Jays Hope calendar 2012

"When I grow up I want to be a police officer."~Maiya Jones

"When I grow up I want to be someone special, someone that kids look up to and say, someday I want to be just like you.

~Jabari Henry

20121 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

New Year's Day

M L King Day

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

JAN.

"When I grow up I want to be a doctor and a baseball player."

~Ward Wright

"Peace"~Jamari Shivers

"When I grow up I want to be Silvermist the Fairy"

~Hannah Cate Collins

2012Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

FEB.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13

Valentine's Day

14 15 16 17 18

19

Presidents' Day

20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29


MARCH

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31


APRIL

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23

29 30

24 25 26 27 28

Easter Sunday


MAY

1 2 3 4

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

5

Mother's Day

Memorial Day

Celebrate HOPE


JUNE

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30Father's Day


1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23

29 30

24 25 26 27 28

JULY

31

Independence Day


AUG.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31


SEPT.

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30

Labor Day

Hats for HOPE


OCT.

1 2 3 4 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

5

Columbus Day

Halloween

Trek or Treat


NOV.

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

Election Day

Veteran's DayVeteran's Day

Holiday

Thanksgiving Day

2 3 4 5

9 10 11 12

16 17 18 19

23 24 25 26

30

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

DEC.

1

6 7 8

13 14 15

20 21 22

27 28 29

31

2012

Christmas Day

Christmas Party of HOPE

eather’s toryI remember a little boy in my church when I was a teenager who passed away from leukemia, his name was always in the church bulletin on the prayer list. I knew another boy I grew up with in school who was diagnosed at age 16 in the 11th grade. I never dreamed that one day my child would be going through brain surgery, chemo, radiation, counts, chicken pox in the middle of treatment, cataracs, hundreds of MRI's over the years, a Make-a-Wish trip, seizures, pills, needle sticks over and over and over, would lose that gorgeous head of thick, dark long wavy hair that I never would cut...and never grew back the way it was before. Heather was always in a hurry, running every where she went, always bumping into things, tripping and stumbling, and falling down quite a bit too. She always had bruises on her shins and knees. I would tell her "honey slow down, baby watch where you're going...." I remember she spent the week-end with my parents and my Mother noticed her right hand would tremble when she picked up a glass of juice. She switched it to her left hand, and her hand was steady. My Mom told me about it, but my Mother worries about everything and everybody...especially her only Grand-child (at the time). I passed it off. Two weeks later, I picked her up from day-care and she told me she needed to go to the doctor. That sent up a red flag, she had never told me she wanted to go to a doctor. I asked why, she told me her head hurt. I took her to Pediatrics After Hours. The doctor on call did a few neurological tests. Then she looked into her eyes with the light and I noticed her face and her whole expression changed. She told me to see her Pediatrician the next day. I read later that a tumor on the brain could make the optic nerve swell. I think she had an idea then what the problem was. We saw Dr. Kallay the next day. He ordered a MRI that afternoon and we were in the hospital that night....Heather's life and our family's life had turned on a dime. Looking back, after 18 years now, it still seems sooo surreal. March 31st, 1993. I'll never forget that day. It seems like a whole lifetime ago, but at the same time I remember every detail like it was yesterday afternoon. Dr. Joe Sam Robinson told us that night we were about to get on a roller-coaster ride, and we had better hold on. He told us up front, she probably will not make it through surgery. If she does, most parents end up divorcing because of the stress. Oh my God...he's telling me my child might die tomorrow, if she doesn't, I will probably get a divorce. Just last weekend, she was on her swing-set. She fell off that too, by-the-way. Now my baby has a brain tumor and my family is going to fall apart. I jumped on that roller-coaster, I have not let go yet, I'm still holding on tight.

WHERE DO I START?

Diagnosis...Primative Neuroectodermal Tumor or PNET for short. Highly malignant, agressive, 4 inches in diameter, rare with a 30% survival rate past 2 years are the words I remember. She was 5 years old and my only child. My pride, my joy, my whole world revolved around my Squeeky. I had stopped going to church for years, I didn't even know how to begin to pray for my child. The night before her surgery, I went into the chapel at the hospital. All I could whisper was "God, you know what's in my heart". I felt an immediate peace, and I knew at that moment God was in control. There have been times when I was angry at God...WHY my child, what did she ever do to deserve this life? School issues, social issues...but now...more times than not, I say why not my child? She is The STRONGEST person I have ever known, and will ever know in my lifetime. I have learned from her the meaning of humility, strength, gratitude, guts...I realize that God gave ME a gift with Heather's brain cancer.. What did I do to deserve this precious, thoughtful loving child, who struggles everyday, but has never once felt sorry for herself? Why am I worthy? This is the main reason I love Jay's HOPE. It gives me an opportunity to give back, to show my gratitude, if you will. For many, many years I stuffed this part of our lives down deep in a dark place. A painful part of our past that I tried to forget about. But, childhood cancer IS our past, our present..and our future. It's who Heather is, it's who her Mother is. There was NOTHING like Jay's HOPE when we were going through treatment. Every night in Atlanta after she went to bed, I would sit outside, chain smoke, drink Diet Cokes, pray and cry. Just me and God. Some nights I'd be thankful, some nights angry. Some nights, I couldn't say anything at all. It's been 18 years now. All her doctors gave us terrible odds. I now know that Heather is God's child. He entrusted her to me, to teach me. I still ask him why me? What did I do to deserve HER? I love my title..."Cancer Mom" What an honor!! The one thing that hurts my soul is that not all children are healed here on earth. My heart breaks for their families. I find it hard to look them in the eye at times. I want to be certain that I'm doing everything I can to be worthy to still be able to hold my child's hand, to kiss her cheek, to hug her tight...and to be annoyed with her at times too. I HOPE one day, this will get easier.

Our mission is to improve the quality-of-life of children with cancer and their families in the State of Georgia by

extending HOPE through social, emotional, spiritual, educational and financial support.

Cindy GaskinsFounder | Executive Director

Jay's HOPE Foundation | (478) 238-6360

Whitney Mischwww.ohsnap-photo.com | [email protected]

By using our God-given gifts, we will accomplish our mission through serving, teaching, encouraging,

contributing, leading, showing kindness towards others and by sharing our faith in God

www.jayshope.org

Jays Hope calendar 2012

Documents

little boy

church bulletin

fathers day2012sunday

new years daym

middle of treatment

ward wrightpeace

hundreds of mris

baseball player