I was born in Atlanta, GA but moved back to my Mother's hometown of Huntsville, AL a few weeks after birth. My parents split up when I was a toddler. My Mother and I were in a car crash when I was 2 years old and she died. My Grandparents fought my Dad for custody so I had to go from Hospital to Children's home until a decision was reached. My Dad won, but my Grandparents got me for 24 hours on the weekend. My Dad and Grandparents hated each other and I often was caught in the middle. My Dad had remarried and I moved in with he and my new step-mom. I didn't like her at first but eventually she became Mama. My Dad was an entrepreneur and wasn't home often. I retreated into my own little world. I couldn't connect with people well after my Mother died.  My Dad bought a gas station in my new Mama's hometown. It was small and we lived in it. My Dad hired and older man who became like a Grandpa to me. He taught me to read and math when I was only 3. I found I loved to learn. My Dad bought some land in the next town where he'd grown up. He built a Log Cabin and turned the downstairs into a convenience store and the upstairs into our home. I went to the local public school. I was ahead of the other kids and eventually skipped a grade. I was chubby and a bit of a loner until 6th grade. Our school had 6th-12th grade all together. My graduating class had only 36 students. I did well in school and eventually became moderately popular. I left home my Senior year due to physical abuse. I stayed with my Grandparents a few months until Graduation during which time I got a job. Because I'd turned down all my scholarships but the one I wanted to Rhodes I didn't get to got to College full time at all. I couldn't afford to move to Rhodes and take care of myself. My Dad wouldn't let me use his tax returns to file for a grant. A week after graduation I got my own apartment and by fall worked and went to the local college at night. I got in with the wrong crowd and partied too much. One day I had a car accident and totalled my car. I had to move back in with my Grandparents. I got away from the bad crowd and met my ex-husband. We dated for a year then I moved in with him and his parents. A year later we married. A little over a year after that unplanned, we had our first child. Thirteen months later another unplanned gift, our second child. During my first pregnancy I quit college. I worked part time and spent the rest of the time raising our babies. My marriage was very rocky. I handled responsibility very different than my husband. I stayed in the marriage longer than I wanted because of the kids. However, when my husband was unfaithful I gave him one chance, when he was unfaithful again, I kicked him out. The girls were 3 and 4 and in private school. My ex started partying and lost his job. He only paid a small amount of child support for one year then quit. He remarried and even though he lives only a couple of miles away, sees and talks to the kids very little. I worked hard and got promoted at work so I could provide. I was Admin. Mgr. for Lowe's. I dated very little and never introduced men to my children until I met someone in 2001. I fell in love. We were talking about marriage even though he was only 21 and I was 27 when he had a terrible accident. He was hit between the eyes during a softball game catching a ball. Within 36 hours he went into seizures and almost died. His sinus infection had been pushed through a hair line crack during the accident into his brain and he got spinal meningitis. He went into a coma for almost a week. It took him several days before he could talk and reveal he'd lost 2 years memory. He didn't know who I was. We got through it for awhile. I was there almost all the time with him. Eventually it was apparent he wasn't the same. We broke up for a while then eventually got back together. Then I got sick. He couldn't deal with it. He broke up with me the first time. When they said I was clear he came back. We got engaged and started planning a wedding. However, pressure from his family and friends combined with me starting to get sick again caused him to bail on me. We broke up for good and before long I found out my cancer had returned. Previously in 2002 I had found out that I had cervical cancer. I had a radical hysterctomy and told I was clear. I decided to make a change at work and went into outside commercial sales which I loved. In less thatn 6 months I had pre-cancer cells removed. Less than 6 months later after a few months of tests I found out I had a tumor in my pelvis. I had 6 chemo, 30 radiation treatments and radioactive implant surgery. All the while I was dealing with a pinched nerve due to a ruptured disc in my back. I was in a lot of pain. I worked a few hours a week during treatment. Three months after treatment I had back surgery and was feeling good except for some colon problems. I was positive something was wrong and no one believed me. I finally pushed for tests and they gave them to me to shut me up. I had a tumor in my colon that a day before surgery ate a hole into my bladder. I had my bladder and part of my colon removed. I found out that my right kidney was dying and it eventually atrophied. They weren't able to get all of the cancer during surgery. They decided since I was so young and would surely die without treatment that they would give me more radiation even though I had already had the maximum amount a person is to have.  I had 8 more chemo and 24 more radiation treatments. I had to eventually quit work. A few months after treatment was over I began hemmorhaging and did so every week for 5 weeks. During that time I lost feeling in my right foot and control of my right leg. I was sent home with Hospice care after 5 weeks and given a few weeks to live. During the first few weeks my pelvic bones were so fragile I fractured them in at least 5 places. Due to my other problems the fractures weren't addressed and they eventually grew back in way that my pelvis was deformed and I couldn't sit up. I asked God during this time to allow me to live, even in this shape, long enough to raise my daughters. I received a miracle. My condition eventually became stable. I can't walk or even sit up. For a couple of years I could get in a special power chair on occasion but my bones have deteriorated to a point where that is no longer possible. I am bed bound but able to spend time with my kids and run my household, but I have to have someone with me 24/7. It's not easy. My family and my ex-husband's parents really help out. Financially we are really strapped, but we make it work. We are just happy to be together. I have to constantly deal with recurrent kidney infections, chronic pain, and kidney stone. I also have a serious problem with Lymph-edema. Despite all that I am thankful for every minute I have with my girls.

mylissa.lifelinkage.com