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Fall into a healthy lifestyle…
Our health is an essential part of our lives. It is wonderful to be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with good health.
This month, we highlight some wonderful people who have encountered health issues and overcome them—as best they can! For both, these problems have made them reevaluate their lives and what “living” means. I understand that sentiment.
In the past couple of years, I have learned what it is like to live life with back pain. After six months of misdiagnoses, my favorite surgeon, Dr. Beth Peterson, found the problem in one visit – a bulging disc in my thoracic spine. Praise God for those of you who enjoy a perfect, healthy back! It is not something I would wish on anyone else. (My other favorite physicians are Dr. John Gregory, who helped diagnose my issue, and Dr. James Wages with Precision Spine here in Texarkana. He got my back to the point that I am not writhing in pain all the time!)
From a kidney transplant to lung cancer, our articles this month cover health issues that these people would never wish on anyone else. Through the grace of God, they were diagnosed and have overcome. Whether with the help of physicians or help from both physicians and other gracious people, amazing things were accomplished. Not many years ago, their plight and mine may have turned out much differently.
I have known Gina McDuffie since she was a child. One of my favorite memories of her is spilling a Big Red soda in the back seat of my brand-new car! I never did get that stain out of the floor mat! And she never did forget about it! Poor sweet baby! She has grown up over the past 30 years and has become a beautiful young woman. Knowing her as I do, I knew she would not want to be in the spotlight, but she wanted to share her story so that others might be helped by learning the possible results of vaping. She shows a strength that many would not.
As much as I have known Gina for years, Orville Farren is a new friend. I met him while he was taking my class to get his License to Carry. He and my former employee, Keith Chestnutt, became great friends through church, a wonderful place to gain friends. Sharing his story brings joy and amazement when reading about his miraculous journey.
I have come to understand that many of my friends have had health issues, sometimes finding out after they have overcome them. (Not everyone puts their life on Facebook – or in their editorial!) If you are struggling with health problems, I pray you find the answers you seek.
You are in my prayers…
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A MIRACULOUS JOURNEY
By: Michelle Horton
In the chart-topping contemporary Christian song “God Is in This Story,” Katy Nichole sings:
“God is in this story. God is in the details. Even in the broken parts He holds my heart; He never fails.
When I’m at my weakest
I will trust in Jesus.
Always in the highs and lows
The One who goes before me. God is in this story.”
God is in this story. It is a story of two men who needed each other more than they ever knew. One man was sharing the good news of His Savior, and another needed saving during a dark time. These two men’s paths would collide, and as you turn the pages, you will see God was in this story, even in the broken parts.
Orville Farren, 71, a resident of Nash, Texas, was born and raised in Redlick, Texas. He is the current pastor of Grace Church, a non-denominational church in Nash, Texas. Farren was the founding pastor of Grace Church in 1988 and has severed as their pastor for 32 years. He married Robbie Howell Farren in 1971; they were 18 and 16. They bore three children, Michael, David, and Stephanie, over the next 12 years. Orville and Robbie would later add to their family when their oldest son, Michael, would wed Alisa Sinclair; their youngest son, David, would wed Meredith Morriss, and their daughter, Stephanie, would wed David Brooks.
The couple enjoys six grandchildren today: Madison (29), Mykah (26), Avery (24), Abby (20), Gavin (17), and Grayson (7).
Colt Freeman, 23, a resident of Texarkana, Texas, was born and raised in the Liberty-Eylau area of Texarkana. He is a dispatcher and rides on the ambulance for Pafford Medical Services in Hope, Arkansas. Although Colt is unmarried and without children, he enjoys the
blessing of having his parents, Wesley and Mandy Freeman, and both sets of grandparents living and is fond of their close bond. He considers his church family at Grace Church his extended family and an inherited blessing.
So, how would these two men’s paths collide? It all started with an undesirable doctor’s report and a man looking to end his life.
Orville had been fighting a diabetes diagnosis for several years and his bloodwork began to show that his kidneys were starting to fail in 2014. A local doctor had been warning him to begin dialysis, but Orville had yet to start the process. Orville was still stable in 2022, and after a great discussion with Dr. Armando AponteVelez, a nephrology specialist practicing in Paris, Texas, Orville began to receive options for his medical condition. Dr. Aponte-Velez suggested Orville have a dialysis fistula placed in his arm for in-clinic dialysis if needed and, in the meantime, begin the process of getting on the kidney transplant list. Dr. Aponte-Velez’s office started the paperwork for the transplant list. Time would take its toll, and Orville’s kidney function would decrease to only seven percent. Nearing dialysis, Orville became weaker and weaker and his need for a new kidney became dire.
As the Farrens weighed the risks of this fatal disease and failing kidney, it would become imperative that Orville needed a kidney transplant. Without this transplant, Orville would spend the rest of his life on dialysis. He was familiar with this disease as his father, JW Farren, also had kidney disease, but he refused the dialysis treatment. As a result, his father’s organs shut down on him. Orville was not against taking the dialysis if it would keep him alive for his family. “I knew from my dad that it was serious, and I also knew people on dialysis that live a full life. However, a patient on dialysis has to spend four hours a day, three days a week, inside a clinic receiving dialysis, which takes away from your regular life. When Dr. Aponte-Velez gave me the option to have the peritoneal dialysis
catheter placed in my stomach so I could receive dialysis overnight while sleeping, that is the option we went with until a kidney transplant was available,” Orville said.
As the days passed Orville would become weaker and weaker. His creatinine levels were at an all-time high of 9.8 mg/dL (a normal range is 0.7 to 1.3mg/dL). Pastoring the church became challenging as he would move from standing while preaching to becoming so weak that he would have to sit on the altar to finish his sermon. His energy was dwindling, and his wife Robbie stated that Orville would sleep for about 95% of the daytime hours. “If you would have seen me a year ago, I would have been home asleep right now,” Orville said.
Kidney transplant patients can wait up to five years or more for a deceased donor; however, Orville would find a living donor in just one year with the help of God and a willing young man.
Colt Freeman was not raised in the church and had experienced a bad relationship and severe depression. He attempted suicide three times. “Each time I heard a voice, ‘Just wait, and you’ll see.’ I heard it all three times,” Colt said. Hard times continued, and Colt decided to try his suicide attempt a fourth time, although this time, he would be successful in his mind. Colt explains, “That week, there was a HarleyDavidson convention where they did stunt rides, and I ran into Grace Church members Frederick and Kathy Rounsavall. They invited me to church, and I thought, ‘It won’t hurt nothing, why not give it a shot?’” The following Sunday, in January 2023, he graced the steps of Grace Church and felt as though he was walking in the living room of his own home. He was welcomed with loving arms, unjudged, and everyone was glad Colt was there. He asked Jesus to be his Savior within a month and was baptized a few Sundays later.
Colt remembers a specific passage Orville had preached, stating, “Nothing is ours; everything is His.” At this moment, Colt heard the same voice that echoed during his suicide attempts. “You can do this,” was the voice Colt heard loudly and clearly. “I immediately had goosebumps and started to freak out,” Colt said. After service, Colt picked up his phone, and the first thing he saw was a Facebook post that would change both his and Orville’s life. Earlier, Orville’s wife, Robbie, had made a plea on Facebook for friends to call Medical
City Transplant Institute in Dallas, Texas, to see if they would be eligible to donate a kidney for Orville. Colt questioned himself, “Is that what God is really showing me to do?” However, Colt did not think long, believing it would work if it was God’s plan.
Colt immediately began the work to see if he would be a match as a living donor; however, he would keep this information to himself until the right time. He began by contacting Medical City in Dallas to learn the steps he would need to take. He was introduced to Katie, a transplant coordinator, and she was very helpful in Colt’s process. Two days later, Colt visited LabCorp in Texarkana, Texas, to begin testing to see if he was healthy enough to endure this process. Within a week, Katie called Colt with the excellent news that he was healthy enough and would need to return for additional blood work to see if he was a match for Orville. “This time, it took a little longer for Katie to call me back, but I could tell by her excitement why she was calling me. She said, ‘I’ve got wonderful news – you are a match!’ She then asked me if I was sure I wanted to go through with this, mainly due to my young age (22) and willingness to donate. Of course, I had not discussed this with the Farren family yet, but I had talked to my parents and grandparents, who were behind me 110%,” Colt said.
The next phone call was to Orville and Robbie Farren. “I called them and said, ‘Hey, what are you’ll doing? I need to come by and talk to you’ll after I get off work.’ Of course, they did not have a clue what I was doing as I had not told anyone except my family,” Colt said. “I sat down in their living room in June 2023, and told them I had gone through the steps of becoming a kidney donor and am a match! Medical City is going to be contacting you!”
Joy and unbelief are how Orville would describe that moment when receiving the incredible news from Colt. However, knowing how God works, Orville believed it could and would be true. “I expressed thankfulness to God and Colt for his willingness and obedience to the Lord. That was huge for a young man to do that,” Orville said. Robbie immediately began to question if Colt’s family supported his decision and after much reassurance, Robbie began FaceTiming the Farren family to share the excellent news.
Colt had never had any operation before this and now he was about to donate a kidney to Orville. Because of Colt’s young age, he would become the youngest willing donor ever to undergo this procedure. The hospital made him complete two psychological evaluations by two different people since it was a non-emergency case. As they explained, this decision would impact Colt for the rest of his life. It would take years off his life, and he would have to change some habits, especially his love for sweet tea. “They told me I had 100% risk with no benefits. I would be prone to infection and would have to limit contact with people,” Colt said.
Excited with the opportunity that Colt could change someone’s life with his donation, he returned to work to inform his previous boss, from a different job, that he would be donating his kidney. “My former boss told me if I proceeded with this donation, I would lose my job. I would be fired. That really set me back. I took two days to think about it and made up my mind. God has brought me this far; I know He has a plan. I put all my trust in Him,” Colt said.
Orville and Colt received the surgery date soon after: October 3, 2023. That same day, Colt was fired, but that did not deter him from going through with the transplant. Colt spoke with Katie again, and she was able to help him with a program that pays for kidney transplants, from hospital bills to food, lodging, and more. Those programs were approved, and the two men would head to Dallas for the extensive surgery in mere months.
Colt and Orville arrived at Medical City the day before the surgery to check-in. Their families would join each other in fellowship that evening for dinner. “Yeah, we knew we weren’t going to be eating for a while!” Colt said. Orville adds, “We spent that time together and prayed together. Some had never met Colt before and this allowed time for that.”
As the sun rose on October 3, 2023, the day of the kidney transplant was finally at hand. Colt would go back for surgery a couple of hours before Orville would. As they wheeled him towards the operating room, Colt was able to see both families in the waiting room. “They talked to me, hugged me, loved me. I had never seen my dad cry, until that day. It was not until that moment that I realized their thoughts about the situation and how much it meant to everyone,” Colt said.
As Colt sat in the pre-op room with his mom holding his
shaking hand, the hospital staff asked him one last time if he was sure he wanted to proceed. “They said, ‘If you want to back out, we can come up with a reason. Medical reason or anything.’ I told them no, that it had been laid on my heart to do this, and I am going to proceed with it,” Colt said.
The surgery lasted four to five hours for Colt, and it was successful. Colt would experience pain for the next 24 hours and soreness for a couple of weeks. Six days later, Colt arrived home in the most comfortable fashion, a private helicopter transport from his friend, Tyler Hawkins. The kidney transplant into Orville’s body was accepted but the healing would take some time. “I woke up pretty sedated and had a little more pain from the incisions. The greatest aggravating pain was the PICC Line (peripherally inserted central catheter line) in my neck, and the way they had it taped was worse than the actual incision. It was really tough to deal with it and I had to have it the whole time I was in the hospital. Don’t misunderstand me. I knew I was going to get well, and I knew it would all be better, but just having to deal with the process of healing was hard. I didn’t get up as quick as Colt did, and walking for me was tougher on my incision,” Orville said.
Orville would continue to walk, and walk, and walk. His surgeons constantly encouraged him to do this often menial-to-us activity. This Farrens would move into an Extended Stay Hotel just four days after the transplant and remain there while Orville recovered over the next four weeks. Orville’s medical team believed this was the smartest choice in case complications arose and the couple could return to the hospital quickly.
“I would continue to walk the halls of the Extended Stay Hotel, gaining a few steps more each day. I had a lot of nausea after the surgery and lost 35 pounds following the transplant. I had a lot of fluid and toxins coming off now that I had a working kidney. I also had no appetite during that time. My wife would ask me what I wanted to eat, and I would say, ‘Surprise me.’ I didn’t want anything,” Orville said.
However, the couple would continue to trust God, even in the highs and lows, and their unwavering trust would result in another miracle.
The amount of time the Farrens would have to spend in the Extended Stay hotel would cost them money they did not have, and insurance would not pay for it. “My daughter in law, Meredith Farren, set up a GoFundMe account with a goal of $7,500.” Orville’s wife elaborates on God’s willingness to take care of this financial burden as she explains, “Meredith texted me and said she received a GoFundMe alert that we’ve reached our goal. Our goal was only halfway met the day before the surgery (October 2, 2023). She gave me a lady’s name, Mandy Elmore, and then asked if I knew her. Later that night, after the family dinner, my son Michael said, ‘Mom, a lady sent me a message through Facebook messenger, and she is trying to contact you.’ So, I checked my messages, and sure enough, this lady was trying to contact me and wanted me to hear her story.”
Two weeks before the kidney transplant, Mandy had a dream. In her dream, she talked to one of her friends, and her friend told her that she had been helping a lady named Robbie Farren and that Mandy should help her, too. As Mandy began to wake up, she said Robbie’s name repeatedly so she could write it down. Mandy proceeded to Facebook, trying to find Robbie Farren. However, Robbie’s Facebook page was set to private, and the only posts Mandy could see were the public ones asking for a kidney donor and Meredith’s post about the GoFundMe account.
Mandy would donate to meet and finish the $7,500 goal. “God gave this lady my name, a total stranger, and she knew that it was
so important, that God was speaking to her, that she wrote down my name and found me,” Robbie said. “Mandy is a part of the journey just like Colt is. I had begged God over and over and over to heal Orville’s kidneys; I didn’t want him to have to go through another surgery. Yet, looking back on the journey, if God had done that, we would have missed out on Mandy and Colt, seeing God provide and the miraculous things He did. We would have missed all of that. There were hard times, times when I would have to force Orville to eat, but through it all, God was so faithful. When I asked Mandy if I could share this part of the story, she said yes, but there was a condition to be met: God had to get all the glory for our story. She would tell me that again, ‘You make sure God gets all the glory!’”
“All of us just want to give glory to God. This story is much bigger than a kidney transplant.” Orville said. Colt added, “Without Him, none of this was going to happen.”
God would continue this story as he brought along family, friends, and a church family to help Orville, Robbie, and Colt through this process. “Our church family helped us financially. They continued to pay our salary even though I was not here,” Orville said. “They kept everything going, provided meals dropped off on the front porch, and lots of intercessory prayer.” Colt added that a church member, Sandi Martin, got him a job as a MedTech, a position that allowed someone with limitations while recovering after surgery to work. This became a huge blessing to Colt since he had lost his former job and vehicle due to this transplant.
The Farren family would be a great source of help in many ways. Their children and grandchildren would step up numerous times and care for everything they needed. Avery, their grandson, would drive the couple to Dallas for several trips, and Stephanie, their daughter, stayed in Dallas with them for a portion of the time. Meredith’s GoFundMe account and the family’s constant prayers and love carried the Farren family through this journey.
With each passing day, Orville grew stronger, and his creatinine levels
dropped into the normal range of 1.12 mg/dL. When it was time for Orville and Robbie to come home, Avery and Abby would make the journey to comfortably return their grandparents. Two weeks after returning home, Orville returned to the pulpit. A table was set up by the pulpit, where Orville would sit down and begin preaching once again. He could not physically touch people, and his church family was very understanding and gracious.
“It took me from October 2023 to February 2024 to feel like I had strength again. But now, I am more energetic. My mental response is no longer delayed, and my wife cannot keep up with me,” Orville said. Just last month, Orville was on the church roof (over 20’ high) helping a team replace ten skylights with metal over the church’s family center. “I could not have climbed the ladder to get on the roof a year ago. After eating lunch, I got back on the man lift with a chainsaw, and for the rest of the day, I was trimming limbs out of the trees next to the building.”
So why would a young, healthy, 22-year-old male put his life at risk and do something so significant, so giving, so tremendous for someone he barely knew?
“God. That’s all I can really say. Without Him, it wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. More than likely, I would be dead right now. He had 99 sheep over here and I was the one sheep about to fall off the ledge. He left that 99 and came and rescued me,” Colt said. “If you would have told me a year ago that I would be doing this, I would not have believed it. I had never dreamed of this, but it has changed my life.”
What would Orville Farren like readers to know about his story? “I want people to know how good God is. Doing what He has done and providing this kidney for me was a miracle. God didn’t heal my kidney as Robbie had prayed for; he did it differently. This miracle taught me that God is not finished with me yet. He has given me a new vitality, a new vision, and stamina to preach His word. I don’t know how long I am going to live, but I just want every minute to glorify Him. God has saved me, He has healed me spiritually and physically, and He will never leave me,” Orville said.
God was and still is in this story. He is woven throughout the details, holding the hearts of Orville and Colt, never failing
them, always going before them. This story details two men abiding in God’s will and waiting on His timing. Their journey is miraculous.
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A LESSON LEARNED
By: Anne Granado
In 2023, when Gina McDuffie woke up on her birthday, she opened her eyes to one of the best presents she had ever received: freedom from cancer. She planned her surgery at M.D. Anderson for March 17th on purpose; she wanted to start a new year liberated from the agonizing doctor’s visits, sleepless nights, and endless questions that had plagued the previous year. “I feel like the medical team at M.D. Anderson really did save my life,” Gina says.
Gina McDuffie grew up in Texarkana. She attended Wake Village Elementary, Westlawn, Pine Street, and graduated from Texas High in 2004. She earned her dental assistant license and currently works in the front office at Kids Spot Dentistry in Texarkana. Her and her husband, Michael, have been together for twelve years and are the parents of three daughters: Madison McDuffie, 19; Madison Welch, 17; and Parker McDuffie, 10.
Even in her teen years, Gina says her vice has always been smoking. What started as a game of stealing Virginia Slims from her Nanny’s purse became a way to cope with periods of drama, heartache, and loss in school. “We were the cool kids, or so we thought. But, our group of friends went through a lot of heartache during high school, and we turned to bad habits instead of getting the help we truly needed,” Gina says. “Looking back, I wish I would have been informed on how addicting nicotine was, how bad we actually smelled, and how silly we looked.”
In 2013, Gina started vaping. At the time, it seemed better and healthier than smoking cigarettes, which caused the smoke smell to stick to her hair and clothes. “I vaped for a solid ten years,” Gina says, “I saw the vape evolve from the tiny skinny ones to the big fat ones to the handheld ones that you see all the teenagers with now.”
Gina says that the flavors of the vape pen were addictive. “Vapes are flavorful. It really does taste like a dessert,” Gina says. “They also don’t smell, so it’s very convenient. You can sit at your desk and vape. As long as you blow it in your shirt, smoke is not coming out to give you away.”
Then, in May of 2022, Gina’s health started going downhill. She started feeling nauseous every day and suffering from headaches and migraines. “I love food, but I couldn’t eat anymore. I was eating plain pasta every day just to get some food into my body,” Gina says. “I had gastric bleeding as well, so I consulted with a doctor at Texarkana Gastroenterology. They did a colonoscopy and a scope and told me that I had a hiatal hernia.”
The diagnosis did not change Gina’s constant illness. A short time later, her side started hurting, so her family practice doctor sent her to Wadley for a scan, but they didn’t find anything because the doctor told them to check the opposite side. Then, in September of 2023, Gina hardly recognized herself in the mirror anymore. “The moment that I will never forget is when my daughter looked at me and asked if I was doing drugs,” Gina says. “I was 114 pounds, and I felt terrible. But, I didn’t know what was causing the symptoms.”
On December 31st, Gina contacted a family friend, Cortney White, who owns White Family Clinic in Ashdown, Arkansas. “Cortney could tell that something was wrong, so she started running some tests,” Gina says. “But, before we had any answers, I had another episode that put me in the hospital. On February 5, 2023, I felt like knives were stabbing me in the chest. I turned to Michael and said, ‘If I die in my sleep, I think I’ve had a heart attack.’”
The next morning, Gina went to St. Michaels and told them that she thought she was experiencing a heart attack. They immediately jumped into action, and one of the tests they ran was a chest X-ray. “The X-ray showed that I had a couple of nodules and shadowing in my lungs, and someone made the remark that it could be cancerous,” Gina says. “But, after 36 hours in the hospital, we still had no answers. In fact, they sent me home and said that my lung was clear. I was more confused than ever.”
Gina felt like she was telling doctors something was wrong, but no one could find what was causing the problem. She even had a doctor suggest that it might all be in her head, but Gina did not stop fighting for a better quality of life. After a biopsy and another doctor’s recommendation that her lung tissue could be cancerous, Gina reached out to Cortney so that she could secure a referral to M.D. Anderson. “I’m sure there are great doctors in Dallas,” Gina says. “But, when you hear the ‘C-word,’ you want the very best, and in my mind, that was always M.D. Anderson.”
Michael and Gina drove to M.D. Anderson in Houston for an initial consultation, during which the medical team reviewed Gina’s original scans from St. Michael’s in early February but ordered another scan of their own on February 28th. After the scan, Dr. Ravi Rajaram finally provided a diagnosis to Gina: neuroendocrine carcinoma in her lymph nodes. They also performed a secondary scan, which showed that a nodule in Gina’s lung had declined significantly in size from the time she had the initial scan. “The medical team decided surgery was the best option to remove two clusters of lymph nodes, but they wanted to keep an eye on the nodule in my lung since it was shrinking on its own. This meant that I did not have to remove half my lung,” Gina says. “Both Michal and I felt like we were finally getting answers, and we felt lucky that things were not worse than they were. However, I was so scared. When you hear ‘cancer’ and ‘stage three,’ it really changes your perspective.”
When Michael and Gina left M.D. Anderson, they had a plan. Surgery was scheduled for March 17, 2023, one day before Gina’s birthday. But, on the way home, Gina and Michael couldn’t help but think that the nodule in Gina’s lung was shrinking. “The only thing I can attribute it to is that I stopped vaping and smoking completely on December 20, 2022,” Gina says. “I was scrolling Facebook and saw some articles about vaping, and then I went down the rabbit
hole. I started doing some major research, and I wondered if vaping had anything to do with my weight loss, headaches, and nausea.”
After a night of reading horror story after horror story, Gina threw away her vape. “For ten years, the first thing I did every morning when I woke up was look for the vape, and then I would use it all day. Even though I had horrible headaches or wanted to throw up, I was smoking that vape from sunup to sundown,” Gina says. “So, after I did my research and saw that it might be causing all these issues, I threw it away and never turned back again.”
Gina went out and bought nicotine patches, but she took the resolve to quit her habit a step further. She also recognized that part of the allure and addiction to smoking came from the repetitive hand movements of holding something in her hand and bringing it to her lips. “I remembered something that my mom told me about my nanny when she quit smoking. My nanny would take ink pens, remove the ink, and ‘smoke’ the ink pen. Even though she was just blowing air around, it helped keep her hands busy, “Gina says. “So, I went and got a package of straws, cut them up, and started smoking on straws. But I don’t remember smoking many straws after surgery. With stage three lung cancer, I thought I was dying. It scared the crap out of me!”
Soon, March 17, 2023, arrived, and Gina was brought to the operating room at M.D. Anderson for what was supposed to be a robotic surgery to remove two lymph node clusters: one between her lungs and one behind her sternum. However, when the doctor started the surgery, he quickly noticed that the lymph nodes were “sticky,” and they were difficult to remove cleanly and smoothly with the robots. So, he decided to switch gears. “They flipped her on her back and decided to go in by hand,” Michael says, “But, when the doctor came to explain what had happened, we trusted that he made the right decision. He just kept saying that everything was ‘sticky,’ and he didn’t trust the robot to be able to pull the lymph nodes away gently.”
The surgery lasted four and a half hours, and Gina was left with a 14-inch scar, a collapsed lung, and some minor damage to her windpipe; however, the doctor was able to remove the lymph nodes successfully. When Gina heard the news on the morning of her birthday, she felt like the terrors of the last year were finally behind her. “I remember waking up incredibly thankful that someone had finally
listened to me. I was grateful that we made the right decision coming to Houston,” Gina says. “I also knew that I would never smoke again!”
However, when the doctor relayed the story of the “sticky” lymph nodes, the first thing that she thought about was vaping. “Michael and I thought the same thing: the sticky substance had to be the vape juice I had been inhaling. People don’t think about the juice they are inhaling or that it has to go somewhere in your body! I really do think that was what he was scraping out of me. He said that it was embedded in my heart and esophagus,” Gina says, “My boss even attended a dental seminar the same week of my surgery, and they discussed the ‘sticky’ residue left in your mouth from vaping.”
When Gina was released from M.D. Anderson after surgery, she went home to rest with her family and her constant companion, a chihuahua named Pico. “He’s my soul saver, always curled up with me, especially after surgery,” Gina says. “And Michael is my backbone. He’s the calm to my storm. He’s the laid-back dad, and I’m the hot mess. But, when my ADHD kicks in, and I can’t focus on what is happening or what the doctor said, Michael takes it all in and separates it for me.”
After her recovery, Gina began to feel healthier, happier, and better than she had in a long time. The headaches were gone, and she could enjoy eating again. Overall, even though the medical field seems reluctant to point the finger at vaping the way they have done at smoking cigarettes, Gina feels certain that what she experienced can only be attributed to her decision to vape for ten years. “I’ve asked my doctor if I can definitely say that what happened to me was caused by vaping, and he says, ‘No, but if that’s what your heart says, go with your heart,’” Gina says. “Honestly, it would be hard to convince me otherwise. How else can anyone explain why the nodule in my lung is shrinking without any chemotherapy or radiation? The only thing I’ve changed in my life is my decision to give up vaping and smoking.”
Gina’s theory about vaping’s role in her cancer may not be 100% proven, but it has been confirmed in many ways. For example, Gina has always struggled with allergies even though she consistently gets her allergy shots. “Since I’ve stopped vaping and smoking, I haven’t been sick one time. I believe that there are so many chemicals in a vape that we really don’t know what we are inhaling into our lungs,” Gina says. “I thought that vaping was better for me than smoking,
and while they are both terrible, I definitely do not believe that vaping is better for anyone.”
Since her surgery, Gina has also had her theory confirmed multiple times through reading the stories of other people who had health problems after vaping. Many of the stories echoed details from her own. “Every time I see one on Facebook or social media, I try to share it,” Gina says. “Even though this happened to me, so many people around me still vape. When I’m at work, and teenagers come in with vapes, I try to talk to them or speak to their parents. Sometimes, I will even show them my scans.”
On social media, Gina has been touched by the story of Kaylyn Green, who posted in May 2024 about how she developed breathing difficulties while vaping and was diagnosed with bronchitis. However, when she stopped breathing at the wheel of her vehicle, she passed out and crashed her car. She also spent an extended hospital stay in the ICU after they finally determined that she had CO2 poisoning.
Gina also shares the story of Tyler Vickers, which Greg Vickers posted in February of 2024. Tyler developed severe arm and chest pain, which led to an inflammation of his heart muscle. Greg says that the cardiologist who spoke with them said that they are seeing a “staggering” amount of patients with
symptoms that they believe stem from vaping. He said they see hearts and lungs “shredded” from fiberglass inhalation. “These are just two of the social media stories I see all the time,” Gina says. “Smoking was my downfall, and had what happened to me not happened, I would probably still be vaping myself. I truly did believe that it was better for me than cigarettes, but then, when you stop and do your research, you quickly see how terrible it is. I even found an article about how vaping was causing mice to have lung and stomach cancer. If it’s doing that in the test animals, what do you think it’s doing to us after inhaling all of that for years and years?”
Currently, Gina has to go back to M.D. Anderson every three months for scans of her lung nodule, which has either stayed the same size or continued to shrink. In fact, Gina hopes that the positive feedback from her doctors may mean she can delay the following scan for six months to a year. “I feel so much better now that I’m not vaping or smoking. I gained my weight back and have not had any more pain, which I may have been experiencing because something was pressing on a nerve,” Gina says. “I’m glad it was because the pain is what really forced me to have to go in and pay attention to what was happening with my body.”
Though Gina is the kind of woman who would prefer to stay in the background, she shares her story this month because she hopes it can help even just one person decide to quit vaping. “We all know
someone who is vaping right now; I know so many, including some members of my family. Sometimes my words go in one ear and out the other,” Gina says. “But, I really do want to plead with them to PLEASE stop vaping! They are killing our generation and so many of the next.”
However, no matter what circumstances people may find themselves in, Gina hopes she can inspire others to advocate for their health. “Doctors may not have believed me, but I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t in my head,” Gina says. “I’ve learned that you have to fight for your health. Even when you get pushback, you have to keep going. Listen to your body, and don’t give up, even if you aren’t getting any answers. I even started to doubt myself sometimes, but this was a lesson learned.”
COLD PLUNG THERAPY
Immune
18, 2024
ESTESCade & Emma
Cade Estes and Emma Crabtree met during their high school years when they were 15 and 16; they have been inseparable ever since! Cade proposed at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas, directly in front of a waterfall, where Emma proudly said, “yes,” and the couple began planning their marriage ceremony.
Parents of the Bride: Jason & Krystyna Anderson
Parents of the Groom: Buddy Estes, Stephanie Barthel
Matron/Maid of Honor: Alissa Lewis
Bridesmaids: Alissa Sayers, Emily Johnson, Gwendolyn Burrow, Sercy Rowton, Hayden Barthel, Marisa Mathews. Best Man: Buddy Estes
Groomsmen: Buddy Estes, Rayden Johnson, Mason Burrow, Dawson Rowton, Kyler Fitzgerald, Oliver Anderson
Flower Girl: Evie Thornell
Officiant: Donnie Edwards
Flowers: J Cole Wedding Designs
Hair: Jacey Yates
Esthetics: Emily Johnson
Venue: Garrison Gardens
Wedding Coordinator: Karen Guilbert
Cake: Champion Cakes
Caterer: Naamans BBQ
DJ: Chuck Guilbert
Rentals: J Cole Wedding Designs, DOTS
Rentals
Photographer: Breanne Bradshaw
Photography
Wedding Dress: Gracyn Elizabeth Bridal
Wedding Jewelry: Dillards
Tuxedos: GED Menswear
The biggest thing that made our wedding day so special was having all of our families there by our sides. Garrison Gardens also made our wedding day special because of how helpful the entire staff is.
26, 2024
PICKETTCaptain & Abigail
Captain Pickett and Abigail Dickson met on a ski trip with their church in 2021. The following year, on the same ski trip, the two began talking, and the following month, on April 25, 2022, Captain asked Abigail to be his girlfriend. The couple continued to grow their relationship, and on December 14, 2023, Captain would change Abigail’s life forever. He planned out the perfect day to celebrate them both finishing finals. They ate at one of Abigail’s favorite places and then enjoyed Crumbl cookies. The couple then drove to White Rock Mountain, where Captain proposed to Abigail, having a professional photographer capture the entire proposal. Abagail says, “It was the perfect day and the best proposal ever; he did an awesome job.” Naturally, that was a very special day, but the couple continued to another special day: their wedding on May 26, 2024, and they had the perfect wedding at Garrison Gardens.
Parents of the Bride: Cito Dickson, Stacey Dickson
Parents of the Groom: John Pickett, DeAnne Pickett
Matron/Maid of Honor: Maddee Aaron
Bridesmaids: Sarah Miller, Courtney Pickett, Grace Montgomery
Best Man: Blake Pesetsky
Groomsmen: Chylan Blair, Justin Lloyd, Jake Hutchins, Braydon Howerton, Chris Catlin
Flower Boy: Aaron Hughes
Pastor / Officiant : David Dickson
Flowers: Flowers on Richmond, Family
Hair & Make-Up: The Barber Doll
Venue: Garrison Gardens
Wedding Coordinator: Aimee Hughes/ Garrison Gardens
Cake: Nikki Dickson
Caterer: Family
DJ: John Gardner
Rentals: Dots
Photographer: Courtney Paige
Photography
Videographer: White Marsh Films
Wedding Invitations: The Knot
Wedding Dress: Gracyn Elizabeth Bride
The couple’s wedding day could not have been more perfect, according to Captain and Abigail. “Everything about it was so easy and stress-free, which made the whole day so special to us. Garrison Gardens was a perfect place to get married. The chapel and outside area were amazing, and the owners, Chuck and Karen, were amazing! They helped in every aspect whenever we needed it, before and on the wedding day,” Abigail says. Courtney, the couple’s photographer, had a way of making every picture and the timeline run so smoothly. “We both think that one of our favorite parts of our wedding was during the ceremony when we got to worship God with all the people we love as our unity ceremony. We also loved our private foot-washing and vow reading after the ceremony. The whole day was amazing, and we would not have changed a thing,” Captain and Abigail said.
JUNE 1 , 2024
STEPHENS Collin & Jennifer
Collin and Jennifer met when they were 17 and 16 years old. At the time, Jennifer was dating Collin’s friend, and Collin was preparing for his senior year and joining the Army. Fast forward 18 years; life had taken Collin overseas on deployments and, eventually, to the northern US with his career. Jennifer had become a critical care nurse and a mom to Hudson. Collin had thought of Jennifer often in his adventures over the years. After some prayer, Collin found Jennifer through Facebook and reached out to his “old friend.” Jennifer, Hudson, and Collin became inseparable.
Jennifer had been asking for rocking chairs for the front porch for quite some time. Collin left Jennifer to shop for flooring and a lunch date with his mother while he ran home to “take care of some housework.” When Jennifer arrived home, Collin was on the front porch putting together two rocking chairs. Collin sat Jennifer in her rocking chair, got on one knee, and proposed.
Parents of the Bride: Darla & Danny Faulknor, William & Dana Blackstone
Parents of the Groom: Keith & Karen Stephens
Best Man: Hudson Skinner
Pastor: Micah Harp
Flowers: Flowerroom Florist
Hair: Cheyenne Epstein
Make-Up: Kimberly Bearden
Venue: Garrison Gardens
Wedding Coordinator: Janet Cox
Pies/Cheesecakes: Bri James
Caterer: Jeff Loving
DJ: Wes Spicher
Rentals: Dot’s
Photographer: Kendal Dockery
Photography
Wedding Invitations: Minted
Wedding Dress: Gracelyn Elizabeth
Wedding Jewelry: Gracelyn Elizabeth, Crocker’s Jewelers
Tuxedos: GEB Menswear
Discover a program that builds character, leadership, and promotes a healthy, drugfree lifestyle for your child. Here's why the Texarkana Young Marines is the perfect choice:
Character Building: Instilling values such as honesty, integrity, and respect.
Leadership Development: Teaching leadership skills through hands-on experiences and teamwork.
Healthy Lifestyle: Encouraging physical fitness and a drug-free life.
Community Involvement: Engaging in service projects, community events, and parades.
Meetings: Mondays at 6pm located at 1900 Marietta St, Texarkana, AR
Age Range: 8 years old to high school completion
Sign Up: youngmarines.org/unit/texarkana/page
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Enroll your child in the Texarkana Young Marines today and watch them grow into confident, responsible leaders while having fun and making lasting friendships. Join us and be a part of something truly special!
Contingency
TAX-ADVANTAGED ACCOUNTS:
A POWERFUL ADDITION TO YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN
TAX PLANNING
The benefits of tax-efficient wealth management.
A tax-advantaged account offers certain tax benefits to encourage individuals to save or invest for specific purposes, such as retirement, education or healthcare. These accounts can help you lower your taxable income, defer taxes or avoid taxes altogether if used for qualified expenses.
Beyond tax efficiencies, tax-advantaged accounts also offer estate planning benefits, access to a variety of investment options, coverage for future medical and education expenses and potentially simpler tax reporting.
Types of tax-advantaged accounts
Retirement plans
There are several tax-advantaged account options, each with its own benefits and rules:
• 401(k) plans are employer-sponsored plans that allow employees to contribute a portion of your salary to the plan on a pretax basis. Your employer may also match a portion of the money you contribute. Contributions and investment gains within a 401(k) plan are tax-deferred until withdrawn.
• Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) allow you to contribute a certain amount on a yearly basis. Contributions may be tax deductible, but like 401(k) plans, investment gains are taxdeferred until they’re withdrawn.
• Roth IRAs are individual retirement accounts that allow you contribute a certain amount each year with after-tax dollars. Roth IRAs don’t have required minimum distributions (RMDs) and any qualified
withdrawals are tax-free, including both contributions and earnings. (Tax-free and penalty-free withdrawals can be made after the age of 59½, and once the account has been open for a minimum of five years.) Rules and benefits vary from account to account and depend on your tax situation as well as any future changes in tax laws. Taxdeferred retirement accounts allow you to put off paying taxes upfront, which means you have to pay at the point any money is withdrawn.
Education
plans
529 plans are specifically designed to help families save for future eligible education expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and certain living costs. These plans create a tax-advantaged account where you can save money earmarked for education expenses. You can contribute post-tax funds to this account, and when it comes time to cover qualifying educational costs, you won’t be obligated to pay federal taxes on the money withdrawn.
The two primary types of 529 plans:
• College savings plans allow you to invest in a variety of investment options, such as mutual funds, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market funds. Over time and based on the performance of the investments you choose, the value of your account will fluctuate.
• Prepaid tuition plans give you the opportunity to prepay tuition at eligible colleges at today’s prices, helping you lock in tuition costs and avoid future price
increases. Aside from tuition, withdrawals from these plans can also be used for various qualified expenses like room and board.
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) is another education plan option that works similarly. While the money used to fund these types of accounts isn’t tax-deductible, you’ll enjoy tax savings on any money you make on your investments.
The key difference between 529 plans and Coverdell ESAs is that a Coverdell ESA has a lower annual contribution limit per beneficiary and can be used to cover a range of qualified education expenses for both college and K-12 expenses. Coverdell’s offer a more flexible investment universe, including individual securities, like stocks and bonds.
Health plans
There are two main types of tax-advantage health plans:
• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are taxadvantaged savings accounts that allow you to save for qualified medical expenses. HSAs require you to be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan. Interest earned within an HSA is tax-deferred, allowing investments to grow without being taxed until withdrawn. However, HSA withdrawals are tax-free providing they’re used for eligible medical expenses.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are employersponsored accounts that allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for qualified medical expenses or dependent care expenses like deductibles and copayments. Contributing to an FSA can reduce your taxable income from your gross salary before taxes are withheld.
Not only can health-related tax-advantage accounts help you cover future medical expenses, but they can also be used as a long-term and diversified savings vehicle to help you plan for the future.
Next steps
• Consider your long-term financial goals and aspirations.
• Evaluate your income sources, expenses and tax exposure.
• Explore with your advisor which tax-advantaged accounts may be right for you.
Sources: synchronybank.com; experian.com; investopedia.com; americanfidelity.com; hsacentral.net;
Please note, changes in tax laws may occur at any time and could have a substantial impact upon each person’s situation. While we are familiar with the tax provisions of the issues presented herein, as Financial Advisors of Raymond James, we are not qualified to render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.
Contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax-deductible
depending on the taxpayer’s income, tax-filing status, and other factors. Withdrawal of pre-tax contributions and/or earnings will be subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59 1/2, may be subject to a 10% federal tax penalty.
Unless certain criteria are met, Roth IRA owners must be 59½ or older and have held the IRA for five years before tax-free withdrawals are permitted.
401(k) plans are long-term retirement savings vehicles. Withdrawal of pre-tax contributions and/or earnings will be subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59 1/2, may be subject to a 10% federal tax penalty.
Investors should consider, before investing, whether the investor’s or the designated beneficiary’s home state offers any tax or other benefits that are only available for investment in such state’s 529 savings plan. Such benefits include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors.
As with other investments, there are generally fees and expenses associated with participation in a 529 plan. There is also a risk that these plans may lose money or not perform well enough to cover education costs as anticipated. Most states offer their own 529 programs, which may provide advantages and benefits exclusively for their residents. The tax implications can vary significantly from state to state. © 2023 Raymond James Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
Jaeley Barton Cloey Dills Gracie Duncan Mia Forte
Kynlee Flippen Kirstyn Green Eden Blue Harris Chasia Peterson Laila Toubia
Drug Take Back Initiative Operation Medicine Cabinet
•It is important to know that law enforcement is only interested in the removal of unused and/or outdated medications from the homes of our citizens.
•It matters not whose name is on the prescription, by whom it was prescribed, where it was prescribed, or where you reside.
•We stress that it makes no difference if you live in Texas or Arkansas.
•We take back all medications, no questions asked. You can remove the label if you desire but it’s not necessary.
•We ask that you do not deposit needles (sharps), inhalers, medication from businesses or clinics, ointments, lotions, liquids, aerosol cans, hydrogen peroxide, or thermometers.
One box has been placed behind the Bi State Justice Building at 100 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, Arkansas and another outside the Texarkana Emergency Center, 4646 Cowhorn Creek Rd., Texarkana, Texas. These boxes are regularly checked and the contents are immediately packaged for destruction. If you would like to personally drop your medications off to law enforcement, you can at the Miller County Sheriff’s Office on East Street and Bi State Justice Building in Texarkana.
The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department is proud to partner with Texarkana Emergency Center in an effort to remove unused and out of date prescription medicines from your homes. 4646 Cowhorn Creek | Texarkana, TX
National Take Back Day October 26, 2024 8am - 12pm at Texarkana Emergency Center & Hospital
You can learn more about this program by visiting www.artakeback.org or on Facebook by searching Arkansas Take Back or Arkansas Drug take Back.
|
Suzie TK SnippeTS
By: Suzie Tyler
Criteria For A Friend
I recently helped prepare a young lady in Mississippi for an interview in a national competition.
I always prep the candidate with the usual questions that judges have used in prior competitions, like ‘What are your goals?’ ‘Where do you see yourself in 10 years?’ ‘Why should we crown you?’ and ‘What would your Facebook page tell me about you?’
One of the questions was about what she looked for in a good friend. As I listened to her answers, I was impressed by them, but they also caused me to reflect, “What do I look for in a friend?”
Oh, I came up with all the pageant answers: loyalty, honesty, integrity. All of these are good, but I wanted to look deep inside myself to see what I would like most in a loyal friend. What trait would I want in a person I was stranded with on a desert island?
I concluded that one characteristic would be a person who was a positive encourager—someone who would keep my spirits up and give me hope that we would be found.
When you lose hope, you lose faith, joy, and the will to survive. I want someone who is enthusiastic and encourages me to believe someone will rescue us!
So, my new question will be, “What one quality would you want in a friend with whom you were stranded with on a desert island?”
Sometimes, judges can learn more about themselves in the interview process than they learn about the candidates.
We must know who we are and where we are going in life, not just as a pageant candidate but as a person who lives in the real world. I want to be remembered as someone who challenges others to be all they can be.
How will you be remembered? What will be your legacy?
In a world different from my generation, our young people face daily struggles we never thought possible. As a role model and an older and wiser person, be a positive influence and show kindness to others, including the sales clerk, the grocery checker, and the server, and exhibit patience to other drivers. Your smile can ‘make their day.’
Be a world changer, not a world spoiler.
Follow me, SuzieTKWriter, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter aka X.
Fish Tales with Mike Brower
And Now for Something Completely Different
As the hot weather subsides, trout fishing on the White and Little Red Rivers will get easier for the waders and also for the floaters. As the weather cools down some, the amount of electricity generated through the two rivers will slow down. That makes fishing easier for those of us who are either too dumb, broke, or just don’t want to hire a guide.
Wading for trout has been going on since Thoreau was kicking around on Walden Pond. The problem with wade fishing on the White and Little Red is that they release water through their generators, which raises the level and creates a strong flow that wading fishermen can’t overcome. You might as well pack it up when the water starts rising.
When I have fished those rivers, I started fishing miles down river from the dam so I could get as much fishing in as possible. It generally takes 8 - 12 hours for water released on the White to get down to Buffalo City, so the further you fish from the dam, the more fishing time you can have — unless they start generating at night, then all bets are off.
In the fall and winter, the electrical generation is not as frequent as in summer, so it can be easier to trout fish in the cooler months. Or, you can go to Montana.
Good fishing.
Tasty Donuts
Donut • Croissant • Kolache • Fruit Sticks • Burrito Biscuit • Muffin • Coffee
SEPTEMBER events
BOARD GAME
SUNDAY @ MEEPLECITY
HEALTHY KIDS
RUNNING
SERIES @ SPRING LAKE PARK
SILVER BINGO @ TXK PUBLIC LIBRARY
MAGIC OF MOTOWN @ PEROT THEATRE SEPT 10TH • 7:30PM
LIVE DEAD AND BROTHERS @ PEROT THEATRE
FOUR STATES FAIR LIVESTOCK SHOW BEGINS (THRU SEPT 20)
ADULT PROM “SNEAKER BALL” STYLE @ THE COLLINS HOME
WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S @ SPRING LAKE PARK
TOUGH KOOKIE CANCER SEMINAR @ TXK AR PARKS & REC
TEXARKANA SHOWDOWN @ FOUR STATES FAIRGROUNDS
HEALTHY KIDS
RUNNING
SERIES @ SPRING LAKE PARK
Bill
903-748-3186
NOW LEASING
AVAILABLE NOW, Newly built gorgeous townhomes. Take your pick of a three bedroom, two full baths, one half bath unit or two bedroom, two full baths, one half bath unit.
LOCATED AT 3445-3475 BROOKE PLACE TEXARKANA TX (Pleasant Grove ISD), at the end of a cul-de-sac, off Richmond Road. Each unit features stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, open floor concept, breakfast bar, laundry room, vinyl plank flooring throughout, and attached one car garage. Pets welcome 35lbs or less. Walk to Ironwood for Happy Hour and a nice dinner, or Amigo Juan’s for a Margarita! Only 5 minutes to Christus St. Michael Hospital & 12 minutes to Wadley Regional Medical Center, Only 5 minutes to Texas A&M Texarkana Campus & 8 minutes to Texarkana College.
