Posts Tagged ‘spa’

Entry for Abigail

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

My entry is not for my mom, but for a mom and friend of mine who deserves something special for herself.

Abigail suffered a grand mal seizure at work two years ago and has since dealt with countless medical appointments, memory loss, sensory loss, and constant headaches – all while raising four young boys. Since Abigail is now unable to work fulltime, her husband took on more hours at his job, leaving her to shuttle the boys from sports practices to dentist appointments to school events on her own.

However, despite her medical issues (her neurologists never did find a cause for the seizure and have not ruled out the possibility of it occurring again), Abigail is one of the most upbeat people I know. She always makes herself available to help out other people – most recently, she’s been driving an hour every day  to help her pregnant sister pack for an upcoming move. She’s thirsty for knowledge and works on puzzles and word games daily to help improve her memory. She reads voraciously in search of food ingredients that might help spark her taste buds to regain sensitivity.

The boys have been great, too – they understand that Mom’s brain is no longer wired to remember to sign their permission slips and pack lunches without several reminders from them. Only once have I seen Abigail break down and cry over feeling insufficient in terms of parenting, but I know that she’d give anything to regain her short-term memory capacity, if only so that she could expand on her service to others.

If anyone deserves a Total Mom Rejuvenation, it’s Abigail, and I am honored both to be her friend and to share her story.

Submitted by: Jennifer

Please leave your ‘Comments’ to vote for Abigail!

Comments are closed.


Entry for Janie

Monday, April 19th, 2010

My mother, Janie, has been through so much in the past eight years, I think she’s forgotten what it’s like to be comfortable–let alone pampered.

 In 2002, Janie was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy/hysterectomy, and several rounds of estrogen-destroying hormone treatments.  She lost her sense of femininity—hormones, womb, and breasts—in one awful year.  The years following that were full of fear about whether or not the cancer was coming back, as well as the huge adjustments in her daily life that she made as she struggled to deal with her new scars, her new appearance, and her new anxieties.  My father tried to urge her to rest during this period, but she still insisted on working to my brother and I—who were just entering college (him) and finishing up high school (me)—financially as we went through our own life changes and transitions.  She tried to be there for us emotionally, too, even though she was undergoing so much.

And then, just when her health seemed to be on an upswing in 2006, my father, to whom my mother had been happily married for over 25 years, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.  For three years, my mother acted as his health advocate amidst complicated procedures, a mess of medical expenses, and even frustrating miscommunication between his doctors.  She then carried the family through the sudden changes we had to make financially as his health declined—moving us into a smaller home pretty much single-handedly, since my father was so weak—and then took care of my dad through at-home hospice for several months.  When he died in January of ’09, she didn’t allow the family to fall apart. She managed the family estate and returned to work, making sacrifices to help support me, her youngest, as I left college and began to embark on my own career path.  

 She lives as a widow now at 54.  Her job these days involves helping women with breast cancer to “look normal—or at least as good as they can,” as she puts it, by fitting them with specialty wigs and prostheses.  Every day, she grieves with women over their scars as they try to hide the damage.  Every day, I think she opens up her own old wounds, but she knows that, as a survivor herself, there is no one who can understand the women who come to her for help any better.  In spite of the pain, she puts her heart on the line every day to help others who are going through cancer.  I can’t believe she does it—and I can’t imagine how she manages it, especially since she’s still grieving for my father and all the things she lost in her 25-year romance with him. He was her best friend.

She hasn’t had much time to take care of herself in the year following his death, and I think she’s forgotten what it’s like to be taken care of. Even though I’ve been living with her for the last ten months, she hasn’t ever relinquished her caretaker role to me, and she still takes on the heaviest burdens for herself.  Grief has aged her prematurely—and I know that she would feel much more refreshed and confident and able to move on if she had the chance for some rejuvenating pampering she could never afford on her new budget.

Thanks for considering my mom, Janie, for this contest. Even if she doesn’t get your vote, I hope you’ll think of her in your prayers.  Submitted by: Abbie

346 Responses to “Entry for Janie”

  1. Mary Gay says:

    Janie is an inspiration to all women. Her daughter’s not bad either in her demonstration of compassion and love for her mother. A winning combination and one that gets my vote.

  2. ashley says:

    Janie gets my vote!

  3. Rainy Lin says:

    Janie has my vote!

  4. Harry says:

    I expect that there are many deserving women who would easily qualify for such a nice gesture as this, but based on the experience I have had, it is hard to imagine that anyone deserves it more…

    Please consider making this special opportunity available to such a wonderful and deserving woman.

  5. Cathy Curry says:

    A mothers love is so far reaching! Janie is a true example of mothering in its finest form. She is truly a blessing to all of those she is around.

  6. Himanshu says:

    You have my vote. You deserve to win.

  7. Anita says:

    Janie and Abbie get my vote! Such a wonderfuly story of a loving family.

  8. Justin Henriw says:

    I honestly don’t know what to say. What a wonderful woman, and what awesome kids. I know Caleb personally and he’s one of the best. Janie, you have quite a legacy, and you’re an example of faith and human goodness. Thanks very much for that.

  9. Maanaa says:

    She def gets my vote

  10. Yuehui says:

    Janie is an amazing woman. I really admire her. She deserves the best in the world

  11. Jason says:

    Janie gets my vote!

  12. Deb says:

    Janie has my vote!

  13. Nicole says:

    Janie has my vote!

  14. Sherry says:

    Janie gets my vote. What a wonderful example of unselfish love and family support!

  15. Elisha says:

    Janie has my vote as well.. what a warrior.

    God bless your family, Abbie.

  16. Christina says:

    I vote for Janie!

  17. Kathy Barbour says:

    I’m so moved by Janie’s compassion and her desire to give a sense of femininity
    and optimism back to other women stricken by cancer. That she has continued to do so as a widow, who is still suffering from losing her beloved mate, marks her as a truly special woman, deserving of every little bit of pampering she can get. I’m also touched by her daughter’s devotion to her brave and spirited mother.

  18. Delilah says:

    Janie and Abbie are wonderful! They always think of the little things to make me and everyone else feel better. I vote Janie!

  19. Lauren says:

    Janie definitely has my vote! :)

  20. Barb Fausett says:

    God bless you richly Janie. May His love and peace rest on you with a Heavy Hand and fill you with His Spirit. I vote for you.

  21. Amy says:

    Janie has my vote!

  22. Jackie says:

    janie has my vote!

  23. Melissa says:

    Janie has my vote!

  24. Dennis says:

    Janie gets my vote.

  25. Laurie says:

    Janie’s got my vote!

  26. Stephanie says:

    Janie and Abbie get my vote!!

  27. Cecily says:

    Janie definitely has my vote!

  28. Tayler says:

    Janie has my vote!

  29. robin says:

    What an inspiring story……Janie has my vote!!

  30. Brooke Puetz says:

    Janie has my vote!

  31. Kim says:

    Janie has my vote!

  32. Suzanne says:

    Janie is an outstanding woman and mother. She definitely gets my vote.

  33. Monica says:

    Love you Janie! You deserve this!

  34. William says:

    Janie has my vote. I can’t imagine a more deserving candidate.

  35. Samantha says:

    Janie gets my vote! This will be a great opportunity for her to start to recover from all her hardships. She’s definitely deserving!

  36. Kibs says:

    I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this than Janie!

  37. Marque says:

    Janie has my vote!!!!

  38. Rojelly says:

    Janie definitely deserves this. She has my vote!

  39. Fatima says:

    Thank God for Mother’s like Janie, she deserves it the most

  40. Hjalti says:

    Janie gets my vote!

  41. Hulda says:

    Janie has my vote.

  42. Carol says:

    Cast my vote for Janie.

  43. Sharon says:

    Janie is a wonderful woman. She definitely gets my vote !

  44. Weng says:

    Janie Gets my vote :)


Entry for Mary Anita

Monday, April 19th, 2010

My mom is awesome; that is why she should win the spa treatments and other products.  My name is Abigail and I am 10 years old.  My sister is Lydia and she is 8 years old. 

My mom was busy packing us up last April to move to Noblesville, Indiana.  She was a pastor’s wife in northwest Indiana.  I LOVE Noblesville and our home in the country.  My mom was a pastor’s wife for 8 1/2 months, and then my Dad died because of inflammation of the pancreas.  He was only in the hospital for 5 days.  My sister and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.

My mom has had to learn to pay the bills and handle some of Dad’s jobs and still tries to be a good mom.  She gets up early and goes to bed late just to have things ready for us.  She fixes all of our meals, does our laundry, and helps us with our homework, and helps me with my new puppy, Penny.  I know she is stressed out because she misses Dad and wants the best for us. 

She needs a relaxing time so she can feel good about herself again.  She also still has Bible studies and helps the kids.  She needs to rest and I hope she wins the contest!

Submitted by: Abigail

Comments are closed.