Benefit for former Herald managing editor set for Saturday

• Kevin Grinde

Kevin Grinde, shown several years back in a photo for his outdoors columm. A benefit for Grinde, the former Herald outdoors editor and managing editor who had a liver transplant in November, will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Knights of Columbus in Grand Forks.

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• AREAVOICES: Benefit for Kevin Grinde

An event to raise funds to benefit the family of former Herald Managing Editor Kevin Grinde is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, his birthday, at the Knights of Columbus club in Grand Forks.

Grinde is recovering from a liver transplant in early November at a Mayo-affiliated hospital in Rochester, Minn.

A spaghetti feed and silent auction are planned, and a free-will offering will be accepted. Donations will be used to cover on-going medical and general living expenses.

Grinde’s liver transplant became necessary because an immune deficiency doctors diagnosed in 2010 had accelerated his liver’s deterioration and rapidly threatened his kidneys and other organs. What was scheduled as a testing appointment at Mayo quickly became a fight for his life in the intensive care unit.

Grinde and his wife, Sara, returned to their East Grand Forks home shortly before Christmas to continue his recovery, which has presented physical, emotional and financial challenges.

“Certainly it’s been an ordeal for Kevin and his family,” said Brad Dokken, Herald outdoors editor who helped organize the benefit along with several longtime friends and coworkers at the Herald and Sara Grinde’s coworkers at Altru Health System. “Through it all, he’s kept a positive outlook on it.”

Dokken, who met Grinde in 1983 when both were students at Bemidji State University, said he’s impressed by how the family has met this challenge.

“How can you not be amazed at what he’s been able to do in recovery. In a lot of ways, his recovery has gone much faster than a lot of people had expected,” Dokken said. “Like others, I can’t imagine what that’s been like to go through that.”

In 1985, Grinde joined the Herald as a copy editor for Agweek and recruited Dokken to Agweek later that year. Grinde became Herald news editor in 1989 and managing editor in 1998.

“I hope there’s a great turnout on Saturday,” Dokken said. “Everything’s falling into place, and it looks like the weather is going to cooperate.”

The event is co-sponsored by the North Dakota Association for the Disabled and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans which is providing some matching funds.

Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to: NDAD/Kevin Grinde, 2660 Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND 58201.

For more information, contact Jeri at (701) 775-5577.

Reach Knudson at (701) 780-1107; (800) 477-6572, ext. 107; or send e-mail to pknudson@gfherald.com.

Tags: gf and egf, grand forks herald, helping hands, thrivent financial, updates, journalists, benefits, fundraisers, outdoors, ndad, liver, health, transplants