Camping

As a mother you can't wait for your child to be born, or at least that was the way I felt.  Before the birth of my first child, I would sleep with a pair of plastic pants under my pillow so I could smell the scent of the baby powder.  For all you youngsters, plastic pants was what you put over top of cloth diapers to keep bedding, clothes and etc dry.  they have gone the way of the dinosaur, now extinct.  It seems like forever until your baby arrives and then in no time they are no longer infants.  Everyday getting a little more independent and developing their very own personality. 

Denise was a happy child and enjoyed playing with  her sister and brother.  As a family we would go on camping trips in the summer to Lake Erie.  We would go fishing, swimming and boating.  We would cook over an open fire and sleep in a tent.  We would bathe in the lake and go to the bathroom in an outhouse.  I always had a fear of one of the children falling in going to the bathroom, but thankfully that was never to be. 

 Denise loved being in the sun and she seemed to tan naturally.   She loved riding the waves in the motor boat, playing in the sand and looking for shells.  The whole camping experience was a treat for her and her love for it would follow her through the rest of her life.  (to be continued)

Because of brain tumors people can not always do the things they most enjoy.  Depending on where the tumor is, it can effect a persons ability to walk, talk, speak, eat, think and other senses.  The medication needed to control the tumor or seizures effect how things taste, exposure to sunlight and a persons energy level.  Quality of life can be effected slightly or greatly.  Awareness is the first step to finding a cure for brain cancer.  Please pass the word and hopefully more people will eventually be able to do what they enjoy the most.

Birth

It all began on December 25th, 1964, a baby girl was born.  What do you name a baby girl born on Christmas morning?  Mary, Christine, Noel were all options, but no she was named Denise Ann.  What a pretty little girl she was, only 7 pounds but with chubby checks and big brown eyes.  How special to be born on Christmas!  Here was a new life with a long promising future in front of her.  I couldn't wait to get her home to meet her sister and brother.  There was only 14 months between her and her brother.  Because her brother had been born premature, his development had been slowed and it was almost like having twins.
They both learned to crawl and walk at the same time.  Whenever Denise came to a crack in the sidewalk she would get down and crawl over it.  This was due to being knocked over by another child.  At this young age, Denise was very timid.  If she did something wrong you only had to look at her and she would start to cry.   Her brother stuttered and so she did too.  When they had a conversation everyone would stand and shake their heads as only they knew what they were saying.  Over the years they developed a very special bond and I think this is when it started.  (to be continued)

Now here I am 46 years later with another new beginning, the birth of  Denise's People Foundation.  A foundation to raise awareness and funds for brain cancer research.   It is now in it's infancy, but unlike my daughter I am hoping it doesn't need a long future.  I am hoping that it will not take long for doctors to find the cause and cure of Brain Cancer.

Thank You for being one of Denise" People

An Act of Love

There is a poem that goes:  In a little county cemetery, just a few short miles away, we laid a precious loved one, my daughter who passed away.  That is where my Denise lies, not so far away and I go to visit with her quite often.  I talk to her about everything and anything, but mostly I cry.  I tell her about my gardens and I cry, I tell her about how her boys, her brothers and sister and the rest of the family are doing and I cry.  I tell her about her dog Sandy and I cry. I tell her how much I miss her and wish she were here to talk to in person and I cry.  She was not just my daughter but also my best friend.  A day doesn't  go by when something happens and I want to call her to share just as we did when she was alive.  How long does it take before the tears shut off?  I have a feeling never! 

 I told her about the walk and how successful it was, but I bet she already knew.  From the day that I started to organize the event it was uncanny how suddenly people contacted me in one way or another to offer help or give advise.  I'm not talking about people I know but total strangers.  It was as if  an invisible force was helping me.  I was told organizing the walk would be a lot of work, but it never seemed that way.  An act of love never feels like work.  I did the event for the love of my daughter and to make what she went through mean something.  I also did it to help fulfill her dream to help find a cure.  I did it so other mother's won't sit in a cemetery and cry like me.  I will continue to organize events until somehow I pray her dream to end brain cancer will come true.

Thank you for being one of Denise's People.