Up3nightswithailing dog, trustee still reports for duty
West falls asleep duringmeeting, alarming colleagues
A longtime Clinton Township trustee fell asleep during a Board of Trustees remote meeting earlier this week.
The episode easily could have lent itself as one of those political moments that could be poked fun at for years to come.
But it wasn’t boredom or apathy that c au s ed Trustee Jenifer “Joie” West to nod off — twice. It was physical and emotional exhaustion after staying up three straight nights to care for her ailing dog.
“For the last three nights, we have not slept at all,” West said of herself and her husband, Marty. “Your body simply can’t go that long without sleep.”
The incident took place as trustees were being briefed Tuesday night by Planning Director Bruce Thompson on a Groesbeck Highway improvement study.
West could be seen rubbing her eyes via her home computer on a video screen that carried her image along other board members. She then seemed to be looking down before her head droops for a minute or two before she wakes up.
A fewminutes later, Bob Cannon, the township supervisor, begins to take a roll call for accepting the study. By then, West’s head had drooped down again. Cannon called her name several times waiting for her to vote, with no response.
“Obviously, something is not right, unfortunately,” he said, fearing West had suffered a medical emergency.
Stephanie Mitt el stedt, an aide to the trustees, could be heard telling board members that she was texting West’s husband. Deputy Supervisor Liz Vogel stopped the video feed from showingWest, who appears to be fast asleep. Mary Bednar, the township’s public services director, tells the board that she is calling 911.
Cannon, obviously shaken, asks board members to say a prayer for West. Board members then resume the meeting.
After about 10 minutes, West’s video feed is turned back on and she’s awake. When she hears someone say they’ve called 911, she looks puzzled and says “why did you call 911?”
“We want to be sure you’re OK,” Cannon responds.
In the meantime township police and firefighters are greeted by West’s husband as they arrive at her house along with Medstar Ambulance personnel.
On Wednesday, West made the painful decision to euthanize the 9-yearold great retriever, named Happy Camper, due to a tumor on the dog’s spine. She shared a cellphone video of Camper crying out in pain and discomfort fromone of the nights before the board meeting.
West, who has served on the board for 16 years and has a background in healthcare, said the physical toll of lack of sleep, concern for the dog along with life’s other challenges proved to be exhausting.
“I was receiving text messages and phone calls from people asking about her during the meeting, and the phone eventually died,” West said. “I had another computer close the floor with our agendamanagement system that I kept looking down at and I fell asleep.
“It wasn’t a typical Joie West thing.”
West said she and her husband had stayed up for three nights, trying to comfort Camper.
“She was just a sweet, happy girl with loads ofpersonality,” she said. “We took her everywhere. She would catch frisbees and would swim. We always loved it when she had her scarf on. She will be missed.”
Dr. Victor Gordon, a pulmonologist at McLaren Macomb who specializes in sleep disorders, said it sounds like West had accumulated a “sleep debt” or sleep deprivation. That’s the same thing that impacts long-haul truck drivers and can affect coordination, judgement and reaction time.
“It sounds like she was dealing with sleep deprivation, which is anything less than six hours of sleep, for two or three nights in a row,” Gordon said. “Everyone’s gone without sleep for a period, it can cause high anxiety and sleep intrusion. Luckily for her, she was at home where someone was there instead of, for instance, driving on the road where something tragic could have occurred.”
Cannon said he can’t recall a previous incident that was similar to Tuesday’s.
“I was petrified something had happened to her at a board meeting on my watch and we had no way to help her,” he said. “Nobody trainedme what to do in that kind of situation. I felt bad for Mrs. West. We may not always vote the same way, but she’s a very nice woman who has worked hard on behalf of this community.”