| Kaye "I would like to be as good a Mother to my daughter as my Mother was to me, I would like to help others learn to deal with Meniere's...I would like to know I helped someone learn to smile." These are Kaye's aspirations, things I think she has probably already achieved! Ask anyone who knows her and I'm sure they would confirm it! Kaye is one of the most giving people I've had the privilege to know. This is a lady who can have a thousand different things going at the same time, and she'll still make time to help you. All you have to do is ask. Kaye will be ill or have things at home that need to be taken care of, and she'll still be out there moderating her group, signing guestbooks and sending cards to people in need. If she falls behind even just a little bit she feels so bad about it that she does double time the next week. Some say charity begins at home. I've come to believe it starts with Kaye! Who is this woman that gives so much of herself to others? Well, she is a wife and mother of a teenage daughter. Kaye lives in Houston, Texas with her family and a very special “hearing cat” named Pugsy. Kaye suffers from a vestibular disorder called Meniere's disease, and Pugsy goes everywhere with her to alert Kaye to things she can't hear but needs to pay attention to. Meniere's, greatly over-simplified, is a disorder that affects the hearing and the three bones of the inner ear that control our sense of balance. It is very much a crippling disease and it keeps Kaye housebound. If you would like to read more about it, Kaye has some great resources on her web site and she also has an online support group for people who suffer from Meniere's and other vestibular disorders. Kaye, when asked what she would do if she won a million dollars: "[I would] give 10% to the church, donate to several charities, buy my daughter a new car, my hubby a new truck and build a home in the country." What keeps Kaye going? The things she does for others, in great part. She says that one of her greatest accomplishments was to learn to be independent and to give of herself. So many of the really extraordinary people I have met have said that giving and feeling needed, and knowing they have made a difference in someone's life are major driving forces in their lives. And I'm sure this is also true for Kaye. But there is more. Kaye will tell you that she is inspired by her mother and her daughter, and from the way she speaks about the girl we know this child means the world to her. And there are some very special online friends, a few of whom are also WOSIB members. Kaye won't necessarily tell you this, but she is also quite driven to learn new things and acquire new skills. She is a woman who I think sometimes thrives on life's challenges, more than anything else. A favourite expression from Kaye's teen years: "Way to go!" Then there is Kaye's faith in God. Kaye lists among her accomplishments the fact that she is a Christian. That may seem odd to some; a lot of us just take religion for granted. It is a small part of our lives, the denomination our parents gave us and something we only think of when it's time to go to church. Not to Kaye. Kaye is one of those who truly lives her faith. It starts with learning to to put “complete trust and Faith in God” and it is very evident in her warm acceptance of everyone she meets, and the kindness with which she treats us all. There are other very small things, though, things that could easily be missed if we weren't paying attention. Like the words of blessing that pop up here and there. Like the wonderful gratitude Kaye shows for even the smallest courtesy. Don't confuse these with the signs of a woman who is unsure of herself. If anything Kaye is very sure, sure of one thing: God has blessed her with her friends and family, and she is a lady who does not take God's grace for granted. It is impossible not to be touched by this woman whose faith is manifested as such love. I had finished most of this article and was looking for a way to finish it when I heard from Kaye. Things at home were tense. Both she and her daughter needed special medical treatments, and her Meniere's attacks were severe. Just this one time Kaye shared more than just what was happening with me. She talked about how she felt, and allowed herself to cry a little on my shoulder. And in this brief moment of sharing I discovered that Kaye is both a rock and someone in need of a rock. She is a warm, wonderful, Christian woman who brightens the lives of everyone she meets. And she is also very much a sister of mine. For she has held out her arms to me when I was in need and she has prayed for me, and now she has let me into a private place in her life where I can share her pain and her concerns. This is the gift of WOSIB, that here we have a unique opportunity to meet such beautiful women and to make of any one of them a sister. This isn't just a word we toss about, but a word that in this group has a strong, pure meaning. No, we won't be sisters to every single woman we meet here. And it's not likely we will even meet every other member. But there will be some that each of us will meet and these ladies will be special to us. This is part of the reason we have decided to spotlight a member each month in the newsletter: so we can begin to know each other and to discover our sisters. I hope each of you reading these words will take advantage of this column and maybe contact the ladies whose lives speak to you. Take a chance, and hold your hands out to a woman who just might be a sister. |
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