Category Archives: Giving Back

Miracle Monday

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Today I have a special request. It’s not for myself. Well, kind of, but not really.

My mom’s best friend is in need of a liver transplant. Desperately. She’s also been a second mother to me, for most of my life.

She hasn’t had an easy life. But she handles it with a great deal of grit, determination and such a no-nonsense attitude that I’m amazed at it all. She hasn’t been healthy for a long time, but her complaints are few and far between, and she’s rebounded from setbacks that would make most people throw in the towel.

And now she’s hit another roadblock.

And so I’m asking you for help. Actually, I’m pleading. Please, take a moment to say a prayer. Can we storm the gates of heaven for a miracle? A Christmas gift for Darlene, a blessing for her and her family…and all those that know them.

And if you’d like, you can leave a note for her. I will print them off and give them to Darlene, as a way to show her that there are people across the country that are on her side, joining her in the fight, and willing to spend a moment of time in prayer for her healing.

Thank you. I know it’s a season of giving, but this time I’m asking for something in return. It isn’t much, but it can make all the difference in the world.

And the winner is…

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Just a quick blog post to announce the winner of the Gooseberry Patch “Dinners on a Dime” cookbook!

 

 

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Really?

(Sorry, I love suspense!)

And the winner is…

 

Laine Hasper!

Which is completely crazy, because she won a cookbook from me way back when…but a totally deserving person. And I know she’ll use the cookbook well! 🙂

Congrats, Laine! And message me for pick up/mailing details. And perhaps you should head to Vegas, seems like you have some pretty awesome odds going in your favor!

Angel Project Update

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So, is there any good coming of this Christmas Angel Project? Well, I happen to think so. So far, I have matched up 15 different requests/angels…and hoping to keep it up for another 10 days.

Remember, you have until Dec. 15 to make a request on behalf of someone, or to volunteer to be a Christmas Angel yourself.

It’s the season for giving, right?

Yes, Virginia…

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I knew it would happen one day, but this one was a doozy…and I’m thinking someone may end up paying for it with her job.

Apparently a news anchor expressed her opinion during prime time that the easiest way to handle Christmas in these tough economic times was to tell children that there is no Santa Claus. Wow. I’m guessing the big guy’s gonna have some coal for someone’s stocking this year.

Now, as a mother of four children, oldest age 9, I’m constantly bombarded by the question, “Mom, is Santa real?” And my answer is always the same, “What do you want to believe?”

To me, the answer is simple. In a day when we are hit with so much bad news, so much doom and gloom, so many heart aches and issues, why do we need to pop the bubble of happiness that surrounds the Christmas season? Yes, my children know that celebrating Christmas is ALL about the birth of Jesus and what He has sacrificed for us. Christmas is a religious holiday in our house. Always has been, always will be. But does believing that someone delivers a gift for you, without expecting anything in return, all that different?

My children have never been told that a man in a red suit and reindeer is at our house. We don’t have a fireplace, and cookies aren’t always left. Sometimes we’re home, and sometimes we’re not. They know that the Santa’s in the mall are not the “real” Santa. And whatever else they have made up in their mind, is just that, their own beliefs.

Telling the world during the newscast that the solution to your financial woes at Christmas is to break your children’s hearts and tell them that the mystery surrounding Christmas is fake…well, that’s just plain mean. And I can tell you for a fact that it’s not true. There is a Santa Claus. He might not live at the north pole, he might not like cookies and he may be allergic to reindeer fur, but he’s real and he’s important and he lives inside each and every one of us.

And if you don’t believe it, then why would a woman from North Dakota set up a project to send gifts to and from people all around the country? (Speaking of which, click on the blue angel in the top right corner…I’m looking for more angels!) Why would a company set up red kettles throughout the country, knowing that others will give when they can? And why would children willingly give up their gifts, to another child that they know would appreciate it more?

God and santa CAN coexist…I’m pretty sure both big guys are OK with that. I know I am.

Wordless Wednesday – Thanksgiving

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Today’s post is mostly wordless by me…following you will find another survivor’s story, this one by Heather Von St. James. We are all given so much, and sometimes we don’t realize the “village” we have, until we need it.

And please, don’t forget to click on the blue angel in the right-hand corner! We need more angels and more gift suggestions! Let’s make this a season of giving!

The Strength of My Village

When a mother announces her pregnancy, a village surrounds her. Family, friends, co-workers and even strangers offer support and advice. This happened to me in 2005. On August 5, my husband and I welcomed our daughter Lilly into our family. Our village surrounded us in the hospital with well wishes as they met our daughter. In the months and years to come, I would realize how much I needed their support.

As the partial owner of three successful salons, I supervised 20 employees at one location and worked behind the chair until the day Lily was born. After a few weeks at home with my baby, I regretfully returned to work. Unenthusiastically, I accepted a location switch and a lighter workload. I really only wanted to be home with my child!

Motherhood brings health changes such as weight fluctuation, lack of energy and tiredness, but I soon began to experience severe symptoms. After losing an average of six pounds a week, I consulted my doctor. Blood work and a chest x-ray revealed fluid build-up around my left lung. The doctor prescribed more tests. On November 21, 2005, my medical team discovered the source of my unusual symptoms. In the lining of my lung, I had cancer called malignant pleural mesothelioma. Caused by asbestos exposure I had experienced as a child, the diagnosis came just three and a half months after precious Lily was born.

The doctors gave me 15 months to live, and my thoughts flew to my husband and child. I wanted to do whatever it took to save my life. My husband and I decided to pursue drastic treatment. On February 2, I underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy in Boston. Specialists removed cancer-laden organs and tissue and administered heated chemo to remove all the cancer. I spent 18 days in the hospital recovering from surgery. Two months of additional recovery prepared my body for chemotherapy then radiation. I survived the horrid medical treatments with help of my village.

My parents took Lily to live with them in South Dakota where my childhood friends and people from my church surrounded my parents who both worked full-time. They babysat Lily and made meals. Halfway across the country, my baby learned to roll over and eat solid food. So we could watch her grow, my mom emailed pictures of Lily that my husband printed out. In black and white, I watched my little girl grow and change. I fought for my life because of my daughter.

Five years later, I rejoice that I can stay home to care for my child. As we embrace life, Lily has learned to give to others in need. She befriends everyone she meets and really thrives because of the family, friends, and strangers who surround us. Because of the cancer diagnosis, I remain thankful for my many blessings. With the bad comes good, and my family appreciates every moment thanks to our village who so generously supported us then and continues to support us now.

 

Mesothelioma: www.mesothelioma.com
Diagnosis: http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/diagnosis/
Heather Von St. James: http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather/

Christmas Angel Project

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OK everyone, I’ve got an idea up my sleeve, but I need all of YOU to help me. Got it?

Here’s the plan (bear with me, I may babble a bit, but there’s a good plan here, I promise!):

I want you to email me suggestions, ideas, requests for Christmas wishes. For the sake of this project, please don’t make them unattainable (such as houses or vehicles), but they can be as simple as prayer requests, or a gift card to get a few groceries…think of someone in your neighborhood who may be down on their luck, or a young family who could use an extra smile. Be creative, I know you can!

You can email those requests to wagntales@gmail.com…and then I’ll compile the information. I will take emails up until Dec. 15, after that point, our angels would need some time to shop/ship/make whatever is needed!

While taking requests for those in need, I’m adding a twist to this charity drive. I’m taking requests for those who want to give. I know that a lot of us give locally, but let me tell you from experience, that giving anonymously is an AMAZING feeling! Imagine getting a package in the mail that you weren’t expecting?!? Isn’t that the coolest feeling in the world?

Anyway, if you can also email me at wagntales@gmail.com and let me know if you’re interested in being an angel…to what extent, etc. I’ll match up my requests to angels and let God take care of the rest! Sound like a deal?

Now, for the most part, I’m going to keep the requests confidential…only angels will have the information sent to me. I’ll do my best to set up good matches, but I’m human, so there may be some trial and error going on here. But I’m so excited about this opportunity to share our good fortune and blessings with so many others!

So here’s how I have it played out in my head (just to give you an example): Angie emails me, telling me that a lady in her neighborhood could use a helping hand with a few groceries this holiday season. She sends me a list of local grocery stores, the lady’s address and any specific items she may know that she needs (whatever would be helpful). I then look at my list of “angels” and see that Suzy is interested in sending gift cards and has access to one of the stores that has a site near Angie’s neighbor. I email Suzy the address and request for Angie’s neighbor and let Suzy take care of the rest. Got it? Questions?

Now, I get that there could be problems, issues, etc. I don’t pretend to think that this is the ultimate in plans…but I think we can work together and iron out any issues that may come up. I’ll do what I can to check out both the recipient and the giver prior to passing out any information, but trust me, nothing top secret is really going on here.

Alright, get to brainstorming some ideas for gifts, and let me know if you can help out with the “angel” end of things. I’ll keep you updated everyday on how many “matches” were made…and if I’m in need of more of one or the other!

I can’t wait to get this thing rolling! 🙂

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One Final Story…and a Winner!

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I would like to share one last story with you all…
Next month, it will be 3 years since I was diagnosed.  I was having problems with the vision in my left eye…seeing spots, flashing lights …and I noticed one morning that I couldn’t see out of the top half of my eye. The Dr’s office got me right in when I called. After a dilating my eye, an ultrasound and a few photos, the Dr called me back in to his office and explained it all to me. I just sat there looking at the pictures.

Then he said the words “Tina. Do you understand what I’m saying? You have cancer.”

My cancer is called Choroidal Melanoma. It’s a form of skin cancer and has attached itself to the back of my left eye. Normally the cancer is caught about the size of a match stick head…mine was bigger than a penny but smaller than a nickel. My eye doctor did not dilate my eyes two years in a row. He just checked my vision for new contacts.  If he had of, the tumor could have been caught much smaller that it was. So, when you see your eye Dr., please be sure he dilates your eyes so he can look behind them.

The treatment for my cancer was radiation. If… not when…but IF it spreads, I will take chemo.

He then scheduled an appointment for me to see an Opthalmic Oncologist in Memphis. .

I had to stay at the Cancer Center in Memphis for nine days…I came home the day before Christmas Eve. A radiation implant was surgically attached to the back of my eye and then surgically removed  8 days later. You’d think it would be uncomfortable wearing that thing, but it wasn’t. If I lowered my bottom lid, I could see part of the implant. Other than that, I just had to wear a shield over my eye to keep others from being subjected to the radiation. The radiation kills the tumor over time.
I’m going to spare you the photos…no sense in showing you how awful I looked at the time.  But I will tell you this…..I got a lot of stares and I scared small children…the stares I could deal with…scaring the children made me sad. So, I made a point to wear a patch if I went out. My eye was inflamed and very blood shot.

I see two different Oncologists, (one for my eye, and one to run CT and bone scans to see if the cancer has spread) a Retina Specialist (who gives steroid injections in my eye to help the retina heal….and YES…OUCH!) and a Dermatologist ( to check my skin, since it is Melonoma)…They will be my doctors for the rest of my life…They are all very caring, loving, awesome doctors!

To sum it up…I have lost the vision in my eye, I still see a few flashing lights (but nothing like I was), I have to use reading glasses for my good eye and I’ve had surgery to repair my eyelid so I can open my eye better now. And…the BEST NEWS!….the tumor is still getting smaller…and the cancer has not spread! Wooo Hoooo! Yay me! Yay God!!!

I told my doctors in the very beginning that I was going to be a miracle patient. I’ve got prayer warriors all over the world praying for me! So far, I have beat the odds on my cancer. I give that credit to God. My doctors are happy to see me each time I show up at my appointment.

It could take two more years for the tumor to be completely gone. But, I’m okay with that. I’m alive…and while I’m alive…I will keep living. I have a lot to live for…and God’s not finished with me yet!

Once again, I would like to just thank each and every one of you who have invited us into your lives, shared your stories, shared your fears, your pain, your triumphs and your tragedies. It’s been an amazing month for me…and I plan to give back more in the future.

Number selected...143! One of the "extra" entries earned by someone emailing a cancer story to me...and the winner was Rhonda Darbro!

 

 

The winner of the KitchenAid, and all the accessories is…Rhonda Darbro! Congratulations, Rhonda!

Tomorrow starts November, a month of Thanksgiving. Any ideas on what we should do?

Sunday Sharing

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I’m home from church today, sick. Yet, even on days like these, I count my blessings.

Tomorrow at noon, I will draw a winner for my Pink KitchenAid prize pack…I would like to thank EVERYONE who has participated, entered, shared their stories, whatever it may be.

So, for today, here are three more stories…blessings to you all:

On March 7, 2008, my husband’s younger brother got married. The next day we learned his oldest brother’s wife had lost her battle with breast cancer. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting her, I think of her often. We talk about her, her husband (my husband’s brother), and their two little boys often.

Starting last year we run the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run in memory of Tanya. I’ve jokingly told my family that I’ll run it until all I can do is walk and then I’ll have someone push me in a wheelchair if I have to. One day we hope to run it with our entire family. I can’t think of a more fitting way to cherish the memory of someone who went home to God at such a young age.

And another:

My sister has some cancerous breast tissue removed a couple of years ago and now my other sister has to go back and have another mammogram because something showed up in the 1st one. I don’t know all the medical terms for what they have right now but as soon as you hear the word Cancer you get nervous. I haven’t had a mammogram in 4yrs. I didn’t even realize it was that long. I have been seeing the same doctor too and he never mentioned to me I should get one. So I have an appt. this October to have mine done. It is so important for us as women to take control and get this done. God bless all the cancer patients in this world.

And one last one for today…

I will never forget my Mom and Dad’s 28th wedding anniversary.  She came to see me at work and had an IV in her hand.  I asked her what
was going on, since she also works at the same hospital that I do, but it was her day off.  She took me into our nurses lounge with my Dad at
her side and said, “I had a colonoscopy today, and they found a mass.”  Then she started to cry.  She was only 49.

I immediately went into nurse mode and started to grill her with questions.  She had the colonoscopy done at a different facility, but came back to our hospital to get labs and other tests done, then was going home.  I was numb the rest of the day.

The next day, I went to Columbus for a Young Farmer conference, and Mom went back to work.  Dad called me that evening and said that Mom started to bleed at work, and it wasn’t stopping.  She left work(which NEVER happens!) and Dad took her straight to Fort Wayne.  They admitted her to the larger hospital, with a colorectal surgeon, and gave her blood transfusions.  (One of the biopsy spots failed to clot, which was the source of her bleeding).  She was in the hospital a few days, then was released to home.  She had a colon resection on September 6, and found out 5 days later they got it all.

She lucked out, had a great surgeon, and an even greater faith in God.  No chemo or radiation.  Just frequent checks with her surgeon.  So pay attention to your body.  It does talk to you.  All you have to do is listen, and have faith.

Yes…you are so right. All we have to do is listen, and have faith.

Tomorrow morning’s post will wrap this month up…and I’ll explain why I did all this. And then, at the stroke of 12 (or close there to), I will draw the name of a lucky winner of this sweet KitchenAid. Good luck to all who entered…and more importantly, good luck to all who shared their stories. May God bless every one of you.

Gooseberry Patch Recipe #7 and a KitchenAid!

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Last night I was planning on being involved in a great online connecting party with Rockin’ Rural Women…but fate stepped in. At about 8:20 p.m., our power went out. And it stayed out forever (according to my boys).

Things that I learned last night:

* Four-year-olds will turn on every light in the house, and then report back that, yes, the light in such-and-such a room is not working either.

* For some reason, my boys cannot fall asleep if the power is off. I don’t know why, but believe we should have a federal study regarding this phenomenon. Really, it makes more sense than some of the other things they study.

* LeapPads make great flashlights when surprised with a power outage.

* Throwing out all my candles when my boys went through a stage of playing with them, was (in hindsight) not the greatest idea I’ve ever come up with.

* During a power outage is not the best of time to find out that your children have taken all the batteries out of your flashlights. But, I mean, how else would they power their toys when you refuse to replace dead batteries? I may have to rethink my decisions here.

Yes, it was an interesting, exciting and quiet evening. But we got through it. And thankfully, I had put some potatoes in the oven before the power went out…and they were the only thing done enough to eat for supper! But the boys LOVED them! And I’ll make them again (along with the rest of supper), tonight.

Here is Gooseberry Patch Recipe #7…Buttery Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients

All you need, and I had it all on hand!

 

 

  • 3 T. butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 redskin potatoes, halved

Everything, ready to go. So simple!

 

 

Pour butter into a 9″X9″ baking pan; sprinkle cheese over butter. Arrange potatoes cut-side down over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until tender. Serves 4.

*Notes: You can easily bump this recipe up to serve more. And it’s absolutely, wonderfully easy and delicious. My boys requested more…and were disappointed that the power was off and we couldn’t make more. But I promised more tonight, and that’s what we’ll have!

Just to prove the power was out. (Actually, I took this photo minus the flash...didn't work so well in the dark.)

 

 

After serving each child half a potato, I thought I might have some left to taste!

 

 

I was wrong.

 

 

 

Cost : Are you sitting? Nothing. Nada. Zip. I had the butter and Parmesan on hand, and the potatoes were from the garden. So, it truly, truly was a “Dinner on a Dime.” Love it!

Now, be sure to enter my KitchenAid giveaway. I will be drawing a lucky winner at NOON on Monday! What a way to celebrate the end of a great Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Halloween…all in one! 🙂

Wordless Wednesday – My Blog, Your Battles

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Another Wordless Wednesday post from me…another story from you.
As this giveaway is wrapping up, I just would like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has entered and has shared with us. I’ve learned so much through all of this…and I truly mean that. If I could, I would give each one of you a KitchenAid! 🙂 If you’re new to my blog, and don’t know what we’re talking about, check out this post here and sign up. I’ll be giving away a PINK KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer and some accessories at noon on Monday! 🙂 Yay!

Just to prove it really arrived! I was so excited! Maybe I'll just end up buying one for myself. (Hey, Boss Man, that's a HINT!)

 

Here is another heartfelt story on how cancer has changed someone’s life:
I was born and raised in Southern California and I am not where I am today because my plan went the way I hoped but because of unexpected events. I’ve learned that is what life is…just a bunch of unexpected events. Nothing ever goes to plan and that can still be a very good thing.
My husband and I met in 2005 and what intrigued me most about him was that he lived such a different life than what I knew. His dad was/is a sheep rancher and he grew up in the country. Unpaved roads, knowing all your neighbors, no street lights kind-of-country and here he was in the big city of Los Angeles making snow action sports films.
Five years later I’m married to the small town boy, settled and adjusted in the great state of Colorado and don’t plan on moving back to California.
This past August 2010 my father in law had a bad fall. He tore ligaments in his shoulder and was put in a sling until surgery could be performed. While in a sling he felt a lump in his breast. Cancer. Breast Cancer. Between the shoulder injury and chemo treatments it would be months, maybe years before he’d be able to work on the ranch again.
His parents asked us if we would help out on the ranch and work to eventually take over the sheep operation. They plan to retire and enjoy life after they kicked this cancer’s a**. My husband and I always knew there was a possibility to move to the ranch but never thought it would happen this soon. Within weeks my husband and I quit our jobs, packed our things in a horse trailer and headed to SW Colorado.

From all this I’ve learned that it’s not about the things you have – your house, your car, your clothes or how much money you make. Life is about what you have in your heart and the love that surrounds you.

I say that and mean it 100% because I gave up quit a bit to make this move, but I gained so much more than I could have imagined in return.