It Would Not Be Novato Without Gail Meyers

The voice on my answering machine was faint ... "Marie, it's Gail ... It's Wednesday ... I've had a minor stroke ... I'll think I'll be at the Hill Convalescent Center."

This was Saturday! OMG! Just back from a weeklong trip, I had not heard of on Tuesday. According to Gail, she ran into a van near the school district building, after exiting from Lucky's in Novato.   She cut her left hand deeply when trying to get out of her car with the air bag in the way.

Gail has not been to the doctor in 28 years by choice!! Did you know she is stubborn?  Do you think anyone — maybe her daughters — might have suggested she get a checkup during those 28 years?  

After the accident they admitted her to Kaiser hospital.  She did not exactly embrace her long-awaited encounter with the medical profession.  So it wasn't until Friday that a brain scan that confirmed Gail had been having a stroke at the time of the accident.  Now Gail's daughters are telling her, "If you had listened to us and gone to the doctor, you would have known about your high blood pressure  ... yadayadayada ... and you would have been able to avoid the stroke and the accident."

So we won't be seeing Gail's instantly recognizable car anymore, tooling around Novato, parked at the library or at Starbucks.  According to Gail she is through with driving again and she won't be returning to her house, either.

She is very relieved that no one was hurt in the accident.  For those of you who have only seen Gail getting up and saying angry things at council meetings, please know she has a tender side.  She is the first to cry when something bad happens to someone ... anyone.  She loves singing, operas and movies. She has three daughters and a late husband she cares about very much. She was the first person to come up to speak to me in a helpful way as a new and unsure Planning Commissioner.  She is a one person dynamo preventing the city of Novato from becoming the city of Bell, CA.

For someone who has had a stroke, Gail is doing great!  She does not have any paralysis, just weakness on one side and trouble reading. 

For the first time Gail is easy to visit and up by 8 in the morning!  I stopped by on Sunday.  She was dressed in blue with a blue flower in her hair, a little more tentative, but still ready to talk about affordable housing in Novato.