Sea Turtle Hospital News

Goodbye, Mike

That big, booming voice greeting us with "good morning" has been silenced. Mike Helwig, long-time hospital and beach volunteer, passed away on April 18 after a long battle with melanoma.

Large in presence and character, Mike came to the hospital after retiring from the Washington DC Police Department where he was a detective. Those years solving crimes probably accounted for his never-ending investigation of even the smallest process in an effort to understand and improve things. There wasn't anything Mike didn't care about, whether it was a seriously injured loggerhead or an O-ring for some sort of fitting. He tackled every job with enthusiasm, no matter how unglamorous it might have been. Once our new water system was installed he could be found lying on the ground cleaning out the "blue hole," or up on the ladder trying to squeeze his "XL" body though an "M" opening in a holding tank, or standing in the freezing rain hosing off filter after filter after filter, or waging a battle with the activated charcoal. When working inside he usually had a special turtle that he spent extra time with. One of them, Caspar, even earned a tattooed place of honor on his leg. Come release time we counted on him to team with Betsy to get the turtles out of the building, into their rides and on the way to the beach. Mike was always assigned to carry the biggest turtles to the surf, as he not only matched them in size but also was willing to take the abuse of flailing flippers and sharp nails. He was often bloodied but smiling as the last patient jetted through the waves.

Mike was a lot like the turtles he cared for: he may have looked hard on the outside but was soft around his friends. He was generous with his time, his home and his love of life. His "good morning" always put the volunteers, and turtles on notice that the day was ours to enjoy, and that we should be grateful to be part of it. His positive outlook was contagious, his laughter quick and often. He left us too soon, but we feel him smiling down on us as we continue the work he was so proud to be a part of.

Fair winds and following seas, Mikey

Have flippers - look cute

Our expectation for our patients is clear: get better. But when your recovery is slow and you spend all day floating in your tank rearranging your shell you eventually start to look for other ways to occupy your time. We've had our share of turtle artists (Wendy, Nubbin, Lennie and Brownie) that have produced watercolors for our auction. And Lennie works another shift as official hospital ambassador. Now it seems our little green, Carter has joined the ranks of hospital fundraisers.

While we were preparing a new tank for him he spent a beautiful, sunny day catching some rays under the watchful eyes of one of our volunteers. Now we draw a crowd when there's absolutely nothing going on outside, so it's no surprise that some lucky visitors happened by at the right time. Carter apparently captivated them with the tale of his rescue and medical adventures, because when I went out to inform him that his room was ready he had a $20 bill tucked under his flipper. I hope this doesn't go to his head, because there's no room left in there between his brain and the trapped air. He was still looking very pleased with himself when we left that afternoon.

Thank you!

Thanks to Surf City Crab for keeping a steady supply of fresh blue crabs on-hand for our very picky turtle, Boater. They always managed to provide us with the biggest, liveliest and juiciest crustaceans even throughout the winter months.

Thanks also to our local markets for donating their gently used green peppers. We're not sure what naturally occurring ocean vegetation tastes like green peppers, but when diced into small pieces and added to their breakfast bowls our little greens devour them.

Questions, comments or suggestions for stories

Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com.  This column will appear approximately every two weeks until June. 

Karen Sota is the volunteer media coordinator for the Sea Turtle Hospital in Topsail Beach.