The Passing of my Mother

My Mother had been fighting colon cancer for over six years now.  Up until recently she fought it hard and even seemed to be winning some of the battles.  In the last month though the battles became more then even she could fight. Although I moved in with her this past August to help her around the house and be there for her it just got harder and harder on her. I cherish those few months that I actually got to live with my Mother again and would do it all over again if I had the chance. For a while her doctors were encouraged on this last treatment option of chemotherapy and she was even gaining some weight and a little of that lost energy would come through.  About a month or so ago she had to be taken to the hospital for a compression fracture in her back, which the doctors were able to relieve the pressure from with a procedure.  Once we brought her home I could tell she was very tired and was going downhill.  She once asked me, "why do you want to keep me hanging around here"? I told her it wasn't just me but her entire family and especially her grandson, Alex, who adored having here around.  On her last trip to the hospital, as I was helping her into the wheelchair, she looked me straight in the eyes and simply said, "I am dying".  It was after that the doctors all stated that they had done all they could for her and suggested placing her in Hospice.  From that point I could tell Mom was tired and in more pain so we tried to make her as comfortable as possible for her last few days here on earth.  My mother passed into the Kingdom of Heaven at 9:21 PM on April 16, 2012 with myself and my brother at her side.  My mother spent her life helping other as a Nurse, parent, grandparent and helping her loving pets. Rest in Peace Mother!

Storm Season is Upon Us

Image via Wikipedia

It seems that the spring storm season has started early in the Midwest and Southern states.  Over the last few days strong storms have spawned many tornadoes and severe storms that have caused massive damage and many deaths.  It is very important that we all take these storms seriously when they are forecast.  To many people think that it won't happen to them and then find that it is to late to take shelter.

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• Video: Deadly storms wreak havoc on Midwest, South (cbsnews.com)
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• Tornado Path 2012: Second Round of Storms Predicted for Midwest, South [MAPS] (ibtimes.com)
• Tornadoes rip Midwest, killing 13; heavy snow hits Upper Midwest (wunderground.com)
• Indiana bears brunt as US storm system inflicts 'extreme damage' | World news | guardian.co.uk (2012indyinfo.com)

PFC Justin Whitmire

Yesterday, January 6, 2012, I had the honor of leading the funeral procession for PFC Justin Whitmire, a U.S. Army Medic that was killed in Afghanistan on December 27, 2011.  This young man was only 20 years old and had only been in country for 17 days when his life came to an end by an IED.  I did not know PFC Whitmire but in the days before his funeral I learned a lot about him and was touched by his courage and need to serve is country.  I was asked by our Chief of Police to lead the funeral procession which I accepted as a great honor.

The outpouring from the community was overwhelming.  There were threats by the Westboro Baptist Church that they would attend the funeral in protest.  The community responded with hundreds showing up in support of PFC Whitmire and his family.  There were flags flying and people lining the procession route shoulder to shoulder.  As I led the procession in my patrol car I could not hold back my tears as I saw the support and love of this community with there signs and flags waving. Although it was such a sad day I could not help but be touched by the community and the way they came out for this young hero.

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• Justin M. Whitmire (americanheroesmemorial.wordpress.com)
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• US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,741 (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

The end is near, 2011 that is!

The year 2011 is about over and I have been thinking about the year in hindsight as 2012 approaches.  I can't say that 2011 was a terrible year for me but it sure could have been better and in saying that I realized that 2011 was better than 2010.  I still had my share of late year medical issues to include a battle with shingles on the left side of my face and a bout with a kidney stone, both of which required me to take time off of work.  Work went pretty well for me this past year although I jumped from day shift to night shift and then back to day shift again over a 8 month period.

Overall I really have a lot to be thankful for and very little to regret.  I guess the best thing is to keep a positive attitude about everything that goes on in my life.  The new year will only be as good as I make it. I am not big on making New Years resolutions as I prefer to just say I will do all I can to make it a better year for me and those around me. 

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Good Boy Roy - A teens dream comes true.

Currently Zack has 18 different designs and 8 unique characters, but there are a lot more characters and scenes waiting to be put on t-shirts in the future, but for now Good Boy Roy is focused on generating more sales for their existing designs and building the brand. In terms of what Zack has planned for the Good Boy Roy brand, he wants to make this his full time job after he graduates high school. However Zack has a much bigger vision for Good Boy Roy, as he wants it to be “on everything and everywhere,” and even become a cartoon someday where he can do the voice. Zack lives here in Simpsonville and can be found on the web at http://GoodBoyRoy.com.

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• Good Boy Roy catalogue (goodboyroy.wordpress.com)

Indomitable Spirit: The 236th Marine Corps Birthday Message

Is October over yet?

Image by cobalt123 via FlickrOctober does not seem to be the best month for me. Last year I was out almost the entire month of October because of slin cancer surgery and recovery and now this year October was an almost complete write off for work because of a case of Shingles. Now I had heard of Shingles but had no idea how you get them or the intense pain it can cause, especially when you break out with them on your face. I ended up in the ER twice over a 4 day period because of the pain it caused. Once the pain finally got under control it was just a matter of letting the Shingles heal. Hopefully I will get back to work by the end of this week.

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