GENETIC PINK

My Genetic Braca test results came back. I saw Dr. Schlesinger on Tuesday and she told me it was NEGATIVE! Which means the cancer was not caused from my genetic code, but probably from my over 20 years of smoking, although I haven't smoked in 19 years.

I believe it was caused by the building where I worked at Langley AFB. It as one of the really old buildings. The building was part of NASA and there is a building inside that belongs to the Air Force. We moved there in 1995. Within a year, it was discovered that I had eczema. I was also allergic to roaches and their droppings, mold, mice, cats, pine, fescue grass, therimesal, etc. There was a bay in the side of the building that had storage for the communications squadron. They sometimes would leave the bay open all day and pidgeons would fly in a roost on the rafters in the warehouse. The pidgeons would poop all over the top of our building inside of the warehouse. One of our air conditioners was up there and had large pan to catch the condensation and drain into a pipe leading to the outside. Needless to say, the pipe would get clogged with pidgeon poop and stop up. Then if it was particularly warm, the pan would overflow into the walls, one of them in my area. It was always damp and Civil Engineers would come and paint and the next thing you know, it would leak again.

One day, I was taking the mail around to the supervisors and when I got to Mr. Kelly's office in the front, there was a huge bubble in his ceiling. It was full of water from the AC. I called CE and they came and replaced the ceiling tiles and cleaned out the pipes. This kept happening until they finally hired a contractor to come in and clean up he whole area upstairs. It was okay for a while, and then Hurricane Isabel happened. Our office had over 3 ft of water in it and we had to move to the Suntrust Building in Newport News while they cleaned it up.

I was so happy, the office was about a mile from my house and within 4 months, I was able to cut back on the prednisone that the allergist was giving me for eczema. We were there for 2 years before they had our area fixed. I went by one day to check on the progress and they had all the sheetrock off the walls and were preparing to redo them. There was mold all over the studs in the walls and they didn't replace them. They said they sanitized them, but it looked moldy to me.

We moved in and it was nice but the moldy smell was there. I put a sign on the door to the NASA part of the building so no one would open the door, because the NASA side was never sanitized. It was a pit. I would get really sick if anyone opened the door. So, when the first day I could retire came, I did. I just couldn't stay there any longer. Three months and 2 days later, I discovered a lump in my breast. Go figure. People say that I should sue the Government, but isn't it in enough trouble, especially now?

At least I am drawing a retirement and a supplement until I reach 62 and go on Social Security. We are doing alright. Ray doubled our tithe about 3 years ago and the Lord has blessed his business beyond our expectations. Not to mention, most of my documentation was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel. Environmental would come around with a little device and walk the office and say there was nothing there. I saw the roaches. They were the size of small mice. They would make nests in our audit books. I think they liked the glue. It was really nasty and no one should be working in that building. NASA vacated the building, now no one wants to admit responibility for it.

Anyway, I truly believe the environmental factor that caused my tumor was that nasty, sick building. It is not the only building at Langley in that shape. It would be interesting to know how many employees have contracted cancer. I know at least five including myself, and two of them died. I pray for those who have to work around all that mold and decay every day. I pray that the young women who are working there and plan to have children are alright. Sometimes historical is nice, but more often than not on a military installation, it is just a sickness waiting to happen.

The good news is that I don't have to have a double mastomectomy and my ovaries removed. I called my siblings and gave them the good news. My sister Jan was so happy. Her daughter had a lump that turned out to be a cyst and so did Rhonda. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

We spent the weekend in Tyson's Corner for the Lions State Convention. One of my dear friends won 1st Vice District Governor, which means she will be District Governor in July 2010. Her name is Donna Weiler and she lives in Tappahannock. She is awesome. She is so capable and positive in manner. Her husband is Dr. Hauser Weiler. Hauser has been District Governor and VA State Council Chairman of the Lions Clubs. He is an opthomologist and has an office near Rappahannock Hospital. He took care of my cataracts a few years ago. She has my full support.

It was a strange convention for me. I had to stay in my room because my immune system is compromised. I did get to see a few people but they were not allowed too close. We did go to dinner at Olive Garden on Saturday with Linda and Jim Gregory. They drove up to the convention on Jim's Harley-Davidson and left right after the election this morning. I was almost a 3 hour drive. I was able to do some art this weekend.

Jeff and Rhonda gave me a Nintendo DSI for Mother's day. Since I couldn't be there on Mother's Day, they gave it to me at Mother's party. I discovered last week that I could access Twitter on the Internet. It is difficult to ReTweet, but I can read them anyway. We have Wi-Fi at home and any time I am near free Wi-

Fi, I can get on the web. I can even check my gmail.

I was elected as President of the Newport News Host Lions Club in April and will take office in July. It is the third time I have been President. We have some awesome people in our club and as long as they do their jobs, mine will be easy. I really have learned to delegate. My last chemo is in July, but I think I will be fine. God is Good, All the time!
Nitey nite~