Blog Posts - Books by Eric Douglas

Mammograms for Mother’s Day

May 7, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Two weeks ago was the first anniversary of the death of a Nitro High School classmate, Teresa Holovic O’Conner, from cancer. Last week was the 25^th anniversary of the death of another high school classmate, Mike Burnsworth, from cancer.

They had different types of cancer, but in both cases their death’s ended lives much too short and left people behind wondering why and grieving. In Teresa’s case, she left behind a young daughter and husband.

Last weekend was the WV Komen Walk for the Cure in Charleston and this coming weekend is Mother’s Day. Wouldn’t it be fitting if everyone got their mother a mammogram for Mother’s Day? While not 100 percent, early detection is the best way to make sure more young daughters don’t lose their mothers before they grow up and have children of their own.

Over the last year, I sat with Jean Hanna Davis and produced a series of blogs/columns about breast cancer. Just a few weeks ago, we released the book Keep on, Keepin’ on in which Jean talks about her person struggles with the chemotherapy treatment being a cancer survivor. One thing she believes in strongly is early detection.

“I tell people to have their mammograms all the time. I show my scars. It infuriates me when women come up to me and say ‘My doctor wants me to have a mammogram, but I’m not going to because it hurts too much.’ I have raised my shirt and shown them my scars and said ‘Tell me how you think this feels. You can prevent this by having your mammograms. What do you think is going to happen if you don’t have it?” I have shocked people. I have had people not talk to me, but if you can’t do the minimum you should do to take care of yourself like have your mammogram, you are going to hear about it from me. That is as important as, if not more important than, getting up every morning and putting food on the table.”

So, let me say Happy Mother’s Day to all the women in my life. You all make a difference to me, whether you are my mom or my wife or simply a friend and an inspiration. I want to keep you all around for a long, long time. Please take the best care of yourself possible and get yourself checked. I don’t want to lose any of you.

Happy Mother’s Day!.

Walk for the Cure 2014: Keep on, Keepin’ on

May 3, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Jean unveiled her book Keep on, Keepin’ on: A Breast Cancer Survivor Story at the 2014 Komen WV Walk for the Cure to a great reception. Many of the survivors and family of survivors stopped by to thank Jean for the courage to write a book about her experiences as she went through chemotherapy for the second time in 10 years. A number bought copies to send to friends.

It was cool morning, but just about perfect for the 5K walk down the boulevard. Spirits were high, but there seemed to be an edge to the day too, remembering those not so lucky to be there. A speaker said that six women lose their lives to breast cancer every week. That is mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and friends who aren’t around any more.

Keep on, Keepin’ On is available through Amazon in softcover and on Kindle. Share it with someone going through their own struggles to help them Keep on, Keepin’ on, too..

Two weeks to the election: Get out and Vote!

April 30, 2014 By Eric Douglas

On May 13, a day short of two weeks from today, West Virginia will return to the voting booth to decide who will represent each party in the general election next November. Typically, the primary mid-term election has a low turnout as people aren’t interested and paying attention if the Office of the President of the United States isn’t on the ballot.

That’s a mistake.

This election cycle includes all three of West Virginia’s members of Congress along with one of the two Senate seats, a position being vacated by Jay Rockefeller. It was just last fall that everyone hated ever member of the Senate and House of Representatives because of the shutdown of the Federal Government and the budget brinkmanship.

On a local level, every member of the West Virginia House of Delegates is up for election. Half of the members of the West Virginia State Senate are up for election this year. Unhappy with the way the state government handled the West Virginia Water Crisis? How about the the subsequent legislation to protect our water supply that got bounced back and forth during the legislative session? Get out and vote.

I’ve heard it said a number of times, and said it myself a few more, that we should remove every incumbent from office. After a little more thoughtful reflection, I’m not sure I still believe that. However, I believe every incumbent has to prove to me why I should give them my support. And I don’t mean with simple platitudes like “More Jobs and Lower Taxes” or whatever. Of course, everyone wants those things. But most of us realize life isn’t quite that simple and you can’t sum life up in five words.

There is a saying that “Everyone hates Congress, but loves their Congressman.” I’m not sure I understand how that disconnect exists, but I know it does. When you’ve met someone, shaken a hand and looked a person in the eye, it makes a difference.

I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone how to vote, or even how I plan to vote, but I will say I plan to pay a lot closer attention to this election than I normally would have. I hope everyone takes these next two weeks to actually look into the people running and see what they stand for. Understand who they are and who supports them financially.

If you’re not sure where to find out the information you need, the Sunday Gazette-Mail always publishes a voter guide. You can also find out who your representatives are on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Election Division website.

Whatever you do, get out and vote. Let your voice be heard. If you don’t like the way things are going, do your part to change it..

Time to put an end to cancer!

April 29, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Twenty five years ago today Michael Scott Burnsworth died from cancer. I can honestly say, that single event has shaped my life and career in more ways than I understand—even now. The hero of my adventure novels is based on him, using his name and physical description. In Keep on, Keepin’ on with Jean Hanna Davis about her struggles with breast cancer, I wrote about Mike in the introduction.

Last week was the one-year anniversary of the death of another of my high school classmates Teresa Holovic O’Connor from cancer. She fought a long, hard fight and her family and young daughter are still struggling with her loss.

Below you will find my introduction to Keep on, Keepin’ on. Mike didn’t die from breast cancer, although men are touched by the disease as well. For me, cancer is cancer and we need to find ways to end it all so young men can live their lives and fulfill their potential and mothers won’t leave behind grieving children.

May 3, one of my daughters will be walking with me to support breast cancer research. Won’t you join us?. A dollar from the sale of each book through Saturday will be donated to the WV Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. You can still register for the walk, too.

Introduction to the book Keep on, Keepin’ on

I’ve written about cancer a few times over the years. When I do, most of the time I write about my friend Mike.

One of my dearest friends lost his battle with cancer in April 1989. Mike Burnsworth was only 22 when he died. I still remember Kay Taylor telling me he was sick for the first time a few years before. I was at Marshall and she drove to Huntington to tell me and her daughter Sandy about it. She knew it was something we needed to hear in person.

A few years later, I got the idea that I would interview cancer survivors to talk about their experiences for a book. I thought in a way it would be cathartic for me to talk to people who had been through cancer—a way to help me understand my feelings about Mike. Honestly, I failed to get the project off the ground. I didn’t know how to put something like that together.

I’m always amazed by the strength of people who have been diagnosed with cancer. So many of us complain and whine (myself included) about things that have little or no consequence. These are often referred to as first-world problems. And then I run across someone who isn’t whining. Or complaining. Just fighting. Like Jean Hanna Davis.

I would guess Jean would say that when you don’t have a choice, it makes you tough and you fight. The alternative isn’t an alternative at all. When your family and friends depend on you and you have lots of life left to live, you fight. It is the medical equivalent of being backed into a corner. Fight or Flight kicks in and since you can’t flee the disease, you fight.

Jean was first diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her younger daughter. She had the awful choice to make of taking chemotherapy during pregnancy. She really didn’t know what it would do to Juliana, but she went through it anyway. I cannot imagine what that was like. Pregnancy is hard enough on its own, but flooding your body with drugs that nearly kill you in the process would simply be too much. But she did it. And survived it. And Juliana turned out just fine.

I first met Jean in high school at All County Choir. I don’t really know how we started talking. I ended up going out with a friend of hers a couple times. Later, after college, Jean was singing and playing music around Charleston and I would go hear her. I still love to hear her play Girls with Guitars.

She married Joe Davis and moved away and then I married and moved away and we lost touch for a number of years. Just a couple years ago, we reconnected and I have been awed to hear her story. I was gone during the first round of cancer.

Jean Hanna Davis is a wife, a daughter, a mother, a musician and a teacher. She is also a cancer survivor and a cancer patient.

Nearly 10 years later, the cancer is back. Over the regular beeping of the device hanging beside her bed, she takes a series of chemicals designed to kill the cancer. In the process, it tears her body down; something familiar to every cancer patient and every person who has had a family member go through cancer treatment. The chemicals are administered one at a time. Not unusual for cancer patients, she knows the formulaic name for each of her medications and what they do. She knows which drugs will upset her stomach, make her nauseous and all the other side effects that come with letting toxic chemicals into your body. (The nurses and technicians have to use special gloves so they don’t get chemicals on their hands and get burned.)

In today’s world, journalism is often about sound bites and telling stories as quickly as possible. It is much rarer to get the opportunity to tell complete stories. In early August, Jean offered me tremendous access to a period in her life when most people would insist on privacy. In the spring she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. After a second mastectomy and radiation, she began chemotherapy, a month shy of 10 years after the first time.

I sat with her through four of her six chemo sessions and we got together for another couple long interviews. Jean is a fighter. She is not about to take this lying down. Most of her friends refer to her as Wonder Woman for her attitude when it comes to cancer. She wants to talk about cancer because she hopes her experiences will help someone going through cancer for the first time will learn from what she has been through.

What follows are interviews, stories, Facebook posts (to begin each chapter), essays written by Jean and private thoughts recorded into an audio recorder in the evenings or on the way to her chemo appointments. There is some repetition of thought as she writes about something in a personal note, or talks about it in her own personal recording after we talked about it in an interview or chemo session. I left them in there, because I feel like it gives you a better sense for what is on her mind and what she is going through.

While Jean is an upbeat and optimistic person, it isn’t all sunshine and roses. But it is a real look at the process. I think this book will be valuable for friends and family of people handling cancer and for cancer patients themselves. I hope everyone who reads it is as inspired by Jean as I am.

— Eric Douglas.

Mowing grass is Zen

April 23, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Trudging around my yard a few days ago, pushing a heavy, noisy machine back and forth (and back and forth) for the first time in 2014, I couldn’t help thinking to myself how glad I was winter is finally over…not that it isn’t holding on for dear life mind you. Spring Break in the mountains of West Virginia with my family included sideways snow.

This, of course, isn’t the first time winter has held on so long. I remember one Spring at Marshall (in the late 80s) where we were playing in the sun at Ritter Park on Sunday and then got several inches of snow on Tuesday. I was sunburned and shivering as I walked to class.

Still, the trees are budding, the grass is growing (if unevenly) and birds are chasing each other through the trees. My snow shovel is still out next to the front steps and I think I can realistically put it back in the garage now.

Some people are fanatical about their yards; applying fertilizers and mowing, pruning, blowing and trimming daily. That’s great if that’s what you’re into. It’s just not me. I’m sure I’m a disappointment to a couple of my neighbors. They seem to tolerate me though, only looking at me with pity when they think my back is turned.

Mowing the grass is a sort of meditation for me. I can zone out and spend an hour or so outside. My phone stays in the house and I don’t worry about calls or emails. Those times are increasingly rare so I take advantage of them whenever I can. All too soon, everyone will be complaining about the heat and the humidity and staying inside in the air conditioning. Not me. As a writer, I spend too much time connected to my computer writing about life (it begins to feel like I’m jacked directly into it) and not enough time out actually experiencing it.

If I can’t get outside and get some action, I think I’ll start up my lawnmower and get some “quiet time”. Maybe my neighbors who spend all their time working on their yards know something I don’t….

Keep on, keepin’ on: Learning lessons from Jean Hanna Davis

April 22, 2014 By Eric Douglas

About this time last year, Jean Hanna Davis’ world was about to be turned upside down…again. She was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in 10 years. What followed was a mastectomy to remove her remaining breast, radiation and chemotherapy.

Talking to Jean last summer, I offered to do anything I could for her. In the back of my mind, I was thinking we could get together and take some photos if she was feeling down. What she offered blew my mind. She suggested I come and sit with her during her chemo sessions and together we write a book about the experiences of going through cancer.

What followed was a six-month journey where Jean, and the rest of her family, spoke honestly and directly to me about their faith, fears and frustrations. There were funny moments, too. That time together resulted in Keep On, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Survivor Story. As we said on the book cover, it isn’t all sunshine and roses, but it is a real look at the process.

In interviews, chemo sessions and email exchanges, Jean gave me much more than I ended up giving her. She inspired me. She encouraged me. She taught me lessons.

We all go through rough patches or times when we get frustrated and just want to quit. And that is when we are facing everyday problems, not life or death ones. Jean taught me to “Look for the gifts.” That can be hard sometimes, but Jean talked about times feeling low, sick and tired and then seeing something that would brighten her day or make her laugh. If she had allowed herself to wallow in her pain, she never would have seen those gifts.

The second thing Jean taught me was to “Keep on, Keepin’ on”. That was her mantra throughout her chemo. It means to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Even baby steps make a difference. The important thing is to not stop. She posted that phrase to Facebook and said it over and over. I’m sure it was partly a reminder to herself that she couldn’t stop and couldn’t go backward. It had the secondary effect of encouraging those around her.

The third thing I learned from Jean, and this time her family as well, was to have faith in God. We talked about faith quite a bit when we got together. We discussed her Grandmom’s articles of faith in the form of several Saints’ medallions and oils, and her father’s faith as an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church. We talked about her faith, a mixture of the Catholic tradition and the beliefs she was raised on, and the acceptance of prayers from people of all faiths and levels of spirituality.

As John (Jean’s father) said in a homily he delivered on the subject “I have faith. I believe in Salvation. I believe in miracles. I believe our Lord Jesus Christ is here guiding the people here to bring my daughter back to health. What if she dies? I still have faith that she is with our Lord Jesus Christ. She was promised salvation. Would I be happy about it? No. That is part of the struggle.”

Keep on, Keepin’ on is now available in print and as a Kindle ebook. We will donate a $1 from every copy sold between now and the Susan G. Komen West Virginia Race for the Cure on May 3.

Cancer patients and survivors can learn from this book. They can gain inspiration and learn a few tricks to getting over nausea. People without cancer can read it and be inspired and learn to accept obstacles. There really is something for everyone inside.

And if you are interested in participating in the West Virginia Komen Race for the Cure, sign up now and get out there..