Brenda's Brainstorm & Trevor, a T Man Production 2009 - 2022

Trevor here, with our monthly tale. This will be our last one for this year, but quite a golden one indeed! BOL Brenda had several milestones to celebrate this year. Brenda celebrated her 30th work anniversary with the clinic, where she has been employed at, since June 2, 1988. She became a 10 year brain tumor survivor on September 8th. Her nonmalignant right frontal lobe meningioma brain tumor was removed entirely, and a whole new life began for Brenda. She was talking about this with her former boss yesterday, who happens to read this blog. He remembers her coming into his office, and requesting some time off to have surgery. Brenda was so calm about the whole thing. She definitely was in shock, as she told him yesterday. He also asked how the process worked, with where the tumor was removed, and if that gap grows back together. Yes, it does. Brenda got to see the comparisons from when the meningioma was removed and how that gap was starting to grow together. Her bone flap wa...

Hello it's Trevor, with our monthly tale. This one is going to be completely different, as it's shared with a number of links. Brenda's true advocacy journey began on April 20, 2012, when she worked with Seth Ginsberg, the co-founder and President of CreakyJoints. Brenda did a local TV Interview with NBC ND News titled; "Living with RA" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS3THrbYByw CreakyJoints made a video of her work advocacy day and that is on YouTube. "Patient Advocate: This Could Be You!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6SL48O3TLc The next year, on March 11, 2013, she had another opportunity to work with the Global Healthy Living Foundation aka CreakyJoints and testified at the ND State Capitol. The whole experience is shared in this blog post. https://brendasbrainstormandtrevor.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-legislative-tale_7.html As you know, the bill did end up passing. North Dakota was one of the first 6 states out of 48 and Puerto Rico...

Hello my fellow readers! It's Trevor here again, to share our monthly tale. We are going to be exploring the topic of relationships, particularly those that can break down, due to a number of circumstances. In Brenda's case, dealing with unkind comments causing fractured friendships, that simply had to be cut off. Before I go on, me being a dog, it seems that humans make this so much harder than it has to be. If I have a disagreement with one of my own, we battle it out over a bone. BOL Most times, I let them have the bone, to keep the peace! I really don't have that much trouble with other dogs, as we are known to have big hearts. You've probably heard the expression; "If people would only have the hearts of dogs, it would be a much better place." We deal with our problems and then move on. A dog does not hold a grudge. We are faithful and always waiting for you, when you get home. We may jump on you, to show our affection. Who am I kidding, I can't jum...

Hi, it's Trevor here. We almost forgot to share Brenda's big highlight of the month with you. Brenda got to meet one of her fellow authors, Amy Zellmer, on September 13th. Amy was the featured speaker at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library. Brenda wanted very much, to go meet her. Amy was one of the contributors for the book; Real Life Diaries: Living with a Brain Injury, which was originally published in the Grief Diaries Anthology Series, with the same title. Brenda was one of the coauthors for that book. Amy contacted Brenda after the book project was completed, and asked if she would be interested in contributing to her book project titled; Surviving Brain Injury: Stories of Strength and Inspiration. How cool was that? Brenda's story is featured on page 48. The reason that is so significant; Brenda was that age, when she was diagnosed with her right frontal lobe nonmalignant meningioma brain tumor and subsequently underwent a craniotomy. As you know her BIG 10 ...

RD Blog Week - Day Two: Tips - How do you stay fit, cope with stress, relax, or capitalize on a great day. Tell us your secrets for the best life possible.  I always try to start out my day, by getting up extra early. I never know what RA may throw at me, especially during my work week. I want to be sure and allow myself enough time for breakfast and getting dressed for work. I'm within walking distance to my place of employment, so I usually have my music with me, and listen to on the way. It helps to keep me centered. Did you know that when you exercise and listen to music, that you are using 100% of your brain? That's definitely a win-win right there. Walking is my main form of exercise. It's a great help, with my lower back issues. I have a bulging disc at L5 -S1, aka Lumbosacral Joint, which was discovered during a CT scan of my spine back in 1984. I know exercising is key to help keeping it limber, so it doesn't tighten up. How I cope with stress, is tryin...

Well it's that time of the month, to share our tale. It's Trevor again, with another chapter to share of Brenda's life. Before we go on with our subject this month, I want to let you all know, that Brenda celebrated her 10th Craniversary on September 8th. That ended up being a double celebration, as her uncle's life was honored that day as well. Brenda told me it was great to see so many of her cousins and friends, that she hadn't seen in years. She also told me, that she's never laughed so hard at a memorial or celebration service, as it truly was.They had a chance to visit a bit after and had some pictures taken. New memories were created that day. A family loop has been formed on Facebook and they still keep in touch. I wonder if dogs could start a bone group? BOL Brenda wanted me to share some items of importance, hence our tale. As you know, Brenda has lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for 27 years and recently became a 10 year brain tumor survivor. ...

Hello my fellow readers, it's Trevor to share our August tale. Brenda has had an active summer, with her yearly examinations. We are going to touch on that and a lot more, during this tale. On September 8th, 2 weeks from today, Brenda will be celebrating her 10th Craniversary or celebration of life, since her craniotomy. Tomorrow will be 10 years, that she found out that she had been living with a meningioma, for at least 20 years. She had no idea, it was even a brain tumor at that time, because of the confusing terminology. Imagine, if you were told that you had a mass, lesion or meningioma, that was the size of a walnut. WELL, we all know how that turned out folks, don't we? BOL Wanted to mention that her BIG 10 is getting close. Brenda's mother was sitting right beside her on the edge of the bed, when they received the news. It was a Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Nothing from this point on, would ever be the same again. Every year since then, Brenda has reflected on this...

Hello my friends!! It's Trevor here again, for our monthly tale. By our title, you might think we are going to share about Independence Day. You couldn't be more mistaken. I would like to wish our readers a Happy 4th of July on Wednesday. Now that is out of the way. BOL This is a tale about independence in a different sense. Brenda has lived on her own, since she was 21 years old. One of her older sisters Iris, was getting married, so her sister Bev, who has since passed, and Brenda, would have to find different places to live. Brenda had lived with Iris and Bev, since she graduated from college. She now had a full-time job, so this was going to be feasible.  There is also an interesting fact about all of this. Brenda lived in the same apartment complex back then, that she lives in now. She was looking for apartments in the newspaper, and called to check that one out. When the manager told her, where it was located, she said she used to live there. She first moved there...

Hello my fellow readers! Trevor here again, to share our monthly tale. This is going to be all about Brenda and her inspiring story of beating the odds. Today, she is celebrating 30 years of working at the clinic, where she is employed. This is a day according to Brenda, that she thought she would never see. In the beginning of her rheumatoid arthritis (RA) journey, things looked rather bleak. She thought her life was over, as she knew it. Brenda was not sure being able to work full-time or even at all, would be a possibility. I was not in her life yet, but things were moving quickly and it was not good. Walking for Brenda was pure agony. Her ankles were so swollen, that it was hard to get into a comfortable pair of shoes. She was walking to and from work, using a cane, so she could stay steady. One of the physicians was kind enough to offer advice, that her cane was too tall. It was her father's, so that made sense. He was 6 feet. They were able to cut it down and it worked so...

" You should go on disability and have your husband take care of you."  Yes, that is what Brenda was told by her first rheumatologist, at the beginning of her rheumatoid arthritis (RA) journey. Thanks for the encouragement, right? What husband do you speak of? Brenda was the sole breadwinner.  She told him, that she would work, until she no longer could. On June 2nd, Brenda will celebrate her 30th year work anniversary at the clinic, where she has been employed since 1988. She was diagnosed with RA in May of 1991, almost 3 years after her full-time employment began. You do the math! I would say that she has pretty much defied the odds on this one. Back when this all happened, it was the norm, that by 10 years, you would possibly become disabled and no longer be able to work. Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability in the United States. We share for this reason.  If you did your math, Brenda has already defied those odds by 17 years. Nothing has ever been the n...

Hello my fellow readers! It's Trevor here once again, to share our monthly tale. This one is going to be extra special, folks! Yesterday, which was Friday the 13th, do we have anyone superstitious reading this? BOL This day and date, 17 years ago, turned out to be a day that Brenda was offered a life changing experience. Of special note, it was also Good Friday that year in 2001. As you know, Brenda has lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for almost 27 years. Almost 10 years after living with it, she had a conversation with her PCP, as she was not seeing a rheumatologist at the time. Their attitude in the beginning, was that Brenda was going to get worse and her disease would progress. Just what you want to hear, right? She couldn't deal with that negative thinking, so she was at this time, only going to her PCP. Back to our story. She told him that she was ready to consider starting a biologic. In this case, it would be the first one, which was FDA approved in 1998. Enb...

Hello, my fellow readers. It's Trevor sharing our monthly tale. This one folks is going to be GOLD! BOL You're probably thinking as you read this, that I am going to talk about myself. You wouldn't be more mistaken. BOL I am going to share some pretty pawsome events, that have occurred in Brenda's life the past 9 + years. Yesterday, which was March 8th, she became a 9½ year brain tumor survivor. Only 6 months to go before she celebrates her 10th Craniversary on September 8th. Every year that has become a major celebration. Brain tumor survivors refer to it, as their second chance at life. I'm not big on my fairy tales, but it seems there was this character named King Midas, who hoped that everything he touched would turn to gold. Brenda likes this analogy, because when she had her craniotomy they used a Midas Drill. Her nonmalignant right frontal lobe meningioma was pretty easy to get at. When they opened the bone flap, they were able to get the entire tumor...

Hello, it's Brenda here, starting off with our 2nd blog post of the year. Trevor will be sharing about the importance of interacting with others and community in a bit. I wanted to say how blessed I've been, to have such a great storyteller. This month marks 7 years, that he started sharing our tales. His first blog post was February 13, 2011, just after my mother entered the nursing home. Several milestones are being celebrated this year. This is one of them. Trevor will now continue with our tale. Thank you Brenda! I've enjoyed working my paws and sharing these tales. BOL. As Brenda mentioned, we are going to explore the importance of interacting with others and community. What does that mean exactly? Interacting with someone can be as simple, as a smile, while passing someone in the hallway. In Brenda's case, that would include the local hospital. Brenda goes to get her lunch there almost every day. She doesn't have to go outside, because there is a tunne...

Hi Trevor here, with our first blog post of the year. This post was actually an inspiration from a brain tumor sister and friend of Brenda's. We always like to give credit, where credit is due. Brenda is passionate about sharing her story. She has a knack for being creative in doing so. As you can see from our title, we are going to explore lemons. First off, yellow is Brenda's favorite color. Her bedroom while she still living at home yet, was painted with Lemon Whip walls. She had a yellow floral design with her bedspread and matching curtains. Sounds very 70's to me. BOL Brenda has always liked yellow and orange, so that was the idea behind her creation of Sunshine Saturday. Of special note, every 2nd Saturday of each month, has been designated for that special day. It's a day to concentrate on only positive events. You would be amazed what can happen, when you choose to change your mindset for a day. Got a little off track here. Back to our concept of turnin...