Kandi Barnes:  

Life My life is full of family and friends. I'm still single and enjoying life here in Alabama. I have three small dogs, which I consider as my children. Their names are Paxil (teacup yorkie), Pfizer (minature dachshund), and Glaxo (teacup chihuaha). Obviously I love my job as a pharmacist since it carries over to my babies names! Recently my life has taken a major turn. This past December (2005), I was diagnosed with a very serious, life threating brain condition. On Janurary 10, 2006 I had surgery here in Birmingham, and thank the good Lord above, I beat all the odds and survived the surgery without any complications. It was a very scary time. I was in the hospital for 16 days. I had to learn how to walk again and to swallow again ( all due to the brain condition). I also had to learn how to manage everyday life in a halo vest. If you haven't seen one of those you need to do a search and see one. I had four screws screwed into my skull holding a metal ring around my head, and attached to a vest so that my neck and head could not move. I had to wear this for 12 weeks. My favorite questions about it were: does it hurt, can you take it off, and how do you sleep. The answers were: no it doesn't hurt, no it doesn't come off, and I slept sitting up in a chair. The only time it hurt was when the skull screws came loose for some unknown reason,...Expand for more