The Loop Newspaper - Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide

The Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo Association is proud to provide the community of Tehachapi and its surrounding areas with quality rodeo entertainment at family affordable prices. But this small nonprofit does more than produce an outstanding two day PRCA rodeo in August, a Bad Bulls riding tour on the fourth of July, and a series of six Jr. Rodeos throughout the year.

On Saturday, August 16, immediately following our PRCA Rodeo, we will host an old-fashioned country dance to which the proceeds will go to help one of Tehachapi's own, Mrs. Kim Deaville and her family.

Kim Deaville, her husband Chris, and their three kids have been Tehachapi residents for the past 12 years. In 2005, while Kim was driving home, she got the first of the most peculiar headaches which were so intense that they made her head curl down to her chest. They would only last a few seconds and went away altogether after about an hour. After an MRI the doctors discovered she had a condition called Arnold-Chiari Malformation (ACM), a condition where the brain h28erniates through the base of the skull where the spinal cord is. Over the next three months Kim went from being totally normal to being completely bedridden.

In the beginning of August, Kim underwent chiari decompression surgery. The surgery, although extremely painful, seemed to be successful. It took several months for Kim to recover, but in time she was able to walk again, drive and live a fairly normal life taking care of her family. The trouble was that the headaches she was told would go away in time never did.

Approximately two-and-a-half to three years ago, Kim began to notice some of her pre-surgery symptoms (yellow lights in her peripheral vision, pain in her legs, etc.) coming back when she had migraines. She began seeing neurosurgeon after neurosurgeon, neurologist after neurologist. All the while her symptoms kept progressing to where she began to get weakness along with the migraines. After 2-4 days, the migraine would go away and her strength would return.

During this time, none of the "specialists" she saw seemed to agree. One would say she needed a second chiari decompression and have her spinal cord de-tethered while another said she may have M.S. only to have a M.S. specialist tell her, after nearly a year and a half, that she didn't have the dreaded disease. Neurologists would tell her she needed to see a neurosurgeon who would tell her the problem is neurologic. All of this added up to frustration and worked to allow her to continue on a downward spiral.

In September 2013, Kim got another migraine and again lost strength in her legs, only this time her strength was not to return. Kim has been basically bedridden ever since. She is able to walk a few feet with the assistance of a walker and now requires the use of a wheelchair much of the time.

We hope you can join us on our upcoming August 16 Saturday night rodeo and dance. The dance is located at the rodeo grounds on the southwest end of the bleachers. There will be food, a silent auction and a bar. Kids are welcome early in the evening. You can purchase tickets for the Saturday night dance prior to the rodeo at Ooh La La Salon and at the Tehachapi Farmers Market for $10. On both Friday and Saturday night at the rodeo you will be able to purchase a $10 ticket at the TMRA information booth to come and enjoy the sounds of Randy Emmett and the California Cow Tippers as we dance the night away under the stars and in the process lend a helping hand to Kim and her family.