Category Archives: Cancer Awareness

Daily Prompt: Person of the Year

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You’re asked to nominate someone for TIME’s Person of the Year. Who would it be, and why?

My nominee for Time’s Person of the Year would be my best friend, the love of my life, Mr. Barry L. Baynes. He does not feel he would deserve such an honor, but in my eyes he was the only person I would consider nominating. He has been my night in shining armor for several years.

Barry suffered a massive right-sided stroke in Dec. 2012. I almost lost him. His percerverence and determination not to let that stroke get him down, has given me strength and will to push through the health issues I have currently and really push myself into recovery and staying healthy.

Barry has been my love, my companion and my chauffer through what feels like millions of appointments with numerous doctors.

We started the year off running in January,  with a referral to a breast specialist at Emory over something suspicious on a mammogram. We were off to learn our way around another section of Emory University Hospital‘s clinics. (By now, Barry and I should have a wing dedicated to whatever we want.)

When Barry was not feeling well, he was there, never complaining always supportive. He gets stronger (from the stroke) daily. I can see the changes. He strength never faltered.

He has been my rock, he let me draw on his strength as I needed to. He was always positive. As doctors delivered news we really did not want to hear, Barry had a smile on his face. He tried to keep my mood elevated the best he could.

When I knew he wasn’t feeling his best, he tried to not let it show. He is always encouraging and loving.

All of the above are reasons, Mr. Barry L. Baynes, would be my nominee for Time’s Person of the Year. I could not think of anyone more deserving of this award.

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Jill and Barry Baynes

Should we take a vacation or rest and heal?

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Having breast cancer is such an issue. To start off, everything is rush, rush, rush to get a diagnosis. They will put you through a mammogram. ultrasound, MRI, and biopsy in one afternoon. Making you think you have some horrible problem that needs to be removed NOW! After all this, they schedule you to see a doctor a few weeks out. They freak you out about the possibility of cancer and then the wait is on.

When you get an actual diagnosis and the rush is back on to see a breast surgeon. You see the doctor and the rush is back on to remove the tumor, at the surgeons convenience. Once that is over, the weight is on again. Then you receive a call and are given date to see oncologist. The Radiation Oncologist at 11am and the Medical oncologist at 3:30pm. All in the same day, but there is no way to get the appointments closer together. After packing for a day at the hospital clinic, we head to the second appointment. They had a no-show and we got in early. It was nice to get in and out of there quickly.

The one thing I didn’t enjoy was listening to the same speech from two different doctors for over an hour each time. One doctor even wanted to know if the other had explained properly a certain lab test that can decide my need for chemotherapy or not and they both asked if the surgeon had gone over anything with me.

Without asking for our response again, We were given  appointments to get ready for radiation treatments, then found out at the next appointment, it would be hurry up and wait for blood-work ordered and a test on the tumor they removed. I feel like I know absolutely nothing about what is going to happen for my treatments. Better yet, I have an idea of the treatment, I just have no clue when the treatments will start. Maybe. by the end of the summer, I’ll have an idea when this will be over.

I have to remember this is in God’s hands and I need not worry. He’ll make sure things are under control. Take one day at a time. In this waiting period, should Barry and I rest and take time to heal or should we take off somewhere?

English: pink ribbon

English: pink ribbon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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For the Week of June 9, 2013: When You’re Laughin’…

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When You’re Laughin’…

I may have written about this one before, but I giggle to myself everytime I think about it! My father is such a caefree soul. Nothing ever appears to phase him. He could be pants’ ed by a naked clown and nothing, no response. I guess I get it from him. It takes a lot to get me going. If I am to the point of tears, leave me alone. If it is happy tears, point me to the bathroom quickly.

My dad was out out for lunch with his girlfriend, Charlene. They had a great time at lunch and were getting ready to leave. Pop got the check from the waitress and was headed to pay the check, while Charlene checked her make-up. While standing in line, a car in the parking lot caught dad’s attention. He thought he recognized someone.

The cashier said next, pop went to take a step forward when he realized his pants are around his ankles. He non-chalantly looks around the room, no one appears to have noticed. He slowly leans over, to grab his pants. He quickly pulls them up, as he glances around the room. He wants to make sure no one has seen what happened. When he was sure his pants were secue, he ran to the car.

He and Ms. Charlene have never eaten at that restaurant again. I can’t believe my dad was actually embarassed.

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Photo display leading to my wonderful news

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Received wonderful news, Margins are clear….now off to Radiation Oncologist to discuss treatment! Thanks for the prayers and support!

Writing through Cancer for week of June 2, 2013: Hope is a thing with feathers!

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This is a continuation of our post earlier this week:

That sweet little boy at the Birthday Party, looking and hoping he could find more presents hidden within the gift wrap piled on the floor. He was frantically searching; he was positive, he would find one more present. he was showing he had total faith in his situation. His thoughts alive with the feeling of hope.  He just knew he would find one more present. So adorable searching.

Before we had wrapping paper all over the house, we got a bag and played gift wrap basketball. Making a game out of the cleanup, let him see there were no more presents. he was able to focus on the gifts he received and the house full of people who came to celebrate with him and his sister.

Hope covers many aspects of  our lives.Dealing with a serious illness brings hope into your life in several ways. you hope the illness will not get bad, you hope to live through whatever illness you are going through, you hope your families will be there for you and not change their minds as you get worse, you hope the people you have called friends for years will be there when you need them.

There is so much hope involved in illnesses. It is hard to deal with hope, when you are fighting so hard to stay healthy and you find yourself surrounded by people you cannot count on. You need to remember that God is always there. Giving your troubles and burdens to God must be done with total faith, then we can continue our walk in life with the assurance that when trouble comes; we know God is there and that whatever the new trouble is,God is never surprised, for He is with you.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the middle of the sea. If your faith is not strong, we lose hope and start looking for a quick fix.

Psalm 46:1-God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble

Psalm 31:24-Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord

Psalm 33:18-Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Psalm 33:22-Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Psalm 38:15-For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.

                 King James Version (KJV)     

It is that faith,  is our Hope and knowledge that God knows when we are on this rocky bumpy road, and holding that faith is when God puts his loving arms around us and smooths out the road ahead.

Though we may never know the why, but really do we need to know, because this is where we gain Wisdom as we talk to God and, no matter what comes our way, you know God will see you through it.

Through my illness, I have struggled with worry, stress, and anything else that made me worry. It wasn’t until I started praying for hope, mercy and understanding that I was able to but my health in God’s hands. I recently went through a breast cancer ordeal that I had no worries about I knew it would be ok. God was doing the hard work for me.

I am currently struggling with another issue. I am handing it over to the good Lord tonight hoping he can lead me in the right direction with re-motivating my partner in crime, I’m wearing my husband out. Barry suffered a stroke a few years ago and is doing wonderful, but he’s worn out. I need to see what I can do to give him a break. We both need a break, but that will have to wait a little longer. I do not know what I would do without him.

One day at a time!

Round 2

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We go tomorrow to get lab results from the second surgery. I’m praying there will be clean margins, if not she csn tell me she can do the mastectomy and chemo/radiation will handle the rest.

Haven’t slept well lately, I’m off to bed to see if I can get some rest. I’ll post news ehen I have it. No news is good newd in my book. Sweet dreams all!

Jill and Barry Baynes

Writing through Cancer for week of June 2, 2013: Hope is a thing with feathers!

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When I think of hope, the saying, “Hope springs eternal” is the first thing that comes to mind. The sad thing about this phrase is it sounds cheerful and sweet, when it means things are hopeless! What a nice way to say something is hopeless. (from Alexander Pope’s poem, “Essay on Man” from 1734)

-Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never is, but always to be blessed:

The soul, uneasy and confined from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Origin of Hope Springs Eternal From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Springs_Eternal

Definition of Hope From:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope

How do I write about hope? My best example is my great-niece and nephew’s birthday party. My great-niece is older, so she understood presents a little better than her brother. I love kids, especially my sister’s kids and their grandchildren. Since I was unable to conceive a child, I spoiled my sister’s children with the loudest, most annoying toys I could find. I was younger and in better health with my older sister’s kids, so I was able to spoil her children more than my younger sister. But I’m having fun with them now, they are older and understand my illness better.

Julie-bug is my oldest sister’s daughter. I have recently discovered that she doesn’t care if we give her kiddo’s noisy toys, Soooooooo…….watch-out Bugs, you may not know what your quiet Uncle Barry is capable of. He is a prankster in disguise. My oldest sister’s brother’s do not have children yet, so their time will come. We cannot wait!

The party we went to was precious. My niece has turned into Super Mom! She is so creative and always has been. Home-made everything from decorations to the cake. She is Wonder Woman. I am so proud. She has always made me feel like a special part of her life and I feel honored that she has let me be part of her life! She has accepted Barry as her uncle as if he had been around her entire life. It thrills Barry to be a part of her kids lives. Luke too, of course. Julie did a super job in that department also. Her hubby is a sweetheart and treats her like a gem!

OK, back to the party……our little nephew would open his gifts, play with the toy for a while and  on to the next gift. When he got to the last of the gifts and the only thing left was paper. He searched every inch of the paper, numerous times,  looking for another present. Until his sweet mommy picked the paper up, he was positive there was another gift lost in all that paper. When Julie took the paper away, he had a look of sheer disappointment on his sweet little face. Just adorable!

About 30 minutes later, he found the bag of gift wrap. By the time he was found, he was upside down in the trash can still looking through the paper. When he was pulled out of the can, all he said was “Birthday, please”. The can had to be removed from the room.

I love kids. I would have had a houseful if I could have, but Barry and I are enjoying being Aunt Gege and Uncle Bear! All six niece’s and nephews have called us that. I’m still called Gege by the 30 year olds. They are still adorable. We love you guys! I hope this is a good example of Hope. A little boy’s Hope that there were more presents. Adorable! I am a little prejudiced.

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month

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Thanks for everything you did!

Thank you for everything you do to aid those of us dealing with this daily!  God Bless you all!

Jill and Barry Baynes

Round Two Prep: Clearing the Margins

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As my second trip under the knife, for breast cancer approaches, my mind is clear and worry free. I think of the tasks I need to complete before leaving in the morning, a sweet lady from church is taking mom to her appointment in the morning, Maggie will be taken care of when we leave, and my bag is packed. All Barry and I need to do is get up and leave.

Although my mind is clear, I’m not looking forward to even light anesthesia.  I’m not fully out of the last round and here I go again. Maybe it will flush out easily. I’m learning to enjoy water again. Maybe that is my lesson of the month, drink more water.

I need to be up by 4am, if I can ever get to sleep. I’m tired, but my head doesn’t want to stop. I’ll lay down in a few minutes. Barry is taking me tomorrow and he’ll be alone. Hopefully he will not be a nervous wreck. I worry anout him being alone. He is tolerating stress better than he used to.

For the week of May 26, 2013, Writing through Cancer

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Reclaim the sacred in your life.  Embrace quiet, the stillness.  Meander along a trail, near the sea, the woods, a long walk along city streets.  Take in the sights, sounds, smells, and movement.  Write about what you see—one single observation.  Describe it and let it take you wherever it takes you.

Sunday afternoon is my favorite time of the week. Mom knows Barry is watching Nascar, which means we get approximately 3 hours of total peace and quiet.  No interruptions, just Barry, myself and Maggie May. Oops….I can’t forget Shotgun, the fish.

Don’t get me wrong, having mom here is turning into a blessing. I feel better knowing she is close, since Barry and I have handled illnesses like hers, in the past. Although she can be challenging to deal with at times, she is my mommy and has a way of keeping life interesting around the house.

On Sunday afternoon, Barry and I veg-out in our chairs in the living room. Maggie will make the rounds from me, to Barry and then to the couch, where she will usually stay snuggled up in her blanket. She is the sweetest looking thing all snuggled up and sleeping.

The funny thing with our little pup, is that she poots (little squeakers) and snores like a sailor when sleeping. If you are sitting near her when the squeakers start, Move fast!

As Barry and I watch the race, I can hear the bubbling fish tank in the background. Noise from the street is minimal, most days. The weekends appear to bring out Motorcycle alley, on the road behind us. I think a local riding group meets at the clubhouse nearby to start there weekend ride.

We live in a beautiful area to ride. I enjoy hearing the motors ride by every weekend. Maggie doesn’t understand and spends time watching them out the window. Just precious.

As the racecars on the television make their preverbial left turn for the Nascar fans; the hum of the engines slowly makes my nap draw closer. I spend my time during the race talking with Barry, making a list of things I need to do for the week, and I work on my nails. When my body is to the point, that the hum of the engines makes me want to curl up with a pillow and blanket, I do! I usually sleep like a baby, until Barry wakes me up to get ready for church.

My house is not perfectly clean. It looks lived in. In my opinion, your home should be clean and lived in. There are a few clothes I need to hang up on the rocker. The pup keeps the couch turned upsidedown. Barry is quietly rocking in his recliner, close to napping himself. Mom is very quiet in the back. I need to checkmon her.

Here I sit, typing my post. If I’m not too sleepy, I’ll get my word for the weekend posted. Otherwise, I’ll play catch up all week. My everyone have a wonderful Memorial Day! Shake a soldiers hand and say thank you. Hope everyonenis blessed with weather as gorgeous as ours. Be safe!