anna georgeJanuary 30, 2008 20:08 EST

To whom it may concern ; i was very happy to read about this story . i was born at wales in 1954 ..but i live at Hilo, Hawaii for 24 years now ....i sure did cry over the mountain ....i can remember it well .....i hope we get to read more stories on the web thank -you very much . anna a george

georgeAugust 09, 2008 21:01 EST

Mike was a cousin, his sisters and brother I still consider close even tho' we dont see each other often or for very long.
I remember auntie Flo and uncle Walt. The whole family have real nice smiles :D and are so warm, caring.
I can't wait to get home next week
:D

william popeNovember 28, 2008 21:54 EST

What an excellent story.....well written and enthralling. I've only been to alaska once. I reside in Florida. I regularly visit the web cam located in Wales....and find it facinating. Sitting in my office (80 degrees outside) I view (in real time) a frozen land remnant of another planet. Such isolation is hard to fathom....and the effect it has on it's residents...as told in the story of Mike...must be heartbreaking. Thanks for the insight into a world that few will ever experience...much less live. william pope

Joy KomakhukDecember 07, 2010 10:49 EST

This by far has been the toughest article I have ever read. I am Michael's sister by blood, I am Dee's eldest daughter, I was four when Mike was born. By the time I found out Mike was dead it was the day of his funeral. No one had notifed us of his death or didn't know how to get a hold of us.

I thank Mr. Hopfinger for writing this article, it was very intriguing and interesting. It also gave me an insight on how the village of Wales is and in a painful way how Mike lived.

To say the least my life has changed since my brother shot himself. I was attending college in Anchorage, and my life halted upon notification of his death. My Mom wanted me to fly to Sitka, to be with family but I resisted and stayed in Anchorage to finish my schooling.

Mike's death is still hard for me to this day and am still dealing with the grief of losing a sibling to suicide. It's a very touchy and hard subject to talk about; so a lot of natives don't talk about it.

Sean RomboughDecember 08, 2010 16:19 EST

As a fellow journalist I covered the eastern arctic for over a decade and I consistently struggled to explain (and cope with) the complexities of suicide. This may just be the best outsider’s account of how historic, social upheaval is at the root of tragedies unfolding in today’s arctic. No it’s not “because it’s dark all the time” folks. And no, there are no magic wands available to untie knots bound up over a century of traumatic change in the North. Kudos to Tony.

loveApril 20, 2011 12:04 EST

Having a compelling perspective for our existence is actually what gives us a sense of total pleasure and enjoyment

Quvanoruq TukshaqNovember 07, 2011 21:16 EST

When I was child I never knew I had an older brother adopted out of my family. Once I found out that I did have a half brother I would write to him. I kept one of his letters he sent to me.
Later when I was a teenager we met in person when I was then living in Nome.
I would go visit him and I remember he taught me to play 3 different card games of "golf." He also taught me to do something I would never do again, call a cab and give them the false address.
On May 25th, 2005 at about 2 a.m. I caught an eerie feeling that someone was watching me as I slept but no one was there. I think that was my brother telling me his last goodbye. I didn't find out that it was him until a couple of days later when his relatives were able to bear us the bad news.

<3 Qt

AnonymousApril 26, 2012 14:58 EST

I can't say that I appreciate your attempts at throwing poetry into this.
What\'s the point of quoting Slayer lyrics from a song where they're singing about Joseph Mengeles part in the holocaust?

Synopsis:
Life in the village is hard.
Drugs and alcohol exacerbate depression.

Unimpressed and I certainly won't be sharing this with family members who cared about Michael.