Is It Really Over!

Let me begin by saying thanks for the emails and concern about my health and safety. MS has been rearing its ugly behind, but I refused to let it dictate my life, I get SATISFACTION each and every time I do not allow the symptoms of MS keep me from doing something worthwhile. Besides going to graduations, doctors appointments, having medical test, (which I will talk about in my next post), the following is what I have been doing to keep from being in bed because of the symptoms MS kept throwing my way.

The month of May started with me, my husband, and dog (Shelly) spending the majority of our weekend in our emergency room. For three consecutive days, Mother Nature pounded us with rain, lightening, hail, and tornado threats. Unfortunately, many people in my city lost everything from the flood and did not have insurance. We were fortunate to live on the other side of town and the rain seized just in time, otherwise it would have flooded on my end of town. I did get a little water in my garage and the room from the garage. Thankfully I believe in all types of insurance coverage and I did have flood insurance to cover the small amount of water damage to my home. Below are a few pictures from when it stopped raining for an hour and my husband and I ventured out when we heard parts of our city was flooded. However, when it started raining again another levee breached, causing more damage and the evacuation of the Mid-South Naval Base.





I thought Friendship Safehaven was going to cancel its fundraiser May 7 and 8 because some of the children participating in the MASK program were displaced by the flood. To my admiration, the children wanted to exhibit the confidence they developed using theater art as their foundation. Watching them perform "Who Killed Kevin" made every Saturday from September 2009 to May 2010 worthwhile fighting MS symptoms to volunteer my time.

I felt like a mother giving birth. It was amazing seeing the transformation of the young people who were once shy, lacked confidence, and self-esteem to perform in front of 200 people each night as if they were professional actors and actresses. It also warmed my heart that they thought enough of the volunteers and gave us a dozen roses at the end of the final performance. With excitement in their voices stating, "We want to come back next year!" Finally, to hear the mother of two sisters in the MASK program say to me several days after the fundraiser, "You know my Dad died the day before the fundraiser, and had it not been for my daughters participation in the MASK program; they would have never stood together to read a poem out loud at their grand father's funeral. I am glad they participated and they are looking forward to coming back next year." Below are a few pictures of the MASK students during their performance of "Who Killed Kevin"











Between entertaining and enjoying some mother and daughter quality time when my Mother came to visit me for a week, I did not have time to sit down after Friendship Safehaven fundraiser. I have been volunteering my time with another program. If a program is about benefitting children and I believe in it, I will do whatever I can to help. Summer Camp Wellness is a free program for young people ages 7 through 17. The response to this camp has been phenomenal, therefore next year after the MASK program 2011 Summer Camp Wellness will be longer. I am looking forward to telling more about this program soon. The camp ends this Friday June 4 and I will back to regular blogging soon. I hope all of you have been in good spirits and health and I will be back to visiting your blogs soon.

BD...THANK YOU for the monetary support you have been sending to Friendship Safehaven. More pictures of the MASK students' performance and a video will be on the web site soon.

Whew, I completed the 2008 MS Walk

This year walk was fantastic…I did not let the pain I was feeling in my right leg STOP me from walking. I mustered all the energy I could retrieve, put on a smile and walked with my family, friends, and Melrose High School JROTC student volunteers, lead by 1st Sgt and my husband.

Words could not express who it felt to have all of them joining the movement because of me. I also humbly appreciate all the monetary donations made on my behalf to further research for a cure, educate the public, support for people and their family that live with ms, and most of all to be there for those who are newly diagnosis.

I will never forget the support I felt when I contacted the National Multiple Sclerosis Society when I was newly diagnosis, the “Knowledge is Power” series helped me to accept and learn how to live with MS. My commitment is to support anyone living with MS or a family member who needs to talk to someone that lived with the many challenges MS throw our way. ..I am just an email or comment away. :)





















I made it as an Elite Member again this year! This year Elite shirt is shaarrp; it is cold black with the words "Join The Movement" tastefully printed across the front in white. The back of the shirt has MS printed in gray with a white slash and National Multiple Sclerosis Society Mid South Chapter printed below in white.




This picture is special to me because it is of all the people that join the movement on my behalf and it was wonderful to see the students (in orange shirts) for the first time in their lives to visit Shelby Farms (there are actual buffalos there). Many of them express to me their joy of participating and having the chance to meet so many people from different backgrounds. One actually said, "It was nice to witness an area outside of my community where I hear nothing, but gunshots. I now understand what your husband speeches are about when we are in class. I want what he talks about in class and I plan to work hard to achieve it. I feel our school has been bless when he transferred here last year."

You Have To Keep Pushing

I submitted my name over a month ago to volunteer at the sixth U. S. Marshall Service Fugitive Safe Surrender pilot program in Memphis. My day to volunteer was on the very last day of the program which they told us at training it would be the busiest day of the program. When I know I have to do something I try not to exert myself so I can reserve my energy. My husband wasn’t too please when I told him our Friday night date night would have to be on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. You know how it is when a tradition is broken for a man, but we had fun leading up to Friday for my day of rest.

Of course I can not tell multiple sclerosis not to act up. Sometimes I wonder why ms act up when I have definite commitments. For some odd reason it never fails…the day before I have a commitment my entire body feels like it short circuits. I have the most annoying nerve tingles, pain, and limb jumping the night before my commitment. There was a time I would cancel out and each time I did that I would go into a depression because I felt as if I did not keep my word to someone or I was letting down my family or friend if my commitment was related to them.

It is a victory each and every time I push thru the agony of this unpredictable illness. I had a wonderful time at the Fugitive Safe Surrender program and met some amazing people. The best part of my volunteer experience Saturday was seeing citizens taking advantage of the Fugitive Safe Surrender program to surrender in the hopes of having a second chance in turning their live around. I saw all types of people from every walk of life, the expression on their faces and the temple of their walk when they first walked in was entirely different when they were walking out.

Memphis should be proud of how successfel the program was in its city they have beat the previous five states with the number of citizens surrendering. Cleveland in August 2005 saw 850 persons surrender over four days. In the November 2006 FSS Program in Phoenix, 1,320 persons surrendered. In Indianapolis in April, 530 persons surrendered. In Akron in July 2007, 1,125 persons surrendered. In Nashville in August 2007, 561 persons surrendered, and in September 2007 Memphis 1,600 persons surrendered.


David G. Jolley U.S. Marshal, Western District of Tennessee and I still managed a smile after a long day. I know he was glad the four days were over so he could get some much deserved rest.


To top off my day I had the opportunity to see the Blue Angels fly over my subdivision.