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Jerry’s Greatest Challenge
9-23-2007 through 9-30-2007
This Week Has Been Memorable
Editors Note: This is the 30th week since Jerry was diagnosed with lung cancer. Jerry has reported each week regarding the progress, treatment, feelings, events and thoughts as he goes through this challenge. To reach Jerry email him at Jerry@JerryFowler.com
From Jerry: This has been one of the best weeks I have had since being diagnosed with cancer.
I have talked many times about the highs and lows of a cancer patient. One day you are great and the next you are going through many challenges. This is the nature of cancer, which makes dealing with it more difficult.
This last week has been one of the highs. We started off on Monday with a dinner honoring all the past board chairs for the Lexington/Richland School District 5 School System followed by one of the best school board meetings I have been involved in.
Health wise this week finds me back to normal in feelings after last week which was one of the worst. I attended my cancer support group and as always thoroughly enjoyed sharing with other members of our group.
I also met with a gentleman who is interested in starting a Cancer Foundation, which would aid and help the caregivers. Many times I have spoken about this need. Seems as if everyone wants to cure cancer or help the cancer patients however I know of no groups or foundations which has been formed for the sole purpose of helping the caregivers. This looks as if this may become a reality. More on that later however if you are interested we need your help, so please contact me.
The highlight of my life came on Saturday in Laurinburg, NC. As you all know my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and was successfully operated on last month. She now will start Chemo treatments to make sure all cancer has been eradicated.
Mother’s birthday was 8-29-2007 and she was 80 years old. The cancer stopped us from planning what we wanted to do and that was to have a large celebration for her 80th birthday. This was to be a surprise however how could do this without her knowing?
The plans were set with my sisters Angela and Cyndy in North Carolina. We planned to have a celebration at one of the restaurants in Laurinburg that Angela’s boss owned. Of course we had to keep this a surprise. The party would include most of her close friends that mother knew and loved. Cyndy and Angela worked very hard to make all the arrangements. Judy and I needed to go to Laurinburg to help make this successful. How could we assure that mother would not know? I was to pick her up at the home however very carefully planned items needed to be done.
When the count was tallied we realized that over 200 people would attend. I was impressed. I had no idea so many people knew and loved my mother.
The restaurant would supply all the fixings. This was fun. I invested hours building a Power Point Presentation featuring mother entitled “This is Your Life” and took her back to from infant to the present day. I told her that we were coming to Laurinburg for the weekend to visit her and we wanted to take her out for lunch. She agreed of course and she did not think anything of us coming. To set the stage I called her at 9:30 Saturday morning to tell her we were leaving Chapin. She did not realize that we were almost there. I had to have time to help set up the presentation and make final arrangement with Cyndy and Angela before picking her up. We arrived at the restaurant almost 3 hours prior to the scheduled surprised.
The restaurant was not open to the public until 5 that afternoon and our party was from 12:30 till 4:00 PM.
When we entered the restaurant a dear friend Robert Currie and Skip, my brother in law was there to set up the needed sound system. I was busy getting all the final details ready with the equipment to make mother’s “This is Your Life” presentation. I noticed my sister Cyndy was very nervous. I could not understand why she was so nervous however I continued to work. Finally Cyndy asked me to go get mother although it was early and before the time I told her I would pick her up. Finally Judy and I drove to pick mother up and when we arrived mother acted like she was in no hurry to leave. I found this odd because mother is always punctual and on time.
We had every detail planned. How we would enter the restaurant. What the waiters would do when we arrived. How we would be seated. How the people there would turn their heads in the opposite direction so mother could not recognize them. Every detail was planned. Mother had never been to this restaurant but she knew where it was. I had told mother that Cyndy had told me that McDuffs was a great restaurant and we should try it. She agreed. As we were driving there I almost took some wrong turns so she could correct me. I was trying to make sure she knew nothing and we would not reveal this great surprise. When we arrived the parking lot was over crowded. There were even cars lined in other parking lots. I told mother as we entered the parking lot that it looks like this is a very popular place and they may not have room for us. She said the same however I told her that we could walk in and if it was too busy we could just leave. The stage was set. Now the drama was building. We walked in and the wait staff was there. “Good afternoon sir”, she said. “How many, smoking or non smoking”. I told her three and she proceeded to seat us. I deliberately did not look around so mother would not look around. I was trying to keep her attention on me rather than the crowd.
Cyndy had told me to keep her occupied until maybe she noticed something was unusual. Finally it started. The crowd started singing Happy Birthday. I looked at mother and said, wow, another birthday. Must be someone important since the entire crowd is signing. A friend started playing Happy Birthday on the trumpet. We all started singing and as I listened to my mother she sang, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jerry and I sang happy birthday dear Glenna. Mother said No, this is not for me, it’s for Jerry and then she started crying. The crowd on the first song sang happy birthday dear Glenna then sang another verse singing happy birthday dear Jerry. My birthday was on the 25th of September. I had never dreamed that Cyndy, Angela, my mother and Judy had just pulled it over on me when in fact I thought we had surprised my mother.
The reason it was so easy to get mother to go along is she thought they were planning a surprise party for me and of course I thought we were planning a party for her when in fact it was a surprise party for both of us. We had both been fooled and we all worked hard to make sure we were setting the perfect stage for each other.
Cyndy, Angela, my wife Judy, my employees, many friends from Laurinburg had pulled off the largest surprise of my life and I thought we were doing this only for my mother.
This was very successful. I saw friends and classmates I have not seen in 40 years. Even coach Barber, my coach in High School was there. This was so special to both of us however for me, since I had never had a class reunion it was like a reunion of a lifetime. What a treat. I could never express the feeling of love and attention to details all the planners including my wife, employees and my mother had executed. Mother saw many friends and people she had not seen in years and almost all her grandchildren and great grandchildren were there from several states.
The best part was after I finished my 120 slide presentation about my mother; my sister Cyndy stood up and presented a “This is Your Life” presentation about me. I was in shock.
I could go on for days about this wonderful weekend.
God is good and so is life.
God bless each and every one of you and remember if you need me just email me at jerry@JerryFowler.com. My phone number is 803-798-0555. All contact information is on my website at www.jerryfowler.com
Until next week I wish you a terrific and prosperous week and thanks to everyone for your prayers and remember that “Day by Day in every way, by the grace of God, I am getting better and better and better and so can you no matter what type adversity you are your family face. Now let’s go out and create a terrific day for everyone we come in contact with.
To the hundreds of you perhaps thousands, you have made my day, weeks and this year wonderful. God bless you all and remember do something nice for someone who is suffering from any type sickness or illness.
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