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PAGE 2A 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” Fareha Rahim, MD Internal Medicine We are now located at our new office at 613 Hospital Road Commerce, Georgia 30529 Commerce Medical Center' 706-335-9411 ^MCRMCDBC/BPCIGNAJHMO/PPOJAMERIGROURAARRUH^J - Metal - Shingles - Flat Roofs - Flashing - Maintenance - Inspections HOMER CARVER Roofing & Repair OFFICE 706-677-1986 CELL 678-617-4503 FAX 706-677-1369 f \ 1 - Cafeteria Food Assistant 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 V __ / FORTSON Well Drilling & Environmental Services, Inc. Residential & Commercial Services • 6” Drilled Wells • Water Filtration and Purification • Water Conditioning Systems • Irrigation Systems • Monitoring Wells • Remediation Wells Customer Satisfaction Is Important To Us. We Invite You To Check Us Out. PHONE 795-2717 FAX 795-3713 Located 5 Miles North Of Danielsville On Hwy. 281 Danielsville, Georgia