With another regular meeting held Monday night and the impending budget looming, no timetable has been given for the return of the Sampson County Board of Commissioners’ longest-tenured member Jarvis McLamb, who continues to recover from a stroke he suffered nearly two months ago.
Board chairman Billy Lockamy requested an update on McLamb’s condition at the beginning of the board’s regular meeting Monday. Commissioner Jefferson Strickland, who spoke with McLamb’s wife Joyce prior to the meeting, said the commissioner is continually improving.
“I talked with Mrs. McLamb about an hour before I came over here tonight,” said Strickland. “The latest thing is he continues to improve. He’s very diligent about his therapy and he’s doing a good job of that. She said that his thinking and his thought process was much clearer now.”
McLamb, 76, suffered a stroke on March 15 and has been receiving treatment at WakeMed ever since. He was immediately transported from his home in northern Sampson County to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn after suffering the stroke, then was transported to WakeMed. There was some partial paralysis on the left side initially, but that lifted in the days that followed.
Initially listed in serious condition and treated in WakeMed’s intensive care unit, McLamb’s condition improved and he was subsequently moved to a step-down room, where he received some physical therapy before being transferred to the hospital’s physical rehabilitation unit one month ago.
A farmer by trade, McLamb has represented District 1, covering Plain View, Mingo and other communities, since December 1998. He is currently serving his fourth term in that capacity. McLamb previously served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners and is now its vice chairman.
“I had a chance to speak to him over the phone, and he’s still got his sense of humor,” said Commissioner Albert Kirby. “I don’t know if he’ll get on me for sharing this, but he said he understands things are tight and if the commissioners did something that went too far to affect the taxpayers’ pockets, he might end up having another stroke.”
Joyce McLamb said recently that the family was taking the situation a day at a time, thankful to have Jarvis and grateful for the thoughts and prayers of others. She has said she knows it will be a slow process.
“We’re just taking each day as it comes,” she said. “We know it will take time, as it does with stroke victims.”
Strickland said Monday that Mrs. McLamb was pleased with the progress he’s been making. “He does continue to improve.”
Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 121 or via email at cberendt@civitasmedia.com.
Post a Comment
