THURSDAY AuGUST 9th

Tomorrow night is Chick-fil-a spirit night at Chick-fil-a across from SAMS in Winterville. You can dine in or go through the drive thru...simply say you are supporting the Brooks Family Spirit night! Easy enough! If you come to dine wear your Live it, give it, donate lift shirt please!! :)
5-8 pm, Chick-fil-a Winterville. THANK YOU to Christy Hubbard and Chick-fil-a for working on getting this fundraiser together and organized! REALLY APPRECIATE IT! Can't wait!

The JULY 21st FUNDRAISER at RED OAK!

It was a SEA of Carolina blue...     ( I know, carolina blue!) on July 21st 2012 at Red Oak Fire Department. We arrived about 8:00-8:30 to begin setting up. WHAT a successful day it was! The Friday night before we were anxious as it rainied and rainied...what would Saturday hold, but fortunately the rain held off. As we all sat and ate pizza and a wonderful salad provided by Mrs. Wanda and Mr. James we talked about "when you pray tonight please ask the Lord to bless tomorrow and to PLEASE let the weather be good"....well he heard and answered in a big way! Truly although it was hot it WASN'T as hot as it could have been and the clouds kept the temps down...and the rain held off....

Setting up Donate Life table...registed OVER 50 people as organ donors that day.

Setting up the bake sale! We sold out of almost EVERYTHING we had!

Waiting for the crowds to arrive

Kids enjoying the bouncey houses...thanks ASAP rentals.

Red Cross blood mobile, 30 units collected on the 21st in Rays honor and 11 more collected on the 22nd at Simpson in Rays honor...41 units total WAY TO GO!

Red Cross helpers...Jennifer red cross QUEEN and my mother-in-law Coleen....and our NEW friend Randy!! Ummmm that is another story for another blog!! :)

Tshirt sales

Silent auction area

Stephanie Stallings and Leah Lehman, ready to sale some baked goods. THANKS to the both of them for ALL their help with the bake sale, organization and baking!

Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor

Ray and his good buddy Chris Amyette.....go team EcoLab...thanks Chris for all your help the day of the event and ALWAYS

My other "coordinator of fundraiser chaos" Marley Adams and Kevin Via....thanks to you both for ALL your help and dedication

Bake sale table....Mrs. Marty, Stephanie and Jeffrey Stallings...Jeffrey was SELLING some baked goods!

DONATE LIFE table looked great!

Daddy and his other "son" Randy...no not crazy Randy from earlier...asiain Randy

In full swing!

Let the bidding begin!!

Thanks to ALL our sponsors and those who donated couldn't have done it WITHOUT them all.

.....So the day started at 10:00am and the people began coming! MANY donated blood that day, braving the heat and the WAIT...some had to wait as long as 1 1/2 hours just to be able to donate in Rays honor....THANKS guys! We collected 30 units that day. 16 people were turned away due to low iron, low bp, surgeries to close to giving, husband had hep C and they didn't want her blood (umm hmmm). But 30 units! The following day 11 more units were collected in Rays name, 41 units total. They definetly paid back from THIS surgery! The bake sale was a huge success, hamburgers and hotdogs, chips, drinks, bouncey houses, tshirt sales and of course the DONATE LIFE table. We had donate life raffles all throughout the day given by the Donate Life NC and Carolina Organ Donors, and donate life giveaways. OVER 50 people registered that day with the national registry to be organ, eye and tissue donors. The two biggest things we wanted to get out there that day we DID...blood donation and organ donation. The day was great! The silent auction ended at 2:00pm, EVERYTHING except two items up for bid sold....we had OVER 50 items. Some people got some GREAT deals and everyone seemed really happy that they were able to get a little something and donate to the cause at the same time. By the time the auction money was collected, clean up began and regorganization of the fire department...we all began to leave RIGHT as the bottom FELL OUT! Thank you Lord for holding off the rain!
Through genroristy of friends, family and others we didn't even know-they heard about the event on radio, newspaper or on TV we had a very successful day. A day that will allow us to pay for Rays prescriptions and Duke bills, a day that TRULY helped the Brooks family. A day supported by the community. We could not have done it without the hardwork and dedication of our friends, my parents, Rays mom and Red Oak FD, COULD'NT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU ALL! It is a humbling experience that leaves you feeling loved, supported and taken care of.
Last summer I stood in my friend Christy's kitchen at the beach, we were talking about Ray, his health, the future, etc...I remember I began to cry, I told my friend Christy "I couldn't handle another transplant , I couldn't do it" I remember her telling me I could do anything as long as I was faithful and had my friends and family by my side and certainly if we had to face that again I COULD COUNT ON the support of my friends and family. I know that last summer the Lord already knew what our path looked like, how this all would play out. He knew that Ray and I were strong enough, he knew would we would doubt ourselves but that he would faithfully stand beside us, he knew this would test us, he knew he would be by our side the whole way and he also knew that YOU all would be there as well. I know that God has put EACH and EVERYONE of you in our lives and in our paths for a reason, it is all a part of HIS plan. The help, love, hugs and support that you all give are straight from him, you are like angels on earth taking care of us, sent directly by God.
I am reminded daily of what is now my favorite verse..."trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6.
Thank you ALL again for a great day and huge success!
Ray, Janet, Jackson and Riley Brooks
**If you haven't registered your email on the blogspot PLEASE do so...that is going to be my main form of Ray updates, communication soon! ***

Check out the SCENE AROUND on reflector.com

GREAT pics from the event as the SCENE AROUND came by to support the fundraiser and Red Oak 50 year anniversary. GREAT DAY!!

http://www.reflector.com/slideshow/scene-around-red-oak-open-house-1147417

WITN 7 interview link and quick Saturday update...

Here is the link to the WITN 7 interview from July 19th.
WITN link: http://www.witntv.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7520041#.UA1o64e6c4U.email

The fundraiser on Saturday went GREAT! We had such an AWESOME turnout. Lots of friends and family and just lots of people we didn't even know that saw it on TV or read it in the paper. We collected 30 units of blood the day of the event and then some people went to give in Simpson yesterday for an additional 11 units....41 total! WHOO HOO! We had over 50 people register for organ donation that we will mail back to donate life to be entered in the national database, AWESOME!

It was a GREAT day!!! The weather held out and the rain came about 4:00pm right after we were done and all cleaned up...THANK YOU LORD!!

Pics to come soon!!

 

A tribute to a sweet former student Andrew Uhlman

I wanted to take a minute today to say a "goodbye" and "see you again" one day to a sweet young boy who passed away all to soon a few weeks ago. I had the honor of seeing a previous student on the Golden Corral fundraiser night for Ray and our family. Andrew, his mom Charlotte and Andrews younger brother. Charlotte keeps up with us on Facebook and the family came out that night to support the Brooks'. I was stunned and excited to see Andrew and the cute little boy I remember teaching transforming into a handsome young man. He talked with me, Charlotte reminded me of how much Andrew loved his kindergarten teacher :) we hugged and then he obliged me in picture with his "old" teacher. I told him I didn't know how he was so old because I was still only "25 !!!" The year I began pregnant with Jackson I taught Andrew in Kindergarten at Elmhurst Elementary School. I remember Andrew as a sweet, loving, kind, smart, blonde haired, cute little kindergartner. Andrew had a sweet, helpful mom Charlotte who would come help, volunteer and strolled Andrews baby brother to school to pick Andrew up in the stroller. The following week after the week I saw Andrew at the fundraiser event he passed away from a head injury-he was riding his skateboard while on a family trip, decided to tackle a huge hill and fell, hit his head and passed away. I was SO SAD to hear this especially since I had JUST seen him the week before and had my picture taken with him. How thankful I was that I was able to see him and have a picture taken with him. I know that as a mother Charlotte's heart must ache daily. I can't even imagine. I know that Andrew is in the BEST possible place and we should be happy because of that but it is hard for those left behind who miss that person and ache to see them. Please remember Andrew's family in your prayers. Remember his mom Charlotte and his two brothers he left behind. Thanks Andrew for touching people's lives. Ray and I just bought Jackson a NEW helmet last night and had a SERIOUS talk with him about whether he is riding his bike or scooter he MUST have it on at ALL times to protect his head. It was frightening to us as parents because in a two week time span we knew of two young people who passed away in skateboarding accidents from head injuries.  Wearing a helmet to protect your head while out riding ANYTHING is a lesson everyone with young children need to remember and pass on. Goodbye sweet Andrew...see you again one day....THANKS for the picture!  Love-Mrs. Brooks

July 20th Update

Good Morning All,

Wanted to send out an update since it has been awhile...SORRY!

Ray was released from Duke/Durham on July 9, 2012. We brought him home on his birthday July 10, 2012. We only told a few family/friends as Ray really wanted to surprise many upon his EARLY arrival home. On the night he got the call he was at a monthly meeting and the fire department, on the night he returned it was the next months meeting, he wanted to show up and surprise all the guys!

It's also been nice to show up at church and see the look on peoples faces to see that Ray was actually there. Jeff D. at church last Sunday even pointed Ray out to the congregation that this was the guy we had been praying for!

Last Friday I surprised Ray with a homecoming/birthday celebration with our neighbors and friends. He had a great time, was indeed surprised but was EXHASUTED when it was over!

This week has been a BUSY week. We did a follow up news story with channel 9, did Sunrise with Heather King and Jim Howard yesterday on channel 7 and then the Daily Reflector did a news article on Ray, our family, Red Oak FD and the fundraiser yesterday. I have tried to post all links to all news stories and article on the blogspot.

Rays blood work this past Monday was SPOT ON they said! He didn't even have to have blood work done on Thursday because Mondays labs looked to good. His billirubin on Monday was 0.9.....0.9.....that is like NORMAL person billirubin!!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His weight is still 189-190...he looks GREAT!

Tomorrow is the BIG day. It is the big fundraiser starting from 10-2. We are REALLY EXCITED! Please pray for the weather to HOLD OFF and NO RAIN OR STORMS...at least until the afternoon...please Lord!!

This fundraiser has turned into SUCH A BIG event. I cannot THANK everyone enough who has helped and coordinated this event enough. Christy Hubbard and Marley Adams. WOW is really all I know to say, you are both AMAZING...THANKS girls you all rock! Jennifer Powers for setting up and handeling all the blood drive. Kim White for coordinating volunteers, dinners and donate life. Stephanie Stallings for coordinating the bake sale. My dad who is doing ALL the silent auction set up, planning, etc...it is a huge undertaking...and tshirt sales!! My mom for all her help with Ray, the kids and the fundraiser. Kevin Littleton who helped with getting donations, flyers and signs. James and Leah Lehman just for all kinds of help. Chad Singleton, Deb Himmelfarb, Rays mom Coleen Ross. Brandon Smith and ALL the signs...they are great! Bryant Beddard and the Red Oak Fire Department. Curtis James and Golden Corral, Open Door CDC who is waiting for Riley to return to school and coordinating a bake sale for their VBS week, AES friends and coworkers who are helping for events and ALL the places around the community that donating items for the silent auction...we have over 30 places that donating over 100 dollars in items.

Kim Grizzard from the Daily Reflector for her GREAT article. Channel 9 and Channel 7 for promoting Rays story, cause and the fundraiser. I probaly left someone out there are just SO MANY who helped and Ray and I are SO APPRECIATIVE. With funds we have raised thus far I was able with the Brooks Family Fund to PAY OFF the 872.00 dollars that we OWED Duke prior to transplant....paid off...that is SUCH A GREAT FEELING. Before this I would have been paying them 50-100.00 a month for however long!!

I am trying to update the blog spot pretty often. I added a "GADGET" that you can enter your email address...up at the top...you can subscribe to the blogspot and receive email updates when new post are added to the BLOG...it's a great way to keep up with the Brooks' and what is going on with the blog.

Hope to see as many of you as we can at the event tomorrow! Say your prayers for decent weather!! :)

With love-Ray and Janet Brooks

June 20th and June 28th artcile on WITN7.com

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Volunteer_Firefighter_Recovering_From_Successful_Liver_Transplant_159684695.html

This was the first article done on Ray by WITN 7 that they posted on their website.

Daily Reflector article

http://www.reflector.com/news/firehouse-f1081tes-ray8217s-second-chance-1143797

Check out the DAILY REFLECTOR today for a GREAT story on Ray, our family, the fundraiser and Red Oak FD.  GREAT article, thanks a bunch to Kim Grizzard for a job well done and great photos taken by Aileen Devlin as well.

1st WNCT channel 9 story

http://www2.wnct.com/news/2012/jun/26/7/local-firefighter-gets-second-chance-life-ar-2387101/#fbcomments

RAYS interview on WNCT channel 9 July 17, 2012

http://www2.wnct.com/news/2012/jul/17/2/local-firefighter-wants-spread-awareness-about-org-ar-2439605/#fbcomments

Ray was interviewed today by WNCT channel 9, Kristen Hunter who did a story about Ray after his transplant.
Check out the interview online by going to the following web site. THANKS to WNCT and Kristen for doing a follow up interview, getting the word out about the fundraiser on Saturday and for spreading the word about the importance of blood donation and organ donation.

SURPRISE!!!!! 40 is glorious!!

The Beddards came by to celebrate...

CUB Scout families: The Loftus and Mitchell families

Our sweet wonderful neighbors Mr. Henry and Mrs. Debra

The White family who has been SO GOOD to us!

The Wells family

Even sweet baby Nicholas came to the party!
3 weeks old...a DOLL!!!

Ray and one of his BEST buddies Kevin

The Hubbards who helped arrange the party and decorated the house for our arrival home on Tuesday! Thanks Hubbards you are THE BEST!!

The sweet Lehman family who has been a tremendous help to us as well! THANKS Leah for all the YUMMY desserts you made! YUM!!

ONE month post transplant....

Yesterday marked ONE month post transplant. Tuesday July 10th was Rays 40th birthday and he was also able to COME HOME TO GREENVILLE.

He got the official OK at his Monday Dr's visit. We went out Monday evening for a GOODBYE to Durham dinner and to celebrate Rays birthday. 


Tuesday AM we packed up the car and headed home.
Ray was HAPPY to be home! He said Tuesday night he slept SO GOOD in his own bed.
On Friday I surprised him with a WELCOME HOME/40th BIRTHDAY party. His good buddy Kevin Hubbard came and took Ray to see Spiderman on Friday afternoon and when they returned the house was ready and decorated and the friends starting arriving...he was surprised and had a GREAT time!
What a way to end the week arriving home.
We are ONE week away from the BIG fundraiser event, blood drive, donate life event....next Saturday July 21st.
This upcoming week we will have an article in the Daily Reflector and will also interview with Heather King on Thursday July 19th.

Saturday July 7, 2012

Ray continue to do so well each day. It is hard to believe that this week marked 3 weeks past transplant. His incision is healing well since having the staples removed on Tuesday the 3rd. We celebrated the 4th with his Aunt Barbara and David at their house on the 3rd watching a GRAND display of neighborhood fireworks...so much so we didn't even go anywhere on the 4th...just stayed inside the apartment! Yesterday we proclaimed as PAJAMA DAY and stayed in the apartment in our PJ's all day...I don't think we have had one of those since we were first married! Sometimes life causes you to SLOW DOWN and it is nice. Today Ray weighs 192 lbs, can you believe that. He hardly has any clothes that fit him! Today I will go home until Monday, Rays mom is coming to stay with him over the weekend. Tonight they will go out with their family to celebrate Rays 40th birthday which is Tuesday the 10th. The kids and I will come back on Monday to be with him the rest of the week and celebrate with him! WHAT A EVEN MORE SPECIAL BIRTHDAY this will be! Monday morning Christy and I will go interview with Henry Hinton on "Talk of the Town" at 8:15am, then I have an interview with Kim Grizzard from the Daily Reflector, they will do a story about Ray and the fundraiser right before the big even on the 21st. It is hard to believe that is only 13 days away! It is going to be a BIG, exciting, event.
Thanks again for all the support everyone. We hope to hear news next week of when we will be released back to Greenville.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE A&S staff......

 

Dear Aldridge and Southerland family,

Ray and I wanted to take a minute to tell you all THANK YOU SO MUCH from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and generosity to our family. It was so kind of you all to take up a collection and present it to mom like that. This has certainly been a scary and trying time over the last few months but it is by others kindness, love, support and prayers that we have made it this far. We are amazed and humbled everyday at the kindness, support, generosity and neighborly love that is shown to our family, not only by people we know but people we don't even know. It is the BEST example ever for Jackson and Riley and we know it is shaping them into the people they will become. They will certainly hear for years to come of the love our family was shown and will experience first hand what it means to "love thy neighbor", it is a valuable lesson they are learning.

After such a grueling and long surgery Ray continues to amaze the surgeons and doctors each week at Duke, he is truly a walking miracle. We know that God has a plan for Ray and he isn't done with him yet. I believe that part of that is for us to shine the light of God, to share Rays story and to tell others that through prayer and the power of God he saved Ray. I also believe it is to educate others about the precious, precious gift of donating your organs or loved ones organs. There are so many people who suffer and wait daily for the phone call that they have an organ, Ray was lucky enough to receive that precious gift twice...it is a gift he does not take lightly and doesn't take for granted.

It seems so small and insignificant to just say thank you to you all for what you did but THANK YOU. The donation you made to our family, the calls, emails, texts that you made to Mom as she was at Duke with Ray and I certainly helped her as well. She is definitely mine and Rays rock during storms like this!

So thank you, thank you, thank you! Please keep following Rays progress and story at www.rcb2ndchance.blogspot.com. Our BIG fundraiser event will be a family fun day, blood drive, donate life awareness and Red Oak FD 50th year celebration on Saturday July 21st from 10-2. Come out and bring your family for a day of fun! We hope that Ray will be back in town and released from Duke by then so he would love to see lots of familiar faces.

Thank you to all of the Aldridge and Southerland staff.

With sincerest appreciation

Ray and Janet Brooks (Jackson and Riley too!)

3 weeks post transplant

Last Saturday night marked 2 1/2 weeks since transplant for Ray and he was able to go out to dinner with friends who visited us here in Durham. He was SO EXCITED and had a great time. Each day he is getting better and better and better, stronger and stronger and stronger! As of Monday July 2nd he is weighing in at 205 lbs and looking GREAT! Monday we went to clinic for a check up and again they were pleased. Rays kidney function was back up to 1.9 so they stopped the lasics, which they felt had obviously gotten rid of a lot of fluid anyhow. However yesterday afternoon they discovered that his cyclosporene level (antirejection drugs) was like 387, much higher than they wanted it so they turned that back down...that should help the kidney function...we will find out on Thursday when he just has to go back for labs. Yesterday morning we went to a liver support group while waiting for our appointment. We met a man who was on the list for 10 hours when he got the call and one that waited 2 weeks...both were o's....AMAZING though right. We also met a man named Jimmy Hodges who is currently awaiting a transplant. His daughter was with him and Ray and I were able to talk with them for a bit and shared our emails and the blog site for them to visit or ask us any questions....It's a great feeling to be able to reach out to someone else like that. I told Jimmy I would be praying for him to receive a new liver soon and for others to please remember him in prayer too as we have walked down that path.

This morning we went back in to clinic however because he had "sprung a dripping leak" in his side out of the staples....it was nothing to be concerned about and they said it was just "belly fluid" still from some swelling that was just trying to find a way out. After looking at the staples again today and meeting with Ray's original surgeon she decided they would be fine to take the staples out and did. It wasn't nearly as painful as Ray thought it was going to be and his scar looks great! He still has some "oozing" out of one side of the scar but they said that should subside in 1-2 days, it would just be annoying....not dangerous! So they put steristrips over the scar for a few days and that was that.

We hope everyone has a GREAT 4th of July. The kids are at Myrtle Beach with Mimi and Granddaddy and enjoying every moment of it! I miss them lots but Ray and I are also just enjoying the quiet and stillness of just being together and in one place! It is nice! :)

Continue to keep Ray in your prayers for his health and strength. We are hoping next Monday when he meets with the surgeon that they will give us the release back to Greenville date...we are HOPING maybe by the end of next week if all continues well!