Friday, November 1, 2013

Fighting for Our Family

In 2009 our "repair this/move this desk/leave us alone/help me make this/you're still here/Relay for Life Team member/cheerleader/Safety Day help/ pain in the @*$" guy was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  After an extensive treament he was our Survivor officially in remission by 2010.
 
Most of you know him as Doug, his better half is our CEO Linda.
Here he is at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk held in Saginaw in October of 2012.
 
In June of 2013, he started not feeling well.  He went back to his doctor and testing was done.  On July 4, 2013 the breath was sucked out of all of us.  His breast cancer had metastasized to his lung.  Surgery was not an option this time and shot treatment was started.
 
He has not been able to be here as much as he was before but, he still makes his rounds when he can!  Here he is with his side kick Rick, taste testing the popcorn at our Straits Branch during our car sale with Graff Chevrolet.
 
He was able to greet his Grand-daughter who lives out of state at the airport.  You can tell how excited he was to see her.

He has had to spend some time in the hospital but, in typical Doug style has the nurses wrapped around his finger.

Linda has kept us all informed of every doctor appointment, test result, and "the plan" the what's next.  He's one of us and we need to know.  He was looking forward to walking the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk held on October 26th.  We created "Team Doug" sweatshirts and he recruited his "coffee club" to walk with all of us.  However, mid October he had a scope done to find out why he was having difficulites eating and keeping food down.  The results were not great.  The mass was pushing on his esophagus and he would need a stent placed.  So, October 22nd the stent was inserted and October 24th he started chemo.  The walk was out of the question.
 
The great news!  He was able to eat and we all got to see him with his first plate of food!
 
 As in years past we raised money for our team by having a special day when our staff can pay to wear jeans with a pink shirt.  This year that day happend to fall on October 24th.
 
Here is our Straits Branch Staff.
 
Here is our Wilder Branch Staff.

Here is our Cabaret Branch Staff.
 
Making Strides Walk 2013 pre walk group photo.  Including our staff and Doug's recruits!

 
Coffee Club 

 
Here is a collection of candids from our staff.
 
Bella (our Collections Officer) and her daughter and boyfriend.

 
Doreen (our CFO) and her daughter.
 

 
Kendra (our Straits Branch Manager) and her brother.
 
Brenda (our Marketing Director) and her husband.
 
 
Bella and Amy (part of our Straits Branch Staff).
 
John (our Chairman of the Supervisory Committee), Linda (our President/CEO and caretaker), Lori (Doug's neighbor), Kendra, her brother, Frank (our adopted brother/DJ) and Doreen, post walk.
 
Kendra, Bella, Doreen and Linda fighting the pre-race wind for a selfie.
 
 
Bella and Ashley (part of our Wilder Branch Staff) getting photo bombed by Danielle (part of our Straits Branch Staff), Kendra and Doreen.
 
Don't hold our singing against us, its just what we do.  We know we need to keep our day jobs!
 
 


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