Lee Hall:  

In the time since I first posted here so much has changed and I have received so very many reasons for which to thank God!! At the time of our 30th class reunion I was waiting for surgery which would remove my thyroid. I had been told in August of 2006 that there was every reason to believe the two nodes in my thyroid were cancerous and that the entire thyroid must be removed. Well....when they told me that I wanted it out now and I meant now.....it was not to be. I had out of control graves thyroid disease and was to unstable for surgery. Had they tried to remove it at the time it was discovered I would have died on the table before it could be taken out. No surgeon in his right mind would touch me. I have to admitt, at first I was scared to death, it was one of those defining moments we all face in our lives....are we capable of practicing what we preach? What choice do we really have? So you suck it up, ask for God's love, care, guidance and move through the days ahead. In January of 2007 my thyroid was removed and Praise God it was not cancer. It was hard to tell who was more surprised, my doctors or myself. However, I had much more to learn, the lessons in acceptance were to continue. In February of 2007 my eyes began to be a problem. I thought it was all allergy related. I went to an allergist, I started taking shots, allergy meds, allergy eye drops, allergy nose sprays and still my eyes did not improve. In time I stumbled on information about "Graves Eye Disease"......my heart was in my throat as I read more and more about Graves Eye. I discovered there were 2 doctors in the Charlotte area who specialized in Graves Eye with one more highly reguarded than the other. At my request my endocrinologist tried to schedule an appointment for me with Dr. Malton. The earliest appointment I could get was in 90 days. A few weeks later I heard that Dr. Malton would be speaking at CMC to a group of Graves Eye Disease patients......I stalked the man. When he had finished his speach I went to him, introduced myself and asked his forgiveness for having crashed his lecture. When I told him why I was there and "Will Graves Eye Disease make the whites of your eyes bubble?" he asked me to remove my dark glasses. Our first meeting took place on a Saturday afternoon, the following Monday morning I was sitting in his office. This man, I will always believe, is just one of many "helpers" God has put into my life......all through my life. I can not sing the praises of God nor Dr. Mark Malton long nor loud enough. I am forever grateful to this wonderful physican. Since that August day I have gone through high dose steroid treatments, radiation treatment for my eyes, black blind episodes from which I was unsure my sight would return. Today I sit in my office, July 24, 2008, still at the same job I have held for 28 years and I have learned so very much about acceptance and the unwaivering love of God. Wow, I am so very, very blessed. Right now, right this moment is such a gift and it is all that is given. I understand the importance today. I share my life and home with two wonderful daughters, the oldest, Rachael, will graduate from CMC's school of nursing in the fall. She is determined to be a trama flight nurse!! My youngest, MichaelRose, is 14, an honor student and determined to become a Doctor. Who would have ever believed I could have produced such children? Wow, it was by the Grace of God and by His Grace only. On April 23 of this year we lost our beautiful hound dog Abbey to a rare blood disease. Prior to her passing a battered, sick, flea and tic infested white English lab showed up at our home. She turned out to be a run-a-way puppy mill mama. After a face off, with what I believe to have been less than a gentleman who said she was his dog, in my front yar...Expand for more