Well, at least there’s that...

Everyone has a story to tell; welcome to mine. Barjeana...who would have thought up that name? That name alone should give you pause, it gives me pause... I never know how people are going to pronounce it. Before they meet me they'll wonder if I'm male or female or they'll make reference to a long lost language or they might even say it's a hillbilly name. I once had a "sophisticated man" say that my name had to have been hillbilly! I looked at him and said, "Dude, I'm from California!" Oh and they'll also wonder about my ethnicity. My favorite question is when they ask how I got such a name? I reply with my best made up answer. "Back when they used to highly drug women during the birthing process my mother woke up, mumbled this word and someone wrote it down." My mother isn't too keen on that one. So, let's explain this mystery. How do you pronounce it? Surely those letters don't go together. I've heard it all.

I want to thank all of the people that have helped me through some very dark times. Hero's are people that do something good for you without expecting a reward. However, if they didn't step up you might not still be here. I have outlived my expiration date by 16 years. I am a cancer conqueror. I used to say survivor, because there have been times when survive was all I could do. But the fact that I'm sitting here writing this blog shows that I have conquered it thus far. So, about sixteen years ago I kept going to the Dr. to tell him that I didn't feel well. My stomach hurt and was getting bigger. He gave me antacids and told me to watch what I ate. Well, that didn't make any difference. Now remember, these are my memories. I can only account for what I remember. I was vigilant and kept returning. There was unusual bruising and my stomach got so big that I could not sit up by myself. I looked and felt like I was nine months pregnant, but I wasn't. I kept t