There's No People Like Show People!

This past Wednesday evening I was at a party. It wasn't my birthday or a Holiday party. It was an Anniversary party, to be more specific, a 50th Anniversary Party. This 50th Anniversary was not being celebrated by a couple, though. It was the celebration of a theater that had been in business for 50 years. That, in itself, is huge, especially with the ups and downs of the economy since 1965. But this theater is so much more than a business. It's a family, and several guests said just that throughout the evening. The theater I'm speaking of is Swift Creek Mill or Swift Creek Mill Playhouse as I first knew it. Back in 1974 when I was in the 4th grade at St. Catherine's, I was doing a play. I was playing the Shoemaker's Wife in "The Shoemaker and the Elves." My drama teacher suggested that I audition at a professional theater getting ready to produce "The Music Man" She gave me the info, and my dad drove me down to Colonial Heights to Swift Creek Mill Playhouse on Route 1. I had never auditioned for anything before. First I had to sing. I sang a song we had just done in Junior Choir called God Who Touchest Earth with Beauty. Later we read scenes, and I read with other young actors. I was trying out for the role of Amaryliss, and I was thrilled when I was cast. We ran from June to November, and I got paid $5.00 a show. I was hooked. I had been "bitten by the bug" as they say. Shortly after Music Man closed I was cast in an original play by Ed Sala called Two Brothers, and then I was asked to be in a play called "Teahouse of the August Moon" The last play would change my life forever in many ways. Swift Creek is a long way from where I lived in 1975, and not being old enough to drive, if my parents could find an adult in the cast who lived fairly near us, I would ride with them. Gary Hopper was playing one of the lead parts in the show, and I joined their carpool. One Friday night on the way home from the show we were in a horrible accident when a drunk driver in a Cadillac ran a stop sign and hit our little Hornet that was packed with 6 people. The window exploded in my face, and I ended up getting over 100 stitches. You can imagine that I was afraid, and I didn't have either of my parents with me. The man sitting next to me in the car was Ed Sala, an actor who had  caught a ride home with us that night.He was not in the show but had waited tables for the dinner theater crowd that night. He rode with me in the ambulance to the hospital that night and visited me in the hospital every day until I was discharged, at least 2 weeks. We have remained life long friends. There's no people like show people! That was my last show at "The Mill" until almost 20 years later. I got a call to do "Into the Woods" The actress originally cast as Jack's Mom was leaving the production before it opened. I stepped in. Masterfully directed and designed by Tom Width, it is still one of my most cherished experiences in theatre! On the coattails of that show came a show called "Me and My Girl," a huge musical that would become the longest running show I would have the honor of being cast. We ran for over 100 performances and 7 months. As you can imagine with a run that long, we had several cast changes and swings. Few in the cast had the badge of never missing a performance. I almost made it, but the week before closing, tragedy struck again for me. I had a miscarriage, and I lost my first child. The outpouring of love I received from my theatre family was beyond wonderful! So much support and caring and cards and flowers. It made an awful situation bearable, and I returned to do the closing performance. There's no people like show people! 

My entire theatre career all began at Swift Creek. A wonderful group of people to grow up around. I learned to play Charades at Buddy Beer Nights, and I am not talking some friendly little game. It was highly competitive! My children got their first exposure to theatre at The Mill seeing the Children's series, and both have performed on the Mill stage. Leah, when she attended Theatre Camp and Georgi, inutero, as I was pregnant with her when I did "The Ugly Duckling" and "Rip Van Winkle" Swift Creek Mill will always be my true theatre family as they gave birth to my career and have nurtured me all along the way. I hope to be on their stage and in their audience many more times! Happy Anniversary, Swift Creek Mill Theater! Here's to 50 more!

We Didn't Start the Fire

 It is after midnight, so I am a little late in writing this post, but a friend of mine posted a picture on his Facebook page today that really made me think. 52 years ago on November 22, 1963, an event occurred that rocked the entire world. I don't personally remember the event as I had been born just 3 weeks prior to it. It wasn't a happy event. It was the day John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States, was shot and killed. It happened in broad daylight while he was riding in a convertible car in a parade. The picture posted today, I'm sure, was taken moments before the shots rang out. He is there with his wife. Both are smiling and so happy. They were American royalty. And in an instant EVERYTHING changed. This is not a post about politics or conspiracy. It is about life and the world we all live in. It is about the past and the future. It is about good and evil. It is about our time on this earth and how we choose to spend it. Look at the picture above. Look how happy President Kennedy looks. Do you think that when he got in that car that day he had any inkling of what would happen? No, of course he didn't. If he had, he would have never ridden in the parade that day. Someone wanted him dead, and so they killed him, pure and simple. Those are just the facts. When things like this happen, we know we can't prevent them, but we find ourselves asking over and over, Why? I'll tell you why. Evil exists, my friends, and it always will. Caligula, Stalin, Hitler, Amin, Lizzie Borden, Jack the Ripper, Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler, The Unibomber, Timothy McVey, Joseph Mengele, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Osama Bin Laden, ISIS...Unfortunately, I could go on and on. We cannot control the evil in the world. Truthfully we cannot control anyone's behavior but our own. We watch everything that goes on in the world, and say how awful things have gotten, but this did not happen overnight. My grandmother used to tell me, "You have to answer for yourself." At the end of the day, what have I done to make my world a better place? What do I have to answer for? Because, truthfully, people, it's the only way anything will ever change. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Evil cannot drive out evil; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. When everything happened in Paris just days ago, there was a picture posted with a huge Banner that said WE ARE NOT AFRAID! Do not let the power of evil control you by taking away your freedom to be the person you are meant to be because when it comes right down to it, you cannot control how long you will be here, you can only control the action you take while you are here. Don't waste your time in fear and hate. If you do, you have given power to the EVIL, Don't fuel the fire!

I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

A little over a month ago I found out I had a tumor on my pituitary gland, and I had to have brain surgery to remove it. All kinds of things went through my mind when I was given this news, but one of the things that stressed me out the most was how much was this going to cost, not just medically but how much income would I lose? Today I got a partial answer to that question. First a little background: I am still at home and will be until 11/30/15. If you're doing the math, that's over a month away from work. Not to bore you with too many facts, but this length of time requires me to go on Short Term Disability (STD) Most STD plans work in similar ways. You must go through a waiting period before it can even start. Even when mine starts I will only be paid 2/3 of my salary. My waiting period is 14 days. Even using all of my vacation and sick time, I do not have enough to even cover the waiting period in order to be paid for all the time off. Add to that what I found out Monday. CIGNA has not yet approved my STD claim. Translation: I'm not getting paid for anything but the 42 some odd hours of time that I had. Today when I got paid my pay was $500.00 short. I don't know many people who could handle being shorted $500.00 in their pay. I certainly can't. Now, not to worry yet, once they decide that brain surgery is valid to be off from work, the pay will be retroactive, but bills are due when bills are due. When all of this overwhelming news came through to my little family of 3, my sweet girl, Georgi, started a GoFundme page, and my other sweet girl spread the word. We were all blown away as we watched the $20,000 goal grow so quickly to $10,000. Friends and family sent us money in the mail. All out of the goodness of their hearts and with love. That's what it's about....LOVE! I felt like some people may have been judgemental about asking for help. Why? A very good friend of mine said it best, "You only have to ask family once." I am not kidding when I say this. We could not have survived without that money, pure and simple. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I wanted to use the Beatle lyric as a title, but it wasn't a little help, it was a LOT! I have no idea what will happen in the next weeks. I am relatively sure that my claim will be approved, but nothing is certain. I am surviving because of all of you! I am overwhelmed! I love you all!

Some Days Are Diamonds. Some Days Are Stones.

It is hard to believe that 2 weeks ago I had brain surgery to remove a "huge" tumor. Thinking back on everything that has happened since September 30th, it seems I'm watching some Lifetime movie. I just thought I was getting older, and I was becoming, at 51, one of those people who doesn't like to drive at night. I just don't see as well. Then going to the eye doctor and being told I had the beginning stages of an incurable disease that would, eventually, leave me blind. Through urgings from others getting a second opinion and finding out that I do not have said disease, but I do have a brain tumor. And now, 2 weeks past surgery, and I am dealing with the aftermath. I have had my share of life changing events starting with infancy. Not even a month after I was born, I choked on some milk and stopped breathing. There were no infant CPR classes in 1963. My father did not know what to do. I do not know how long I was not breathing but finally after my father held me upside down, I began to breathe. When I was 11 years old I was in a car accident where the back window exploded in my face. I had over 100 stitches in my forehead, nose, eyelid and under my eye. Years of plastic surgery would follow. I lost a child before it was ever born. But this brain tumor thing. This has been the hardest to get used to. The hardest part for me is that it didn't seem that hard. The surgery, the recovery in the hospital, the trip home, they didn't seem to carry the weight that BRAIN SURGERY should get. Don't get me wrong. It's not easy. I haven't slept through the night since surgery. I wake up about every hour. I have headaches every morning. My nose feels like it will never be normal again. And then there's the hot flashes I have been having. You see, when all this started, I thought of nothing but the fact that this tumor, because of its placement, was messing with my vision, but what I didn't think about was the fact that it was also growing on my pituitary gland which controls all kinds of things in your body like temperature and metabolism and blood pressure. So now, I must see an Endocrinologist to see how out of whack my pituitary gland got over the last 10 years as this tumor took up residence between the 2 lobes of my brain and crowded out and squeezed the little pea sized gland that controls so much in my body. I have no idea what path this journey will take me on or where I'll end up, but I'm glad to be alive, and I'm learning to not beat myself up just because I haven't bounced right back to where I was. I'll take the diamonds when they come, but remember that navigating the stones is a big part of the journey.

The Art of Recuperating

It has been a week since I had my brain surgery, and today I am not feeling so hot. Nothing awful, just out of sorts. Just to let you know, I am not the type of person who is good at taking it easy, even when I am healthy. People talk about taking vacations to tropical islands and doing nothing but lying on the beach. Paradise, right? Not for me. I might like it for an hour, 2, maybe even half a day, but then I would be itching to go, do and see. So, as you can imagine, this period of recuperation is not easy for me. Add to that having to have little things done for me, and it gets even harder. I have to keep reminding myself I just had major surgery. This isn't like back or abdominal surgery where my body tells me just how far I can go. This is all internal. I might have a mild headache or seem a little tired, but mostly I feel normal, but I can't cough or sneeze or blow my nose. I can't bend over. Do you know how many things you do in everyday life that require you to bend over? Socks, shoes, and forget dropping something. Washing in the shower becomes a delicately choreographed maneuver. I'm trying very hard to follow doctor's rules, and I have 2 "nurses" at home who certainly remind me. I have no idea how you monitor progress. Before last week's removal, this tumor had taken residence for 10 years in my brain. How different will things be? Patience is not my strong suit. I just want things to be normal. I want to cook, and bake, and clean....well...maybe I could go without cleaning for a while. :) Time will tell. I'll see my surgeon in 2 days and see what he has to say. Until then, it's all a waiting game. Day by day. Day by day.

Best Birthday Present EVER!!!!

Yesterday was my 52nd birthday. Yes, it was also Halloween.Growing up with a Halloween birthday and having a flair for the dramatic made every birthday party a dream. Of course they were always costume parties. As  I grew older, each year became a challenge as to what my costume would be. Consequently, as I grew older, and had children it became about the perfect costumes for them. To say we love Halloween in this house is an understatement. We start planning next year's costume almost as soon as the last trick-or-treater has left the house.  This year was no different. We started planning early and had a theme. Then something happened. Surgery was going to change my Halloween and birthday plans this year. I didn't get to dress up. I didn't get to go out. I couldn't even put fun make-up on because of the swelling in my lips and nose. You know what? It was still a great birthday! My youngest spent all morning decorating the house. I had a visit from one of my very best friends. Topping it all off, strawberry shortcake for my birthday.
Those are not the reasons this birthday is different than any other. At the risk of sounding corny, this year I got the best gift I have ever received. I got my sight back and maybe my life. Not a bad trade for not being able to dress up. I'll take it!

Mike Wazowski Has Left the Building

It is hard to believe that a little over 3 days ago I had brain surgery, and now I am sitting in my living room writing a blog post. Except for a little stuffiness in my nose, leftover from having it packed for 3 days, I feel fine. I'll admit I was a little nervous as Tuesday approached. I had no idea what to expect. I knew surgery would go fine, but I didn't know what I would face when I came out of anesthesia. Truthfully, I never really had any real pain beyond a sinus headache. Actually I had more pain from the numerous times I have been stuck for labs and IV's
It's been such smooth sailing that I cannot believe that I had, in my doctor's own words, a HUGE tumor removed from the middle of my brain. As I talked to Dr. Sahni before I left the hospital today he actually said that he could not believe I was walking around with it without complaining. I cannot tell you why things are going so well. It could be that I heal very well. I have a positive attitude. I have a high tolerance for pain. It could be all of those, but I do know that from the moment I announced I had this hundreds of people have held me in prayer and loving thoughts. I am so thankful for the love and support that everyone has shown to me and my family. I still have a journey ahead. There was a little leakage of spinal fluid, and a little fat was taken from my side to act as a plug. He could have taken all the fat, I don't mind sharing. My biggest challenge right now is taking it easy, not something I'm used to doing, but I am following doctor's orders. It's hard to judge the healing of something internal. I will close for now as I don't want to overdo, but thank you for being with me every step of the way,

Mike Wazowski

Well, ladies and gents, it is 12:20 AM on the day of my surgery. I have eaten my last morsel and drunk my last sip of water. In 5 short hours I will be on my way to the hospital for brain surgery. As the witching hour approaches, it seems surreal. This morning around 8AM I will go to sleep, and when I wake up about 5 hours later, this tumor will be gone. There are so many things I wonder about. How will I feel? What will my vision be like? How much have I just gotten used to? Of course, the big one, how much pain will I feel? I will be honest. I am a tad bit apprehensive. The anticipation is always far worse than the actual event. But tonight as I was riding around taking care of last minute things, something wonderful was happening, My phone was blowing up with friends and family texting and posting to Facebook their loving thoughts and prayers. I went to an event on Sunday night for the Richmond Theatre Community. My night was filled with hugs and squeezes and kisses all wishing me well and surrounding me with love! How can things not go well today? 

You may be wondering about the title of this post. My tumor is pretty round, and it has a small dark spot in the center, an eye, if you will, so I have named it Mike Wazowski, after the character in "Monsters, Inc." Mikey, my friend, time to exit stage right, and forget about a sequel!

See you on the other side, my friends.  

Thank You is Not Enough!

If you read this blog, you know by now that I have a tumor sitting in the middle of my brain. All kinds of things run through your mind when someone tells you that you have a tumor. Of course, the first thought that springs to mind is Cancer. That is not what I am dealing with, and I am very relieved. However, it doesn’t mean that what I am dealing with is nothing either. When you go through something like this, you need someone to lean on, a rock. I have had that rock in my youngest daughter. She is only 19, but she has been there from the first diagnosis until now, and every step of the way she has provided me with just what I needed. Friday, she did something that touched me deeply. It is no secret to my friends or readers that I have struggled financially since I became a single mother in 1998. I truthfully had to start my life over from scratch. Just saying, that ain’t easy my friends. Imagine what I felt at the prospect of paying thousands to make sure that I would be able to have this tumor removed to regain my sight at the least and keep my life at the most. Once again, my rock, my champion, my hero swept in to save the day. This is what I read online Friday. 

Medical Funds for Mom's Brain Tumor

69

RICHMOND, VA MEDICAL

$6,870 of $20k

Raised by 69 people in 2 days

Donate Now Share on Facebook

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TOTAL
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Created October 23, 2015

Georgi Hicks

Hey everyone! My name is Georgi and I made this gofundme because, I need help. My mother just recently found out she has a brain tumor (pituitary gland tumor to be exact). We found out it is not cancerous but also found out that it is a lot bigger than we expected. When we discovered how large it was the doctor said every day she waits to get the surgery is another day she risks going blind. So, her surgery is scheduled for October 27th, this coming Tuesday. My mother is the stronest person I know. She has been through so much and has never put herself before anyone else. Even when she found out about this tumor, she pushed it back to finish the show she is currently in, because she didn't want people to lose income by having to end the run early.  I admire her strength, her confidence, her independence, her will, but most of all, her courage. She has always had to worry about money, ever since she became a single parent, started with nothing and had to raise two girls that were only two and five at the time. Even though we've always had money problems, she made it so that I never wanted for anything, and worked hard to make sure I could stay a child for as long as I could. Ever since the day my father left, she has not done one thing for herself. My mother is a hero, not my hero in particular, but A hero in general. And for once, this hero should be able to take off the cape and just worry about herself. This brain tumor is a big deal and she is being so positive about the whole thing, so I don't want her worrying about money, just this once, I want that worry to be absent from her mind. The money needed for the surgery, the three or four days in the ICU and the three weeks she'll be out of work is an overwhelming amount to us, and is money we don't have now, and won't have anytime soon. So, all of this to say, we need your help. Any donation helps! I am posting this because it is hard for her to see that she is so worthy of help and support, but i know she is, help me let her know how much she is. Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this! So much love to all of you! Thank you

At the writing of this, the campaign has raised over $6000. To say I am humbled is an understatement. I am touched beyond belief at the love and support of my friends, family and strangers. Love is an amazing thing!

Entertaining Angels Unawares

In about a week from now, hopefully, I will be out of surgery and into recovery, perhaps even in my hospital room in the ICU. I am not nervous now. I know I am in good hands, and I trust my doctor. I can’t tell you how I’ll feel when I leave before dark next Tuesday morning to head to the hospital for the procedure. I have already had a major outpouring of support including some of you who read this blog. Medically, I know I will be fine. I have faith that all will go well. What I am worried about is finances, specifically the cost of all of this and what my insurance WON’T pay, and losing income as I stay home to recover. I had to go in to have all of my pre-op testing done this morning, and when HCA called to schedule, they asked me if I would like to take care of the $500.00 deposit they would require over the phone. I declined, knowing full well they would ask for it this morning, I was a little nervous. It’s embarrassing to tell people you don’t have money. I mean, it’s not like this is elective surgery. Have the tumor removed or go blind. Kind of a no-brainer, no pun intended. So today when I went in, I had 2 scenarios in my head. 1. I will offer them $50.00 and hope they take it or 2. I will cause a scene and tell them that if I walk out of here and drop dead because I have an aneurysm, it’s on them. Luckily, I did not have to employ either of these. I had a wonderful woman named Dee register me today. She asked the obligatory question, “Would you like to take care of the $500.00 deposit today?” I replied, “I don’t have it.” She never missed a beat, and said, “That’s all right. I do see that your surgery is in a week, they will require that it’s paid before they do the procedure.” She then handed me a business card and told me that if I thought the $500.00 would be a problem, I could call and make an arrangement. I instantly felt a peace about everything. She then proceeded to talk about the fact that she knew very few people who could sit down and write out a $500.00 check, thereby making me feel less embarrassed and more normal. Dee was my angel today. I firmly believe that I was called to her booth because God knew I needed her gentle spirit and demeanor today in my situation. I will call, and I will make arrangements, and because Dee guided me today, I will not have the added anxiety of money when I go to have brain surgery next week. So, thank you, Dee, and thank you, God, for sending an angel my way.

It's Not Brain Surgery...Wait! Yes It Is!

The big white spot in the center is the tumor.

On September 9^th I went to the eye doctor. It had been over a year since I had had an exam, and it seemed that more and more issues were coming up with my vision, especially at night. I went for the exam, and if you’ve ever had an eye exam, you know they put this big machine in front of your face that looks like a huge, bionic pair of glasses.

 The room is dark, and they show you on the wall in front of you, about 15 feet away, a strip with four capital letters, black on a white background. They test one eye at a time. First up – the Right eye. I could see the first 2 letters fairly clearly, the last 2 I couldn’t, and when I say I couldn’t, I mean, THEY WERE NOT THERE! Not fuzz, not unclear, ABSENT! I blinked my eyes, and they would appear briefly, but fade away to invisibility. I told the doctor this. He switched to the left eye, same problem, but I could see 3 of the letters, the 4^th pulling the same disappearing act (reading right to left.) We finished the exam. He turned on the lights, and was writing out my prescription, ready to send me on my way. I stopped and said, “Wait a minute! What causes that, the letters disappearing?”

He paused a moment, then decided he might dilate my eyes, and “take a look” I waited for my pupils to dilate, then went back into the room and he looked into my eyes with a light as bright as a thousand suns for what seemed like forever. Then, giving you the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version, he told me even though I was very young to have it, I had the beginning stages of Macular Degeneration. If you don’t know what that is, it is an incurable eye disease that would eventually leave me almost blind, no central vision at all. He told me about some vitamins I could take to help slow down or stop the process, and told me some foods to eat that would help and sent me on my way. As I often do in these life changing moments, I took to Facebook and posted a brief summary of what I just shared. A very good friend, who happens to be an OD, immediately commented, “Get a second opinion.” Shortly after that I was at an event with my sister, and she said, “You need to go see someone else about your eyes.” Ironically they both recommended the same person, Dr. Juan Astruc. I saw him on September 30^th, and after 2 hours of tests and scans, and staring into the light and dilated eyeballs, Dr. Astruc came in to tell me I did not have Macular Degeneration. WHEW! Big sigh of relief! I’m not going blind. Then he said, “The next thing I say is going to freak you out, but don’t let it freak you out. You have a tumor pressing on your optic nerve,” quickly adding, “it’s benign.” YAY!....I have…a tumor!?? Wait. What? He went on to explain that they were common enough that he had the neurosurgeon on speed dial, and that the surgery wouldn’t be invasive, they go in through your nose. I’d need to have an MRI, but it was all treatable and everything would be fine. Fast forward to last Monday, October 12th. I had an MRI and saw the neurosurgeon, Dr. K. Singh Sahni, the next day, and he showed me the films. The tumor is a pituitary tumor and is larger than they thought. It has affected almost all of my peripheral vision, and we have to move pretty quickly, as in less than 2 weeks from today, I will be recovering from brain surgery. Naively when Dr. Astruc told me that they would go in through my nose, I was thinking it might even be outpatient. Boy, were my eyes opened. 4 to 5 days in the hospital, the first night in ICU. I am trying to get used to the idea, and don't know if it has fully hit me yet, but I know all is well, and what is going to happen is going to happen. I'm in good hands. Readers use this as a cautionary tale. If I had not gotten a second opinion, I would be well on my way to going blind, and not because of Macular Degeneration, because the tumor would continue to grow until irreparable damage was done to my optic nerve. Listen to your body, and be your own advocate!