July 24, 2020
Iyv graces a Stone in the Stoneyard.
Many of Ivy Sturm's friends know of her two hip operations performed this last winter, and of the slow recovery Ivy has experienced from the second operation. Since January of this year Ivy has been in serious decline, stubbornly attempting to manage her duties in the office, even as we moved her into the main floor of the Farmhouse to make her care easier for all of us
Ivy first came to Four Quarters for Stones Rising of 1996, and has attended every Stones since. Back in those days we were all much younger, and we cooked out of an US Army GP Medium tent over Benzomatic gasoline burners... Ivy rolled up her sleeves and dove right in. After the Starvin' Artist Kitchen was built Ivy took on all of our baking at events, and pioneered our gluten free fare. She also played an over size role in ceremony and could always be relied on to fill in for that "extra" part. Ivy was instrumental in planning the very first WickerMan event thirteen years ago, maintained the mailing list and organized "Bread and Circus" as her eatable Art contribution.
About six years ago Ivy petitioned for her Novitiate as a Member of the Community of Service, and was accepted. She closed out her personal affairs in Wilkes-barre and moved to Four Quarters to live under vows of poverty and service. From that time until just recently Ivy has managed our office, database and accounting systems; and greeted thousands of visitors. She served for a number of years as a Members Advocate and since 2018 as a fully seated Member of our Board of Directors.
Since the summer of this year Ivy's health has been much worse, with four emergency overnight stays in the hospital. Three weeks ago we contacted Ivy's family with our concerns, and shortly thereafter Ivy suffered a major collapse in her health. We rushed her into hospital emergency care just as her family arrived. She was then transferred to a larger hospital for intensive testing, then to the Wilkes-barre area where she underwent a life saving surgery and was placed in their ICU. As of this writing she is only in direct communication with her daughter, from whom we here at Four Quarters receive daily updates.
Ivy has been diagnosed with a serious gastro-intestinal disorder which has led to a sudden onset metabolic-neurological condition that mimics dementia. While the intestinal issue may heal after her surgery, the neurological prognosis is not good as most sufferers improve only slightly and require long-term institutional care.
In respect for the privacy of Ivy and her children, we here at Four Quarters are acting as a gateway for sharing news about Ivy's condition... please do call us for updates. We are prayerful that Ivy's condition will improve enough to allow for your contacting her directly.
Ivy remains in our thoughts... and in our Service.
– Orren P. Whiddon