We were saddened to hear that reporter Zane Sparling recently passed (“Zane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33,” June 22. Our paths crossed briefly, but memorably, a couple of years ago when Zane reached out to us for an interview.
We are the parents of Deg. Zane wrote an article about her decision to end her life after a mass shooting in Portland that stole her independence (“The Normandale Park gunman left her paralyzed. In death, she took back control,” Aug. 23, 2024).
The circumstances surrounding the shooting were initially confusing and the reporting was misrepresented by officials and media. We were wary of any press inquiries, including Zane’s, but wanted the truth of our daughter‘s story to be told…