Twist of fate in Africa changed man's perspective

Lake Victoria, the third-largest lake in the world and headwaters of the Nile River, looked cool and inviting as Andrew Tarter of Olympia prepared to take a plunge during a visit last winter to Sese Island off the coast of Uganda.

Before jumping in, Tarter, 29, checked the posted signs that said the beach was safe for swimming, free of snails that can cause a parasitic infection known as schistosomiasis, a fairly common occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa.

But as Tarter dried off, he noticed several snails in the grass. He didn't think much of it, but he did take a thorough shower back in his room just in case one or more of the free-swimming parasite larvae had tried to attach to his skin and penetrate his body.

Tarter, a 2004 University of Washington graduate in environmental studies and, more recently, a bartender at the Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia, continued his seven-month trip to East Africa and India, returning to Olympia last August. The swim in Lake Victoria was just a fading, pleasant memory.

Not for long. On Dec. 9, 2007, Tarter woke up in his downtown Olympia apartment with excruciating back pain, followed the next few days by numbness in his feet and an inability to urinate.

A friend took him to the Capital Medical Center emergency room, but Tarter was sent home after a brief encounter with a doctor.

"They didn't take me seriously," Tarter said.

At the advice of others, he headed to Northwest Hospital & Medical Center in Seattle. He was admitted and run through tests, including five MRIs. During his six-day stay, he became paralyzed from the waist down.

The diagnosis: a neurological disorder called transverse myelitis, which is an inflammation of the spinal cord that can cause damage to nerve fibers, interrupting communication between those nerves and the rest of the body.

After a regimen of antibiotics and steroids to fight infection and reduce swelling, Tarter can now walk with a cane. It may be months, or even years, before Tarter will know if his condition, which makes his legs feel like they are asleep from the midthigh down, is permanent or will improve.

"It's just a waiting game," Tarter said the other day at the Batdorf & Bronson coffee shop in downtown Olympia during an interview interrupted occasionally by well-wishers.

While he may never know for sure, it is likely the spinal cord infection is linked to that swim in Lake Victoria and infection from the snail parasite.

Tarter is philosophical about this cruel twist of fate.

"I could get better, but in case I don't, I can live with this," he said. "Worse things happen to better people all the time."

I'd put it another way, wondering: Why do bad things happen to good people?

I met Tarter in 2006 when I wrote a column about Green Drinks, the monthly social gathering of folks who like to talk about environmental issues over a pint of beer. Tarter, who moved here from Seattle in 2005, deserves credit for launching Green Drinks get-togethers in South Sound, which take place the first Wednesday night of each month at various locations around town.

We've engaged in small talk since our initial meeting. He's a sincere, likeable young man who makes friends easily.

With no medical insurance — he was only working part time when stricken by his illness — Tarter has racked up medical bills of some $35,000.

Donations gathered at the pub have helped defray about 10 percent of his medical costs. And a bank account for further donations has been established at Washington Mutual.

To me, Tarter's plight is a poster child example of why universal health care is critically needed in this country. If I had a chance, I'd ask the presidential candidates: Would your health care reform plan provide Andrew Tarter with some financial relief?

For now, Tarter takes it one day at a time. He's thankful for the outpouring of support and has a newfound empathy for others who have a hard time walking — or can't walk — because of injury or illness.

He also keeps an eye on the mail, waiting to see if he's been accepted to the University of Florida graduate school program in environmental anthropology, which he applied for before the illness struck.

Born in Haiti to parents of American citizenry — his father was Latin American director of World Concern — Tarter wants to return to Haiti to document deforestation and reforestation efforts.

About one-third of the people stricken with transverse myelitis experience a full recovery. Here's hoping Tarter takes that next step, without the aid of a cane.

John Dodge is a senior reporter and Sunday columnist for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444 or jdodge@theolympian.com.