Linda Chumbley:  

taught full-time at RAF Upwood 1988-1992. I LOVED teaching for the Department of Defense. After returning to the states I subbed in MO, WV, and KY. Because of my home ec degree for a while in Kentucky I was one of the lead teachers at the child development center associated with Kentucky State University. In North Augusta I taught for 10 years at North Augusta Middle. I finally had to retire because of my health issues. In 2007, I was diagnosed with leukemia (CLL) which really is a good kind of cancer if any can be called good. It can hang in for years and do very little; fatigue can be the biggest issue with it. I just have monitoring appointments 4 times a year. I did go through chemo in 2009. My iron levels tend to go down and I need IV's of iron sometimes. When the CLL decides to really act up there is a new treatment that can be very effective. The arthritis in my lower back is my major problem. It is a struggle just to walk so that is very tiring. In November 2012, this barefoot, country girl let her big toe get caught in the fringe of her room sized rug that was anchored down by a very heavy dining table and chairs. Well, my body kept trying to go, but the fringe held my toe-foot very securely. It was a loud bang. Ken was in the shower; our autistic teenage grandson was living with us at the time and he was in his room getting ready for school. He came dashing out, scared to death -- afraid he would be blamed, which of course, he had nothing to do with my carelessness. He got "granddad" but I did not want anyone to touch me. I finally was able to get myself up off of the floor. I fixed Thomas (Tom-Tom) breakfast and we took him to school and then I had Ken take me to the emergency room at the hospital where my orthopedic doctors are located. I had a dislocated shoulder and a broken upper right arm. It was a clean break in the main part of the arm but in the ball part at the top there were multiple breaks - not nice. My arm does not function very well and it is still painful. With Ken's passing I am making changes once again. In the next few months my plans are to move to an apartment in The Woodlands (Houston) which will mean that Thomas's older 2 children will be able to walk to that apartment. At some point I will move to Chattanooga to live with Ellen and her family. This can only happen when they find a suitable house that has an in-law suite, etc. Stephen knows that Pennsylvania is just too cold in the winters for me to move there. Our 2 cats will be moving with me. We inherited them a few years ago from our son-in-law's brother. His brother and wife discovered that their child was allergic to them so the cats had to go. Ken was adamant that we would not have any more cats. (Ellen had a cat from 5th grade on...she married soon after college and her cat was delivered to her the next week.) Well, he did not respond to my "ugly e-mail" to him about taking Penny Lane and Mabel, so that was the end of it, I thought. Until a few days later he posted pictures of these 2 cats and announced that they would son be part of our family. He did not take care of them - I did not expect him to do that. He did concede while my arm was broken and took care of the litter. He learned to tolerate them. When he got sick and became more sick he did enjoy them. For anyone interested I am on Facebook.