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A True Fighter
For those of you who do not know-this lovely soul is Rhonda Nick who has lived at our Willowpark home for over 12 years now! Rhonda has been an independent facilitator for MORC since 2005 and had even began classes at Oakland Community College so that she could become a Support Coordinator to help people in similar situations to her! Then came 2020. For most people 2020 was driven with coronavirus scares and restrictions, while Rhonda's year was filled with so much more.
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A routine checkup turned into a visit to the cancer center as Rhonda was informed she has Small Cell Carcinoma, a form of lung cancer. This came as a surprise as she has never smoked and being diabetic helps you stay healthier than most! Regardless, Rhonda stayed optimistic and took on 4 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She is so grateful for her doctors and the nurses at the treatment centers that really helped her to keep her positive outlook! Going home to a caring team, her baby Layla (her cat), and a loving family helped Rhonda get through this tough time.
This support group is still helping Rhonda fight as she recently learned she will now have to go through another round of treatment here soon. We are going to stick by Rhonda's side and see her through to the other side! When she hits remission it is Rhonda's dream to go to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and put her wheels on her favorite team's field, the Dallas Cowboys, with the team and cheerleaders! It is our dream to see hers come true, and we will help her stay strong so that we can see her on that Cowboy logo with a big smile on her face!
If you would like to send Rhonda some support as well, feel free to mail cards to the office and we can get them to her to show her some more love!
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How Can I Help?
If you are feeling touched and want to do more for Rhonda and people in similar circumstances there are many ways to help! One of the easiest ways is Relay for Life hosted by the American Cancer Society (a non-profit just like us!).
Relay for Life makes it simple to get involved as a participant if you are not ready to start your own team (also an option!). The website will show you what events and teams are in your area for you to join. The great thing about Relay for Life is that if you do not have much money to give, you can get sponsored for how many laps you walk during the event. Your sponsor(s) would donate an amount per lap you walk, you can get as many sponsors for an event as you'd like! You can also dedicate a luminaria for those who have struggled with cancer that light up the track at night, as well as a survivor lap at the end-a lap of only the survivors who have fought and made it through!
Below is a link for more information, you can even see events coming up in your area. On World Cancer Day, February 4th there is even a virtual event "Relay for Life Kickoff" all done from home anyone can be a part of!
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Our Meet n Greet this month is a special one! Shannon Murray, mother to our individual Kane, is a cancer survivor who was also open to sharing her story with us! Shannon admits it was not a joyful adventure, but she appreciates being here with the new outlook she has on life from her excruciating ride with cancer.
Shannon was prepared to begin preventative mammogram testing at 40 years old like doctor's suggest due to the fact her grandmother had gone through breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Shannon received her first test 6 months after turning 40 and her results were "suspiciously spotty" but they decided to take a second look 6 months later which showed the same results. The doctor's didn't see any growth, so they scheduled another 6 month appointment. Luckily for Shannon, she received a sharp pain in her right breast which brought her back to the doctor's office for more testing. (I say "luckily" because most cancerous lumps do not invoke pain and Shannon was lucky enough to hear something wrong in her body. I say "luckily" because while she was receiving mammograms, those tests did not show this spot yet. I say "luckily" because Shannon is a survivor and was able to catch this toxicity in time to fight and still be here with us.) The tests ran on her painful lump determined Shannon was positive for Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer (meaning this cancer doesn't contain progesterone, estrogen, or HER2 protein receivers) and that she also carried the BRCA2 genes which also can cause cancer.
Luckily, Shannon's surgeon Dr Pamela Johnson was constantly educating herself and had recently gone to a conference that showed statistics where many TNBC patients who had chemo prior to surgery had a greater success rate at 13% in the 15 year post treatment. Shannon followed Dr Johnson's advice and agreed to begin chemo. Immediately following her first visit, she began to have many adverse effects from treatment. Chemo is not a walk in the park for anyone, but for Shannon being part of the 2-3% with negative reactions to chemo, it was heightened suffering filled with nausea, fatigue, neuropathy, and a surreal feeling her body was not hers anymore.
Luckily, Shannon had a THC truffle sample in the fridge she remembered which changed her entire course of treatment. 2 and a half hours after ingesting the little chocolate ball, Shannon "felt amazing, it was a miracle." From that point on it was medible gummies before going to treatments and suddenly Shannon had enough power to continue on with chemo. While the doctor's at the treatment center did not acknowledge her decision to take medible marijuana, she did speak with a nurse's assistant who shared that many of the other patients indulged in the same remedy Shannon was using, only confirming this method was the right one for her. She says, "There would be no way in hell that I would’ve continued chemo if I hadn’t found the healing properties of marijuana. The misery was such that I would rather have died than feel like that again." Shannon continued to eat gummies through all those long weeks of chemotherapy, all leading up to her double-mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries.
While the gummies physically helped Shannon through chemo, she said her one-on-one counselor and a photo of a young stranger is what mentally helped get her through those tough weeks. Her counselor helped her to consider the sorrowful emotions friends and family had that were affected by her circumstances and how to properly manage those emotions back. Meanwhile, an image search of "surgical chemo ports" generated a photo of a very young boy with cancer named Chase. Chase encouraged Shannon to keep fighting as she selflessly thought, "Why Chase?" instead of thinking about why she was going through cancer. It must have worked, because Shannon is cleared of cancer today!
Shannon left her Breast Cancer journey fortunate enough to be in remission, but while feeling disparate from the person she once was, she has embarked on a spiritual journey she would not have found otherwise! Shannon has opened up to a much larger world beyond our physical world and it has repurposed her life to have a new meaning. Overall Shannon says, "I sincerely felt grateful walking away from it all (cancer). I grew a lot. I felt that there was a new life purpose awaiting. When I regained strength, I went on my amazing month-long adventure out west. I came home feeling energized, mystified, and eager to begin the next chapter of my life." Shannon is currently involved in Quantum Healing and Past Life Regression techniques and further educates herself on the matters to this day. Her story is insatiably wild and enlightening, and her cancer journey is what got her here!
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WORLD CANCER DAY is FEBRUARY 4 |
Show your support by wearing pink this Thursday! |
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HELPFUL HOME TIPS
Communication is such an important part of our world! From carrier pigeon letters, to telegraph, to the telephone, to zoom calls our lives revolve around finding out information as quickly as we can. This is no different for our world! Here's some tips for how to improve communication within your home:
--Make Communication a priority! If something happens on shift, make it a point to tell your staff right then and there so it does not get lost in the day's events.
--Home Group Chats! Setup a group chat for everyone in your home, that way everyone can quickly communicate changes to everyone in the home. You can even write the communication in the log and send a photo to your coworkers to encourage both means!
--Create a monthly team meeting! This helps keep your staff on the same page with you and opens up a line of communication for any concerns. This helps build a relationship between your home too, making it stronger!
--Be a good listener and communicator back! Try not to jump to conclusions, take an extra minute to ask a question, be considerate! A healthy interaction center will encourage positivity!
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COVID 19 VACCINATIONS
Vaccines for Covid-19 have started being administered. Make sure you are making the right decision for you! If you are interested in receiving the vaccine the link above will take you to an application from Oakland County to see if you qualify. If you need any assistance, we can help you at the office or ask your home manager!
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EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH:
CHRYSTAL DELANEY
Chrystal Delaney is our manager over at the Willowpark home with Rhonda and Joy! We would like to recognize her outstanding support and commitment to the individuals, guardians, staff, and to 3rd Circle. Chrystal has managed her home with honesty and integrity, creating a positive and effective environment while constantly going above and beyond to show how much she cares! Thank you for all that you have done, Chrystal!
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: French Fries
Favorite Movie: The Mummy/Mummy Returns
Hobby: Poetry and Writing
Fun Fact: Fear of Cluster Bubbles!
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Staff Incentives!
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS will be entered into a monthly drawing for a special prize! This is based off individual submissions, not the home as a whole-so anyone can win! The more submissions we receive monthly, the better the prizes will get! Last month's submission came to us from CHRIS FORD for sharing his New Year's Eve photo with his home. Thank you Chris for getting the ball rolling and sharing your holiday with us!
MONTHLY PAPERWORK SUBMISSIONS will be entered into a monthly grand drawing as well beginning with January's submissions! This includes normal procedures due on the 1st of the month, let's just get perfect at it! All documents due on the 1st include:
--CLS logs properly filled and checked over by manager
--Occupancy Report
--Med Sheets
--Current Timesheets
--Vehicle Logs (Mileage-Gas Ledger-Damage Log-Inspection Log)
--Resident Funds
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JAN 16- Victoria Halcrow
JAN 18-Christopher Allen
JAN 21-Jennifer Pillow
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Happy Birthday to all those January babies out there! We were happy to be included in celebrating Jennifer Pillow's birthday with her (pictured above). Jennifer celebrated her birthday with a pizza party and a personalized cake while wearing her "Birthday Girl" crown! Some of her gifts included a pillow, her favorite candy, some movies, amongst other things. Jennifer had a great time, thank you to those that helped out with the party! |
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We want to be sure you know right where to access all the fun stuff going on around us so you can be a part of it too! Like Detroit Riverfront on Feb 12-14 has a winter festival with games and entertainment for free. Wint Nature Center is open everyday for visits. Here are a few links to show you some of the activities out there! |
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Oakland County Blog Breakdown! |
Oakland County Blog offers everything under the sun happening in Oakland County. Follow the link above and it will lead you to a list of categories with a bunch of activities! The outdoor activities list includes everywhere you can ski, sled, or ice fish in Oakland County. While the indoor activities list includes bowling, theatres, amusement places, and escape rooms in Oakland County. There is something for everyone, take a peek! |
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2 bags Microwave Popcorn Unbuttered
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
1 box Strawberry Creme Jell-O Pudding (optional)
1/2 cup Conversation Hearts
1/2 cup Valentine's M&M's
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- Microwave the popcorn according to the directions, or using your "popcorn" button. After it cools, cut a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag to shake out any unpopped kernels. Put into a big bowl.
- Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in spurts of 10-20 seconds, stirring until the chocolate chips are shiny and smooth.
- Add 4 tablespoons of Strawberry Creme Jell-O to the melted white chocolate chips until it is mixed in (if the chocolate starts to harden up, throw it in for another 10 seconds).
- Slowly start to add the chocolate to the popcorn, gently stirring to coat the popcorn. (you may also skip this step and drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn on a sheet pan)
- Spread popcorn onto pan into a single layer and sprinkle with conversation hearts and m&m's-Enjoy!
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