EACSD Board of Directors appoints retired Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier to assume that role once again as current Superintendent and Principal Dr. Sarah Murray recovers from serious injuries suffered in fall

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Friday, March 15, Eastern Allamakee Community School District Superintendent and Kee High School and Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Updegraff Murray posted on Facebook a picture of her husband, Steve, and her on their date night in an area restaurant. A few hours later, she was being airlifted to Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse, WI fighting for her life after falling at home.

Steve was inside their home and Sarah went to the edge of their side yard which overlooks the Mississippi River to see a barge. She slipped and fell about four feet off a retaining wall. Steve rushed out and immediately called 911. The Lansing EMTs were there within a few minutes, assessing the situation.

Realizing that Sarah could not feel or move her arms or legs, they called AirGundersen to get her medical attention as soon as possible. The medical helicopter landed at the ball diamond in Lansing where Sarah was airlifted to Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse.

When she arrived in La Crosse, her extensive injuries were assessed again.  This fall had broken her neck, leaving her with no feeling or movement from the chest down. She was placed in critical care.

The next day, the doctors operated to fuse her C5 and C6 vertebrae. At that point, she was speaking and had some movement and feeling in her arms. Her breathing became difficult due to her contracting pneumonia and H flu. They had to intubate her to help her breathe and four days later, they performed a tracheotomy.

She has been on an air assist machine to help with her breathing, with each day bringing improvement. She has been working her way up to doing eight to 10 consecutive hours of breathing through her tracheotomy. The hope is that with continued progress she will be able to take part in the spinal rehabilitation program at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, IL soon. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as number one in the nation for rehabilitation.

Those who know Dr. Murray understand the determination, optimistic attitude, and willpower that she has. Her extensive community involvement in addition to her position within the school district have made her a well-known leader in the area.
Steve, Sarah’s husband, shared, “She’s staying positive and strong, as always. If anybody can step up to a challenge it’s Sarah. Your prayers are appreciated. We also want to thank the Lansing EMTs and everyone who has helped throughout this process. We appreciate all the kindness and love that family, friends, coworkers, and the community have shown us over the last three weeks.”

Lisa Pryor, Steve’s sister from Waterloo, said, “I was lucky enough to see her on March 31,  and she had an amazing Sarah attitude. Her words... ‘I got this’. She was so happy when Westen and Steve showed up! Lots of smiles were so good to see. We left feeling positive and uplifted!!! The nurse told us this is like training for a marathon!! Going short distances at a time and gradually building up each day gets your lungs more conditioned to run the long distance! Makes sense for her!”

Several sites have been established to help the family during this time. Those who wish to help by supplying meals for Westen and Steve may go to https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/9qm6ol or search for “Meal Train for Murray Family”. At the Meal Train site, individuals can sign up for a specific date to bring food to their house on a Tuesday or Thursday at 5 p.m. A chart will show what others are bringing, to avoid duplication.

The family is  facing mounting expenses for travel, missed work, home alterations for wheelchair accessibility, and long-term care. Individuals who wish to donate to help alleviate some of this financial burden can search for  “Sarah Updegraff Murray” at https://gofund.me/81d91d1a. Contributions will make a significant difference in their lives.

For information and posts about Sarah’s progress,  search for “Sarah Updegraff Murray” at https://new.caringbridge.org/search. Cards and letters may be sent to the Murray family at P.O. Box 162, Lansing, IA 52151.

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors recently appointed retired Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier to finish the school year while Dr. Murray goes through the healing process. Dr. Crozier was a previous shared Superintendent between the EACSD and the MFL/MarMac School District, prior to his retirement and Dr. Murray assuming both of her current Superintendent and Principal positions within the school district.

In a message released to the Eastern Allamakee Community School District, Dr. Crozier shared the following:

“Our thoughts and prayers are certainly there for Dr. Murray and her family. There is a succession plan in board policy for long-term absence of the superintendent. Last Monday evening (April 1) in a special meeting the EACS Board enacted that policy and appointed me as a temporary interim superintendent for the remainder of the school year.

The staff are all doing a super job filling in where needed and the year is progressing just fine; yet there are certain executive functions that need attention moving forward. I plan to take care of all those functions, as well as pertinent items requiring immediate action. As you may also know, there was sweeping legislation passed last week that applies to schools, special education, and AEAs (Area Education Agencies). The plan right now is to deal with the most important issues first. Eastern Allamakee is a great school district that has much to offer, and we will complete these tasks together as the school year ends.”