regular bone density tests. She said she feels fortunate to never having broken a bone. Living The Good Life “I have good days and bad days – I know my limits,” she said. Sometimes I get down, but I am lucky – I’m an upbeat person. “This is my life – the hardest thing is when I have to go off of my medication to prepare for surgeries,” she added. Sieberns has had both of her hips and knees replaced. She said “my feet are crooked as a rainbow.” She faces more surgery on her curved left foot. Walking isn’t easy for her. Her joint replacement surgeries went well. She said the doctors told her, statistically, patients suffering from RA do better with joint replacement surgeries than other people. “I’ve dealt with a lot of pain in my life, but having had the surgeries has been such an improvement in my life,” Sieberns said. “I focus on the positive.” Sieberns credits her sunny personality with having the support from her parents and younger brother, David. She is attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, working on a degree in biology. Her aspiration is to become a psychologist — she loves helping others. Sieberns said, despite having RA, she has good life. She said she had a doctor tell her this case of RA was the worst he had ever seen. It was not until she was an eighth grader she was put in a drug trial program, to help offset the effects of the disease. “Prior to that, I couldn’t even put my hands together to pray,” she said. “The drug Enbrel changed my life — I pray a lot these days.” Life’s Definition Sieberns said she refuses to let the disease define her life. She still feels like a lucky person – she has love and happiness in her life. This young woman lives her life to the fullest. She will soon undergo surgery on her ankle. After that, she looks forward to a strong future.
“Having this disease is more than an ache or a pain — it’s my way of life,”
she said. “Sometimes I punch life harder to see what I can do — I refuse to
let rheumatoid arthritis define who I am.” Copyright 2010 The Journal-Standard. Some rights reserved
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Newspaper Column The Rev. Willis R. Schwichtenberg “Flying in the Bible” (Airplanes have made our world smaller. Some of us like to fly while others do not care for this way of getting around. Today (May 20) my wife and I are getting on a plane and flying to Germany. Does the Bible talk about “flying”? Yes and no. There are obvious references to flying and there are others to rapid movement. See if you can determine the answers to “Flying in the Bible” without checking the Biblical reference.) 1. In the creation account in Genesis 1-2 God speaks about these flying “above the earth.” (Genesis 1:20) (a) Angels, (b) Birds, (c) Stars, (d) Humans, (e) none of the above. 2. In the rules about eating God’s people were allowed to eat this “flying” item (Leviticus 11:21-23): (a) locust, (b) katydid, (c) cricket, (d) grasshopper, (e) all of the above, (f) none of the above. 3. The word “fly” in the King James or “pounce” in the New International Version refers to this happening during the time of Saul. (I Samuel 15:19) (a) They “flew” or “pounced” on the spoils of war, (b) they tried to jump of a mountain but failed, (c) they threw the opposing king from the top of the Temple to see if he could fly, (d) none of the above. 4. This man who later became king of Israel “flew” from his enemies and Psalm 18 speaks about his rescue from his enemies and, particularly, the first king of Israel. Who “flew” like an angel from his enemies? (II Samuel 22:11 and Psalm 18:1) (a) Saul, (b) David, (c) Asaph, (d) Solomon, (e) none of the above. 5. “Man is born to trouble,” says Job, just as surely as this flies upwards. According to Job, what flies? (Job 5:7) (a) Eagles, (b) Crows, (c) Hawks, (d) Sparks, (e) Prayers, (f) none of the above. 6. When he talks to Job the man Zophar says that this “flies away” no more to be found (Job 20:8): (a) Dream, (b) Thief, (c) Scoundrel, (d) Eagle, (e) None of the above. 7. In one of his songs David says that he wishes he could have wings and “fly away” like this (Psalm 55:6): (a) Chaff, (b) Dove, (c) Betrayer, (d) Grasshopper, (e) None of the above. 8. In lamenting about the reality of death and dying in this Psalm Moses says that we all do this: (Psalm 90:10): (a) we all fly away, (b) we all appear before God’s judgment, (c) we all fly to the grave, (d) we all fly to our mother’s arms, (e) none of the above. 9. According to Psalm 91 we do not have to fear the terror of the night nor this which flies by day. (Psalm 91:5) (a) Eagle, (b) Lightning, (c) Arrow, (d) Clouds, (e) none of the above. 10.The writer of the book of Proverbs says that when we look at this it “flies away.” What is he referring to? (Proverbs 23:5) (a) Eagles, (b) Wrens, (c) Riches, (d) Friends, (e) None of the above. 11.In his Temple vision this flew to Isaiah carrying a hot coal. What was it? (Isaiah 6:6) (a) Seraphim, (b) Crow, (c) Sparrow, (d) Dove, (e) Burning firepot. 12.In the same Temple vision in Isaiah 6 God describes the living beings who were flying as having this number of wings. (Isaiah 6:2) (a) Two, (b) Four, (c) Six, (d) Eight, (e) None. 13.As Isaiah describes some visions of the coming Messiah who is Jesus, he asks questions about what is “flying” along like clouds in celebration of the coming Christ. He compares it with this. (Isaiah 60:8) (a) Seraphim, (b) Crow, (c) Sparrow, (d) Dove, (e) Tongs. 14.Jeremiah wrote about this cruel nation that produced one of the ancestors of David. He writes that God would swoop and fly down like an eagle and destroy this evil land. Name the land. (Jeremiah 48:40) (a) Moab, (b) Israel, (c) Egypt, (d) Edom, (e) none of the above. 15.From a windstorm Ezekiel saw these items moving and flying along with beings with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. What were these items? (a) Wheels, (b) Helicopters, (c) Chariots, (d) Wagons, (e) none of the above. 16.This angelic being appeared to Daniel at the time of the evening prayer “in swift flight.” What was the angel’s name? (Daniel 9:21) (a) Michael, (b) Lucifer, (c) Gabriel, (d) Melchizedek. 17.This possession of Ephraim (a descendant of Joseph) will “fly away” because of its punishment for sin. (Hosea 9:11) (a) Glory, (b) Fame, (c) Money, (d) People, (e) none of the above. 18.The prophet Habakkuk complains to God and asks questions about why evil is not eradicated. God compares His judgment with something that flies like this. (Habakkuk 1:8) (a) Crow, (b) Angel, (c) Vulture, (d) Spear, (e) Seagull. 19.In an unusual vision Zechariah saw this item flying. (Zechariah 5:1-2) (a) Building, (b) Scroll, (c) Tree, (d) Javelin, (e) none of the above. 20.One of the living creatures in the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:7) (a) resembled a lion, (b) resembled an ox, (c) resembled a human being, (d) resembled a flying eagle, (e) all of the above.
<ANSWERS: (1) b/Birds; (2) e/all of the above; (3) a/They “flew” or “pounced” on the spoils of war; (4) b/David; (5) d/Sparks; (6) a/Dream; (7) b/Dove; (8) a/we all fly away; (9) c/Arrow; (10) c/Riches; (11) a/Seraphim; (12) d/Six; (13) d/Dove; (14) a/Moab; (15) a/Wheels; (16) c/Gabriel; (17) a/Glory; (18) c/Vulture; (19) b/Scroll; (20) e/all of the above. SCORING: 18-19 correct – You soar with the Eagles; 16-17 correct – You are comfortable on both land and in the air; 14-15 correct – You need a few more flight lessons; Less than 15 correct – “Fly” back to the pages of the Bible and check your concordance. The Rev. Willis R. Schwichtenberg (Pastor Switz) is Senior Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Freeport, Illinois. His E-mail is wschwichtenberg@immanuellutheranfreeport.com.
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Brother of the helmetFreeport man recognized for 50 years of fire fightingPhotos
Jane Lethlean Larry Julius, 70, of Freeport was recently recognized for his 50 years of service as a firefighter and charter member of Freeport Rural Fire Department. Julius retired in 2009 as assistant chief.By Jane Lethlean Posted Mar 19, 2010 @ 07:16 PM Freeport, Ill. — For more than 50 years, Larry Julius, 70, of Freeport has balanced a life of farming with answering the call of duty as a fireman. It was Julius, along with 23 other charter members, who started Freeport Rural Fire Department to serve four area townships — Florence, Silver Creek, Harlem and Lancaster. The year was 1960, and Julius was fresh out of high school, but he said he knew there was a need to help fight rural fires. Until last year, he helped accomplish that mission at Freeport Rural Station No. 2 on Pearl City Road. Julius still has a copy of the charter member signatures. He is proud of his years of service and while he has endured physical problems in the last year, he still gets emotional talking about the retirement party held in his honor on Feb. 28. “I have a lot of fond memories from over the years,” Julius said, with tears in his eyes. “It was neighbor helping neighbor.” Getting Things Started Until 1960, the rural area around Freeport had to be serviced by the City of Freeport Fire Department. Julius and his friends wanted something else to help those who lived in the area. The group of men secured space on Pearl City Road. Land was granted to the newly organized fire station by Bob Keeler. The first truck was housed in a corn crib. A referendum was approved in April, 1961, for $81,000 for the four townships. Three fire stations were built and five trucks were purchased. Today, the local No. 2 fire station has 40 volunteer firemen, and also provides ambulance service. During his retirement party, Julius was honored for more than 16,000 hours of service. “Back then, we had to rely on telephones for calls to fight fires,” Julius said. “Today, these men carry portable devices. We worked and when the calls came, we ran,” he added. Julius said the rural fire department acts like a donut around the City of Freeport. His worst memory serving with the department was a fire on Bolton Road that resulted in the deaths of some children. Those deaths made him think about his own grandchildren, he said. Ode to Julius Julius has been known for the poetry he wrote for other members of the brotherhood of firefighters. During his own retirement party, someone wrote a poem about him. The poem describes Julius as “loyal and true, awesome and athletic, ready to race and rowdy and tricky.” Julius was presented with an axe plaque, a citation from the State of Illinois and numerous gifts. Julius and his wife, Clara, now look back on his years of service with humble words of gratitude for the people who came to his retirement party. “Being a firefighter was a passion Larry had his entire life,” Clara said. “He was always ready for the call to duty.” The couple have two daughters; Teresa Landon of Davenport and Lisa Pehl of Freeport. They also have five grandchildren. “What I’ll miss most is the camaraderie of the guys and the monthly training drills,” Julius said. Copyright 2010 The Journal-Standard. Some rights reserved
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Newspaper Column “March Madness in the Bible” (March is the month for basketball’s “March Madness.” Basketball isn’t mentioned in the Bible, though the Apostle Paul does write about sports and games. It might not be “politically correct” to use the phrase “madness” to describe people’s lives but we offer this “March Madness” quiz on individuals in the Bible who dealt with extreme physical and emotional challenges. Check the Biblical reference if you need help.) 1. God warns His people about disobedience and the threat of captivity and declares (Deuteronomy 28:34) (a) the sights they see would drive them mad, (b) their leaders would go insane, (c) the women would remain normal but the men would be insane, (d) none of the above, (e) all of the above. 2. This man pretended to be insane to confuse Achish, king of Gath, who said, “Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here?” (I Samuel 21:12-15): (a) Abraham, (b) Moses, (c) Joseph, (d) David, (e) Jonah. 3. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, says that he applied himself to understanding wisdom and folly and (Ecclesiastes 1:18, 2:12) (a) insanity, (b) madness, (c) grumpiness, (d) psychology. 4. This nation with high natural stone walls laughed at Israel’s plight and God said, “You too, O Madmen, will be silenced” (Jeremiah 48:2): (a) Cana, (b) Babylon, (c) Moab, (d) Philistia. 5. In an oracle and vision on the final destruction of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3-4) Zechariah sees a vision of (a) people injuring themselves, (b) a horse with panic, (c) horses that are blinded, (d) riders with madness, (e) all of the above. 6. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was warned by God about impending insanity because of his wickedness and the following happened to him (Daniel 4:24-34): (a) he lived with wild animals, (b) he ate grass like cattle, (c) his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle, (d) his nails grew like the claws of a bird, (e) all of the above. 7. This group tried to take charge of Jesus because they said, “He is out of His mind” (Mark 3:21): (a) His family, (b) the Pharisees, (c) the Sadducees, (d) the Levites, (e) the Roman Soldiers. 8. In the area of the Gerasenes Jesus healed a man (Mark 5:1-9) (a) who had an evil spirit, (b) who lived in the tombs, (c) who was able to tear chains apart, (d) who cut himself with stones, (e) who called himself Legion, (f) all of the above. 9. When Paul talked to this leader, the man said that Paul was being driven insane by his great learning (Acts 26:24): (a) Felix, (b) Agrippa, (c) Festus, (d) Bernice, (e) none of the above. 10.This man writes, “The evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). What is his name? (a) Peter, (b) John, (c) Barnabas, (d) Paul, (e) none of the above. 11.As Paul writes to the Corinthians he says (II Corinthians 11:21-25) (a) he was not one of Abraham’s descendants, (b) he was out of his mind to talk like this, (c) he had never been in prison, (d) he had never been flogged, (e) all of the above, (f) none of the above. 12.Peter describes this evil Old Testament prophet who was confronted by a talking donkey and speaks about his madness (II Peter 2:1-16): (a) Gehazi, (b) Balaam, (c) Eli, (d) none of the above.
<ANSWERS: (1) a/the sights they see would drive them mad, (2) d/David, (3) b/madness, (4) c/Moab, (5) e/all of the above, (6) e/all of the above, (7) a/His family, (8) f/all of the above, (9) c/Festus, (10) d/Paul, (11) b/he was out of his mind to talk like this, (12) b/Balaam> SCORING: 12 correct – You win the tournament!; 11 or 10 correct – You don’t need a “bye”, 9 correct – “March” up to the prize table; 8 or less correct – Don’t get mad; you could do better. The Rev. Willis R. Schwichtenberg (Pastor Switz) is Senior Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Freeport, Illinois. His E-mail is wschwichtenberg@immanuellutheranfreeport.com.
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