Local photographer Bob Gassen has been a big part of the Kirkland community for 15 years. The Redmond resident and owner of Humanature Photography has been a part of the biggest milestones for many local residents, such as graduations, wedding anniversaries and even newborns. Many of those community members are now lending their support to Gassen at a time when he is attempting to reach some critical milestones of his own — like coming home to his family after nearly drowning.

“We have had an army of friends and community members helping us out,” said Jeff Gassen, Bob’s son. “They have been keeping our heads in a good way and keeping us strong. He has legions of people pulling for him. It is nice to know that when you get knocked down people have your back.”

Bob nearly died and was put into a medically-induced coma following a boating accident on Aug. 19 in Tacoma. He spent nearly a month at Tacoma General Hospital but recently returned to Kirkland for out-patient care at EvergreenHealth.

Jeff said that the support from the community has been one of the “wow” moments in a terrible situation.

The outpouring of support from the community can be seen on Jeff’s Facebook page where he has been updating his father’s condition every couple of days. One post has 112 likes. But the main place that the family has referred friends and community members to look for information is a blog at www.posthope.org/bobs-journey. The blog, updated by Bob’s daughter Nikki, chronicles many of the ups and downs.

The accident came at the end of an enjoyable day out on the water with friends.

“He was invited to go out on a boat on the Sound,” Jeff said. “They were getting ready to dock and somehow he fell in and almost drowned. He tried to swim to the dock but swallowed a lot of water.”

Jeff said his father was able to get close enough so people could pull him out. CPR was then performed after Bob fell unconscious and emergency medical personnel rushed him to the hospital.

“He was talking to us at 10:45 p.m. but he was pretty badly injured,” Jeff said.

Bob’s condition worsened to the point that doctors decided to put him into a coma to allow his body to recover. Bob would lose a week of consciousness while his family stood vigil.

“They needed to dry out his lungs. We were pretty close to losing him,” said Jeff, who has worked as a lifeguard. “Drowning is hard on the body and when you inhale saltwater it is really hard. We just had the right people at the right time. We owe it all to the hospital staff and the first responders.”

Bringing Bob to consciousness was not easy and the damage from the accident was evident from the start.

“There were little firsts here and there and then we got to a nice controlled ascension,” Jeff said.

Those little firsts included hand squeezing and wiggling toes. But there were many difficult times when they weren’t sure how well Bob would come out of it.

“He had to get his brain working again,” Jeff said. “Sometimes we would ask a question and get the correct answer and sometimes they were wrong.”

Little things, such as knowing the year, did not come back to Bob very easily. Eventually, he started walking on his own and whispering became talking.

“We’re still not sure about the long-term but he is doing a lot better,” Jeff said.

Jeff and his family have made sure that someone was at the hospital during the past month, including Bob’s wife Mary Gassen.

“They have been together for 30 or 40 years and she is a pretty strong woman,” Jeff said. “Her attitude is a difference maker.”

Mary’s first public words came on Sept. 4, writing on the blog: “Your love, prayers, positive thoughts and rosaries (yes, non-Catholics: look that up!) are so appreciated by our family as we rally together to help Bob take his next steps. As I watched Bob hooked up to all sorts of equipment, with the specialists reading all the metrics on display, I thought of Jeff’s tattoo: ‘Every breath … is a gift.’ The ventilator provided those breaths for Bob for 10 days. And with the expert care he received, his lungs began to resume their function. Breath is the foundation for life.”

Bob was moved back to the Kirkland area for in-patient treatment earlier this week.

“Bob will be out on the road again today,” Nikki wrote on Sept. 6. “He’s currently in the process of getting discharged from the hospital in Tacoma … The great news is that he is well enough to be transported by private vehicle and they must trust Mary enough to let her transport him …”

But it is unclear how long Bob will have in-patient therapy.

His absence from Humanature Photography has been tough. Jeff, along with helping to take care of his father and working his own full-time job, has been filling in for his father at the studio.

“We are fortunate that we have a great relationship with our clients and other business owners,” Jeff said. “It has defied any vision I had when this whole thing started. It’s hard to keep everything balanced but we are all doing our best to keep things going.”

Jeff said the business has had some small cancellations but only lost one big event.

But Bob’s work in the community goes beyond the Humanature Photography studio on Market Street. He takes photos for nearly every big event in Kirkland, such as Kirkland Summerfest, Kirkland Uncorked and nearly all the chamber events.

“He is the first guy we call,” said Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bruce Wynn. “You always see him at all the events taking photos. He is just kind of a part of Kirkland. If something is going on he is there and he is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the photo right.”

Bob, who is a member of Kirkland’s Rotary, has had a presence during many landmark events for local residents. He even foots the bill for Santa Claus to visit the city each year during the annual tree lighting ceremony in downtown Kirkland.

The timing of his return to Kirkland could not be more special for one Redmond resident – Mary, who will celebrate her birthday at the end of the month with her husband.