DAWNE GEE
“ THESE PEOPLE SAVED MY LIFE.
THANK YOU ISN’ T ENOUGH.”
– DAWNE GEE, ON THE NORTON HOSPITAL CARE
TEAM THAT AIDED HER WHEN SHE
HAD A STROKE IN LATE 2016
Gee was rushed to Norton Hospital. A team of physicians, nurses and medical personnel quickly assessed her condition and determined she was having a stroke and part of her brain was being deprived of oxygen-rich blood.‘ Cheering me on from the sidelines’ Now six months after her stroke, Gee is surrounded by cheerleaders— and maybe a few babysitters.
“ Bless my family! They are by my side every step of the way,” Gee said.“ They not only attend doctors’ appointments and physical therapy updates, they participate— asking questions and seeking out ways to make life better for me.”
Although her entire family— her children, grandchildren and siblings— have been rocks for her to lean on, Gee acknowledges that it is her mother who perhaps has been her biggest cheerleader through all of her illnesses and life crises.
“ She never left my side,” Gee recalled, fighting back tears.“ From the emergency room to the intensive care unit and the many weeks of therapy at Frazier Rehab, Momma never left my side.”
Her mother put the time spent with Gee in rehab to good use. She made more than 200 Hershey’ s Kisses roses, a simple gesture to thank everyone who crossed the threshold of Gee’ s door to care for her.
“ If they cleaned my room, checked my vitals or brought me a dinner tray, Momma was thanking them with a Hershey’ s Kisses rose,” Gee said.“ Both my mother and father are real troopers.”
Her parents also supported Gee while watching her calendar fill up over the past 15 years. She admits that in addition to her work schedule and a full plate of medical worries, she was committing to 200 or more speaking engagements in a year.
“ There were some weekends that I would have four to six events over the course of two days,” she said.“ Many times Momma and Daddy would go with me to these events, and in hindsight, I think they were watching over me.”
Although she admits to not saying it enough, Gee is learning to say“ no” to some events and speaking engagements since her stroke.
38 EXTOL • JUNE / JULY 2017