On April 14th, Dierks Hieber, seventeen-year old son of Drew and Heather Hieber of Mapleton and Ashley and Brandon Poppema of Le Mars received a special gift from his mom, a kidney. The surgery went well for both of them. Dierks needed to stay in Minneapolis for a bit while he recovered. His recovery had its ups and downs, but for the most part, all went well. On May 12, nearly a month later, Dierks returned to his home in Mapleton. We are happy to report that Dierks is doing very well. But let's hear about his progress from him and his dad.
    "He is a completely different kid, to be honest," said Drew of his son's current demeanor. "He has so much energy, goes out with friends, doesn't sleep all day, and eats us out of house and home. He is a normal 17 year old now."
    Prior to the transplant, Dierks didn't have the energy to be a typical high schooler. He was unable to play in sports, including his favorite sport, wrestling. In 2022, Dierks was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy (Berger's disease). According to Mayoclinic.org, IgA nephropathy is a form of kidney disease. It happens when a germ-fighting protein called immunoglobulin A (IgA) builds up in the kidneys. This causes inflammation that, over time, can make it harder for the kidneys to filter waste from the blood.
    "It was tough to hear because of the anxiety it caused and the not knowing of what was to come or the details of what that meant for the future for him," said Drew concerning learning of his son's prognosis.
    The disease progressively worsened, and in January of 2025, Dierks was placed on the kidney transplant list.
    "I knew it was coming once his numbers started falling," added Drew about Dierks being placed on the list. "We were happy to hear he got placed on the list because we knew it was the next step on getting Dierks back to feeling good and in better health because he was sick for so long."
    The day of the transplant arrived. Dierks was taken into the operating room, leaving the family in limbo for 6 hours, wondering how the surgery is going.
    "The hardest part was the waiting in the waiting room, not knowing how it was going and just hoping things went according to plan," Drew confirmed. Luckily, everything did go as planned, and the family can move on to better things.
    While Dierks' body was healing, he had to endure nearly a month of his least favorite part of the recovery process, being away from family and friends. That is all past him, though, and life has returned to normal, or at least a new normal. To help his body accept his new organ, he will need to take anti-rejection medications for the rest of his life. He also needs to avoid certain foods for awhile. His new normal, at least for awhile yet, also includes going to Sioux City a couple times a week to get blood drawn and traveling to Minneapolis once a month for check ups. However, these are nothing compared to his pre-transplant life, especially seeing how much better Dierks is feeling.
    "I have returned to doing all the things but not sure about being released to wrestle," he added. "I'm looking forward to that for sure."
    Hopefully Dierks will indeed be cleared to wrestle his final year as a Ram. In the meantime, it's great news that the worst is over and he will be able to enjoy his senior year at MVAOCOU.
    Photo supplied by Drew Hieber. Thanks, Drew!

    July 17th and 18th will have people going from location to location in Danbury to find some great deals at the annual garage sales. As of now, six sales will be held that weekend. A tentative map is in this week's Review.
    If you are planning to have a garage sale in Danbury, please either call 712-893-2001 or text 712-840-0327 or email review@danbury.ia.com.

    Cord Memorial Library was filled with visitors who were interested in learning a little more about detecting metallic items underground. The group learned about the history of metal detectors and how they were used to locate historic artifacts and map out historic sites.
    Representatives from the Sioux City Railroad Museum demonstrated how to use a metal detector. They also were able to view items recovered by the Railway Archaeology Project 13WD206 and learn how they piece together the story of Iowa's railroad past. They learned about archaeological coding. The code 13WD206 is a unique state archaeological site number. "13" stands for Iowa, "WD" stands for Woodbury County, and "206" is the specific historic site being meticulously documented by the Sioux City Railroad Museum!
    Following the presentation, guests were invited outside to search for metal objects in the rocks and grass around the library.
    Photo supplied by Anna Grell. Thanks, Anna!

    Towns got a little closer to each over last week - timewise. On July 1st, the speed limit increased from 55 to 60 miles per hour on the state highways, making travel time a little less than it had been. It will also increase on some county roads, but don't assume that they have increased.
    Some counties including Woodbury County are keeping paved secondary roads at 55 mph for now until they have determined the roads are safe at the higher speed, they have changed signage, and they have been able to follow all requirements for this higher speed such as painting lines. The state advises all drivers to abide by the posted speed limits.

    Wednesday, July 15th will have a focus on senior citizens at the Ida County Fair in rural Ida Groe.
    A number of healthcare institutions will be hosting the annual Senior Health Day at the Ida County Fair on Wednesday, July 15th from noon until 4:00. There is a reduced entry cost, and seniors will receive a coupon for a free slice of pie. Speakers will fill the afternoon with information aimed at senior citizens.