The Voice of Southwest Louisiana

SWLA
BEHIND
Adrian Wallace:
By Mark Wayne Allen
I present an article on a woman who, after
weeks of undergoing a number of medical
tests, was diagnosed with stage-four colon
cancer. Most people would react with
high anxiety at the news, but
not Kelly Bigwood.
At last her illness was
diagnosed. She was anxious
to get started with the
treatments. They made her
very sick, but she was determined
to carry on. You see,
Kelly is unusually young at 37,
has a husband, and five young
children, ages 1 through 8.
She and her husband of 9
years, Joshua, are co-pastors
at Church Of The King in Lake
Charles because of their love of
the Lord. For Kelly, it is the culmination
of her childhood dream of
helping people. She started out
helping children in child-care and later in
children’s church.
Currently, she is on round seven of her
chemotherapy treatments. She thought she
would be virtually alone through her painful
ordeal. To her surprise, there has an outpouring
of helping hands. I can say from personal
experience that anyone who goes through
trials such as what Kelly and her family are
going through need all the help they can
get from moral support.
But Kelly does not fear her diagnosis
or even the life complications. She trusts in
the Lord to make all things well. Her and her
family have adapted themselves to a new
life that revolves around her condition, establishing
a “new norm.”
This involves not being able to do many
things for her kids, husband, or church the
way she wants to. Her kids have to have
Cast of
“The Heritage”-5
women in the lineage of Christ.
Lauren Graham, Jancy Hogan, Bianca
Siplin, Marcela Jowette, Sophie Trancina will
be replaced by Caroline Arrington (not pictured)
Above L-R: Abigail, Kaleb, Elizabeth (mom’s lap)
Hannah, Samuel (dad’s lap), pictured with their
parents Joseph and Kelly Bigwood.
things done by other people since she is not
able a lot of the time. Yet, she is optimistic
about her life by virtue of faith.
“I have already shocked the Drs. by the
fast way my cancer had shrunk down when
I was last scanned in November. I am just
taking it day by day and enjoying the time I
get to spend with my husband and children.
They are the ones that give me the most
joy and the determination to keep fighting.
Most days are easy for me but it is like a long
distance run! I have to pace myself and I am
very confident I will win this race! I will beat
this cancer battle! “
I’ve seen people take chemo and have
gone through it personally. It makes days
anything but easy. I have to admire her optimism
and strength.
Throughout my talk with Kelly, she
showed a lack of fear and open contentment.
That shows a high measure of faith.
She has to be the model patient and great
representative for her church. I will leave
you with Kelly’s favorite verse that I think
represents her well.
Isaiah 26:3 “ You will keep in perfect
peace all who trust in you, all whose
thoughts are fixed on you.”
Fundraiser: March 12, 2016,
Where: Lake Charles Civic Center
Time: 3-7 p.m.
Tickets: $25, includes Food and
The Heritage (Production: Five
women in the lineage of Christ)
Limited Seating
Fellowship, silent auction with
designated sports section and a
live production, The Heritage.
The art backdrop for The Heritage
will be on sale for $11,500.
Jill Holland, the artist, states that
with this purchase there will be a
professional installation by Connelly
Fine Art...the backdrop for The Heritage
is called “When Heaven Speaks”. )
(A portion of the proceeds from this sale
with benefit Kelly Bigwood.)
By Kris Welcome
Everywhere you go, there
is work to be done. No matter
what city, town, state, or country,
there will always be a mouth
to feed, a body to clothe, or a
cause to stand proud for. This is
true in SWLA as anywhere else
in the world and there are many
who help and get no recognition
for the great works that
they do.
KZWA presented Adrian
Wallace,at the MLK Breakfast,
with an Unsung Hero award to
honor his work in the community
that seems to go unnoticed.
Mr. Adrian Wallace, an entrepreneur
and mentor, is definitely an
“Unsung Hero” as the award describes.
Mr. Wallace is a humble
man who has never needed, nor
searched for, recognition for the
great job he does.
“I like to let my work speak
for me. It’s more than just the
right thing to do, it’s the best
thing to do! I’m doing it for the
service to others,” said Wallace.
Wallace most recently aided
in getting an MLK memorial
Adrian Wallace,
Executive
Director,
McNeese
Seed Center
Business
Incubator
erected in Washington,
DC. Passion
about anything
we work
on is important
and after I called
the memorial
a “monument”
during our interview,
he quickly
corrected me.
“It’s a memorial… that commemorates
the Man, the Movement
and the Message. We want to
memorialize Dr. King for generations
to come. The memorial is
important to me because of the
legacy and message of Dr. King,”
Wallace explained.
You can’t talk about Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. without
looking back in retrospect of
his era in contrast to now, especially
with it being Black History
Month. Wallace is well aware
of how far we’ve come, but still
knows how far we still must go.
“We have the same problems
here in SWLA as anywhere else.
MLK’s fight for his dream of
equality is still relevant now as it
was then: intolerance, injustice,
and, dare I say it, hate instead of
love,” Wallace stated when asked
about the obstacles needed to
overcome in the area.
Wallace’s efforts didn’t stop
with the memorial. He has been
active in his immediate community
for quite some time. He
moved to SWLA from Southeast
Louisiana almost four decades
ago and has worked with entrepreneurs
to help get their businesses
established or growing.
Wallace was involved in a tutoring
program for 10 years, and
has worked with Boy Scouts of
America. He is a member of the
Lake Charles Rotary Club and
works with several ministries
within his church, New Sunlight
Baptist Church.
“My family and I are definitely
excited about the award.
It was a great surprise! I was not
expecting that, but it was great
to be recognized,” Wallace said,
though recalling someone at
the table having to remind him
that it was his name they called.
KZWA surely has the right
idea in mind when it comes to
FEBRUARY 2016 THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 3 • Number 7 Volume 3 • Number 7 THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM FEBRUARY 2016
recognizing those who make
their communities better for no
exchange other than a sense of
accomplishment and change.
It’s always a reassuring feeling
when you hear stories of our
men and women doing their
best to make the world a better
place for their posterity and
neighbors.
Mr. Wallace’s main ambition
was to make sure that coming
generations would have a vision
of hope in the memorial, and
that is most admirable. Thanks
Mr. Adrian Wallace for being an
Unsung Hero here in SWLA! We
appreciate all you do and hope
that you continue to soar to new
heights in all your endeavors!