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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008
Battling cancer a scary ordeal to combat
AARP awards luncheon
AARP AWARDS PRESENTED
The Banks County AARP recognized its sponsors at a lunch meeting held Thursday in Homer.
Among those receiving recognition were: (L-R) Imogene Riley, Regions Bank; Dorothy Higgins,
representing Royce Higgins; Pat Westmoreland, AARP vice president; Bonnie Hill; Ray Bellamy,
AARP president; Louise Byrd, Habersham Bank. Cecil Worley, Jackson Electric Membership
Corporation; Eliza Evans, Quality Foods; Polly Godfrey, First Georgia Bank; and Dee Dee Turner,
Freedom Bank. Photos by Angela Gary
WALDORF SPEAKS
Banks County extension agent Bob Waldorf was the guest speaker at the AARP luncheon
Thursday in Homer. He spoke on water conservation and gardening.
Broun receives 'A+' on Immigration Report Card
U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun,
M.D. achieved a perfect score on
the Immigration Reduction Report
Card issued by Americans for Better
Immigration.
Americans for Better Immigration
(ABI) is a non-profit non-parti
san organization which lobbies
Congress for reductions in immigra
tion numbers. Broun’s 100 percent
score is the highest in the entire
United States Congress, and he is
the only member of Congress to
have achieved a perfect score for
his legislative career. The “subjects”
Broun was graded on include Chain
Immigration, Visa Lottery, Anchor
Baby Citizenship, Border Control
and Interior Enforcement.
“I am fully committed to revers
ing the problem of illegal immigra
tion and ensuring the integrity of
our nation’s borders,” said Broun.
“We can not continue to allow our
government to look the other way
when it comes to dealing with illegal
aliens. I am adamantly opposed to
any form of amnesty. I will work not
only to prevent the passage of any
legislation that would provide citi
zenship to illegal aliens, but I will
also work to deny them access to the
economic spigot that draws illegal
aliens to our country. Our safety and
our very sovereignty are at stake.”
Last week, the Committee on
Science and Technology, of which
Congressman Paul Broun is a mem
ber, unanimously passed out of com
mittee the “Hall Border Security
Bill” or H.R. 3916. This legisla
tion supports the development of
technologies to assist border patrol
agents. Broun is an original sponsor
of H.R. 3494, The Charlie Norwood
CLEAR Act of 2007, which man
dates the federal government to pick
up every illegal alien apprehended
by local authorities. Broun is also a
co-sponsor of H.R. 4088, the Secure
America Through Verification
and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of
2007, and H.R. 997, The English
Language Unity Act, which would
make English the official language
of the United States. Broun is work
ing on drafting legislation which
would give employers, landlords,
school systems and social workers
the tools that they need to verify the
legal status of an immigrant seeking
a job, seeking housing, schooling, or
other public assistance.
The “report card” issued by
Americans for Better Immigration
may be viewed in its entirety at
the following link: http://grades.
betterimmigration.com/view_all.
php3?Flag=GRADE.
BY BROOK DODD
Special to the BCN
My world seemed almost perfect. I
was doing great in high school. I had
also played really well in softball in
the fall, and was sure to start on the
varsity team next season.
During the last week in January
of 2006, I noticed a knot behind my
right ear. Thinking that it was just a
cold, I did not make a big deal out of
it. About mid-week, I started feeling
really bad. On Friday, February 3, I
woke feeling pretty good, and I went
to school as normal.
On that same Friday night, I
got my next symptom. I woke in
the middle of the night and vom
ited once. This repeated on Saturday
night and Sunday night as well. By
this point, my dad was determined
that I was going to the doctor. On
Monday, Feb. 6, I was on my way to
my pediatrician in Athens.
I visited with Catherine, the nurse
practitioner. I knew it was not good
when she had my blood counts
checked twice and then returned
with the doctor. That’s when I heard
those three horrible words” “You
have cancer.”
The first thought that went through
my mind was, “Am I going to die?”
The doctor started saying words
that seemed foreign to me: platelet
counts 7,000, hemoglobin four. The
doctors told me that they would
be sending me straight to Scottish
Rite Hospital in Atlanta where other
doctors could better diagnose and
treat me.
As I rode to the hospital, I sat
in silence. I was still in shock.
When I finally arrived, I saw Doctor
Bergsagle. He tested my blood
counts again. I was checked into
Scottish Rite Hospital, and I imme
diately began rounds of blood and
platelet transfusions to prepare me
for surgery. I was also given a chest
x-ray to check for tumors.
On Wednesday, Feb. 8, I went in for
surgery. The doctors put in my port-
acath, and diagnosed me with ALL,
Acute Lmyphoblastic Leukemia. I
also started my first round of che
motherapy. That Thursday, the doc
tors told me good news: there were
no masses, which is a sign that is
was really early in my illness. On
Sunday, Feb. 12, I was allowed to go
home. I went the next 10 months to
Scottish Rite once a week. I received
101 rounds of chemotherapy, 72 spi
nal taps, 50 blood transfusions, and
46 platelet transfusions.
Cancer changed everything, from
going to school to playing softball,
even my personality. The doctors
In a move to protect Georgia’s
water resources from control by
one person - The Environmental
Protection Division Director - the
Georgia House of Representatives
agreed with the State Senate and
passed oversight legislation giving
the General Assembly the author
ity to stop action on any Rules
and Regulations proposed by the
Environmental Protection Division
BROOK DODD
told me that everything would go
back to normal, and I would have
the same life as I did before I had
cancer. Let’s just say “they were
wrong.”
I hadn’t been out of the house in
weeks living my life from week to
week, as my blood counts deter
mined what I could or could not do.
My friends at school had a hard time
understanding that I could not just
go anywhere I wanted to because of
the risk of spiking a fever.
When I finally got back to where
I could go outside, my parents took
me to the movies. There I was intro
duced to the real stupidity of teen
agers. As we left the movie theater,
I saw a group of my friends on the
sidewalk smoking. I was furious!
I said to my parents, “Here I am
trying to fight for my life and they
are trying to kill themselves.” That
moment is when I knew that I was
not and would never again be a nor
mal teenager.
April 11, I was released to go back
to school. I was happy until I got to
school. Everything seemed so differ
ent. I had to be home schooled for
the rest of the year. I just could not
bear to hear all the talk of this party
and that party. The rest of the year
was difficult. I taught myself all my
school work because my hospital
homebound teacher was only trained
to teach elementary grades.
My junior year started off pretty
normal. I was released to play soft
ball, but did not participate much
other than being a part of the team.
The medication called Vincristin
had a terrible impact on my muscles
and joints. The one time I did try to
bat and run, I fell face first in the
dirt. After that, I stopped going to
practice. The person that use to run a
100-yard dash in 13 flat could barely
run across her room.
Throughout the year, I was asked
to speak at various churches and at
and its Director.
This action comes as a result of
concern and opposition from House
Members following passage of a
comprehensive statewide water plan
which gave control of Georgia’s
water management to the Director
of the EPD.
Representative Jeanette Jamieson,
Toccoa, a strong supporter of the
oversight legislation, contends that
schools about my ordeal. I even got
nominated for a High School Heroes
Award and won. I was featured on
Channel 32 news in Toccoa. I also
participated and spoke at Relay for
Life and was named Honorary Youth
Ambassador.
I was nominated by my junior
class for homecoming court, and
was voted and crowned Miss Junior
by my classmates. All of these things
were so not me before cancer. It had
changed my entire personality.
My senior year started on the right
track. I was released to play softball
with no restrictions. However, my
coaches were scared, that I would
get hurt; therefore I did not play
much. That really hurt me, but I con
tinued to attend all the practices and
performed to my fullest ability. At
the end of the season I was awarded,
“The Coaches Award,” a first in my
softball career.
I even joined the FFA Livestock
Show team, and I showed pigs. I
loved it! I think the main reason was
that I never had to sit on the bench
like I did in softball, and everyone
treated me like a normal person.
As I near my two-year anniver
sary, I still have four chemo treat
ments remaining and four months
left of high school. I am starting
Gainesville College in the fall where
I plan to become a physical therapist
and help others who are struggling
with disabilities. I plan to show my
future patients that with hard work
and determination anything is pos
sible.
I was once asked, “If given the
opportunity to go back and change
the past to a life without cancer,
would I?” I simply said, “No.” They
asked, “Well, why wouldn’t you?” I
told them that cancer definitely had
its bad points, but it made me the
person that I am today.
Even though I could not go a day
without getting sick, lost all my hair
twice, and people still don’t treat me
like I am “normal,” I have learned
a great deal. I even told them that I
found out why you lose you hair.
They asked me why that was;
thinking that they were going to get
a big scientific answer, but I sim
ply said, “God allows it to fall out
because you don’t have the energy
to wash it.”
Cancer kept me out of a lot of
things that most teenagers are roped
into doing. It taught me that there
is more to life and that we need to
appreciate it for no one is guaran
teed tomorrow. Always take one day
at a time, and deal with what life
puts in front of you. No regrets!
this may be the most important leg
islation passed in the 2008 Session.
“I am happy to report that once
again we have succeeded in pro
tecting our water from a transfer
to the metro Atlanta area and away
from the Savannah River basin. It
has truly been a productive day
for my constituents and the people
of Georgia,” said Representative
Jamieson.
Jamieson supports water oversight legislation
Genealogical society to feature new book
The East Georgia Genealogical
Society will hold a meeting and
book signing on Tuesday, April 8, at
7 p.m. in Winder.
Patsey Harris will speak about
developing family sketches and the
new book published by the East
Georgia Genealogical Society,
“Georgia Settlers.”
The 744-page book is a collection
of sketches about people that lived
at one time in one of the counties
that the society covers. The sketches
have been submitted from members
and other researchers.
No additional sketches are being
accepted.
Prices are as follows: members,
$45 a copy, plus $4 for shipping
and handling for the first book, add
$1.50 for each additional book plus
applicable Georgia county sales
tax for Georgia residents on the
total order including shipping. Non
members will be charged $50 a
copy, plus $4 shipping and handing
plus applicable Georgia sales tax for
Georgia residents on the total order
including shipping.
To order a book, send a check to:
East Georgia Genealogical Society,
Inc., P.O. Box 117, Winder, GA
30680-0117
The group will meet at the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
located at 36 Sims Road, Winder.
For more information, e-mail gae-
ggs@yahoo.com or visit www.
rootsweb.com/~gaeggs.
Read Banks County
Legal Notices Every Week
in The Banks County News
“ROOF DOCTOR”
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We are now located at our new office at
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OFFICE 706-677-1986
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Banks County Board of Education
Deadline for receiving applications, April 10, 2008.
Contact:
Banks County
Board of Education
P. O. Box 248
102 Hwy. 51 South
Homer, GA 30547
706-677-2224
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