Hometown Madison - November & December 2016

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48Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong> NEVER A WORRY Susan Marquez
Gayle Kramer is the kind of person people want to be around. An infectious smile and jubilant personality makes all who are around her feel joy. “I want to make other people happy. I want them to be OK, and I want them to know that I’m OK.” Even though she’s just finished six-anda-half weeks of daily radiation following a lumpectomy procedure for breast cancer, Kramer continued living her life each day like nothing in the world was wrong. “I didn’t have time for cancer,” she exclaimed. “I needed to keep working!” Kramer’s journey with cancer began with a regular checkup and routine mammogram earlier this year. “I hadn’t heard anything about the results after two or three days, so I called the doctor’s office and said I knew everything was fine, but I thought I should just check in.” After reviewing the results, Kramer was told by her doctor that no, something didn’t look right, and she needed to go for a biopsy. “Even then, I wasn’t concerned. I just thought it was something they had to do, and that they’d realize after the biopsy that I was just fine.” But she wasn’t fine. Kramer had breast cancer and she had to go home and tell her husband, Larry. I sat my daughter and him down and told them and I also told them they’d better not worry about me, because I was going to be fine. I told them that the Lord and I had this!” Kramer likes information, and before she made any decisions on treatments available to her, she did her research. “I Googled all I could, and talked with friends who had had cancer, and their friends who had had cancer. I made appointments to talk with a plastic surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist. They were all within the Baptist Medical system, so they all talk with each other. It took a lot of time, but I’d recommend that anyone having to make decisions about their own healthcare or that of a loved one to be informed. I like information.” She met with her surgeon, Dr. Scott Berry at Baptist, and he explained all the options available to her. “He talked about a full mastectomy and a lumpectomy. In the end, I chose the lumpectomy and radiation, along with oral hormone-blockers.” Her faith, her friends and her family all kept Kramer going when she wasn’t the one to keep their spirits up. “I’ve been through a lot in life. I had to go through a divorce and a move to the Jackson area about 15 years ago. Lots of folks in my family have had any number of heart problems, but no one had ever had cancer, so this was a total shock. But for some reason, it never really bothered me.” With an attitude like Kramer’s, one has to wonder if anything bothers her. “I know that each day you can wake up and make choices in life about anything from finances to relationships. But the fact of the matter is that I didn’t make a choice to have cancer. I’ve always had such a dark and burdensome feeling come over me when someone I love is diagnosed with cancer, but when it was on my end of the equation, I didn’t feel that way, so I made it my mission to make sure others didn’t feel bad about my situation either.” Kramer is a native of Memphis and her husband is from Yazoo City. The couple lives in Yazoo County and attends the Blackjack Baptist Church. “It’s 203 years old!” She commutes to work at The Blake in Ridgeland each day where she is the activities director. “My job can be stressful, but it’s more rewarding than anything.” When she first moved to the Jackson area, Kramer had to go back into the work force. She rented apartments for Kane Ditto, then sold residential real estate. From there she went to work at Embassy Suites in Ridgeland. One day she walked over to The Blake, thinking they were apartments. “They hired me right away as the concierge, but I had a hard time sitting still!” She said the Lord spoke to her heart and told her to just be still for a while, and although it was hard, she did, and after a year her boss offered her the activities director position. “I love it! It’s the perfect job for me.” But because she sees the residents daily and she’s so involved with their lives, she sat down with them and explained her situation. She didn’t want them to get wind of it or worry about her. “I figured if they knew what was going on and they saw me here every day, they would know all was OK.” At this point, Kramer said she is healed from cancer. “I have to go back every so often to get checked, but I am not going to worry about it.” Her doctor put her name in to be a model in a fashion show with other cancer survivors at Mistletoe Marketplace. “Joan Lunden will be the special guest, so I guess I’ll be up there modeling for her!” Kramer said she’s seen a diagnosis like cancer or other life events really make people stop in their tracks. “You have to keep moving forward. To me, the best medicine ever is to bring joy to other people. When you know you’ve made someone happy, you can’t help but be happy, too.” The one thing she suggested anyone do for those going through cancer is to send a card. “I used to feel so helpless, but when I was going through treatment, I got so many cards. That really lifted my spirits. Now I know to send lots of cards to anyone who is going through cancer!” n <strong>Hometown</strong> madison49
Page 1: Volume 3 Number 1 nov/dec 2016 LAND
Page 4 and 5: I FOUND SATISFACTION COMPASSION As
Page 6 and 7: Landscaper’s Oasis Camille Anding
Page 8 and 9: The massive beamed cabana sits as t
Page 10 and 11: Quality care backed by the Baptist
Page 12 and 13: Ladies Night Out First Baptist Chur
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Page 18 and 19: Here’s the mind-boggling statisti
Page 20 and 21: Holiday Favorites! Chocolate Turkey
Page 22 and 23: Authentic Chamber Music Camille And
Page 24 and 25: Urology Associates of Mississippi O
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Page 28 and 29: 282016 Hometown Magazines Staff: Al
Page 30 and 31: DON’T BE BLIND TO DIABETES NOVEMB
Page 32 and 33: If you could have any job for one d
Page 34: Why take your business or your skil
Page 37 and 38: Hometown madison37
Page 43 and 44: MADISON'S FINEST Officer Pat Mack F
Page 45 and 46: Runnels GIFT CARDS IN ANY DENOMINAT
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Page 53 and 54: Tony Webb, Brandy Manning, Kellie R
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Page 67 and 68: More than 30 clinics. Quick appoint

Hometown Madison - November & December 2016

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