I've written four other books, with each one I seem to find peace and grow emotionaly.If add things that have made a mark on my life, it helps me to get past them.

On August the twenty first I was sitting at the key board typing on my last book "Reflections". I had just typed the last chapter when I became sick to my stomach. I thought I was going to be sick as I stood up the room started spinning. I made it to the bathroom, so sick I had to hold onto things to walk. I sat down on the floor of the bathroom I thought I would pass out.As I stood up everything I looked at started spinning in circles. They seem to rise from the place they were to a level way above my head.

I knew needed to get some help when I tried walking, my legs would not support me.

As I left the bathroom I was holding onto a cabinet that was well over six feet tall. It was filled with statues, Angles, things I had collected for years. If someone gave me something and it made it to my cabinet shelf It meant a lot to me.

Any way Sorry (I lost track of what I was saying, I do that often!) The cabinet seemed to flip over on it's side. Like a huge hand had reached over and flipped it over.

I fell to the floor, everything around me was either floating to the roof or turned on it's side. I lay my head down and started praying not to pass out or maybe even worse die.

I managed to crawl into the living room the TV was not there it had moved into the room I had just crawled from, the sofa was on it's side I closed my eyes.

I knew what I was seeing was not really happening. When I sat and opened my eyes my little clay dogs were spinning in circles, bile was coming up in my throat. When I opened my eyes I could see better. Things were back to normal.

A normal person would have dialed nine one one. One thing you need to know is normal and Johnnie does not compute. So I called Buster.I was so weak I could not talk above a whisper. Buster came home so quickly it was like I had just hung up the phone.

I went to my doctor the next day and told him what happened. Dr. Wansley has been my doctor for about twenty years.

My sister was told she had cancer soon after our Mom passed away. She had a double Mastectomy and a lung removed. My other sister had a double Mastectomy a few years before.

When Mom passed away I was numb, I don't remember talking to my sister much about her surgery. We did talk I just don't remember much about the conversations.

DR. Wansley ask me to have test several test he was worried. He my family history.

I told him that I had problems eating also I had started loosing weight. I tried telling him that I didn't need nor want to have the test. He talked me into having some test " just to make sure I was okay". I had several test ran at the hospital. They showed a few small things going on. However none of test explained what had happened. I told almost everyone I saw about what had happened to me at my home.

I sat watching Katrina in the waiting room with Buster as I waited for a Bronchoscomy. Buster sat watching tropical storm Katrina, He commented " this one could give us a big problem." I just nodded, dreading this test.

The scope showed I had a huge ulcer, it could be treated with medicine.

Dr. Dillon wanted to do a colonoscopy the following Tuesday, August the 30th. Goodness gracious, now that was something I didn't care to read about,talk about or care to have this preformed on me! Some things that seems more inviting, that is easy? Let me think about it, jump in front of a moving train? Take a long stroll across broken glass with bare feet? How about taking a nose dive off the Impire State building? Any thing but a colonoscopy, I had one of those around ten years ago NO THANK YOU! Thank you for caring, I made the appointment anyway.

When Katrina hit Monday the first thing I thought "NO Colonoscopy!! YEAH".

You would think with our past family history, I would have paid more attention when Dr. Dillon and Dr. Wansley showed such great concern. Somewhere deep inside my heart I knew I needed the Colonoscopy. I would learn later that scope was important. I know now I only fooled myself when I call my pain IBS. I guess I had the child like syndrome, " I close my eyes you go away".

When we finally got a phone line after Katrina DR. Dillon had his nurse call me several times. I just did not listen, I was so scared of the colonoscopy. When she told me the Bronchoscmy showed no cancer, I was thrilled. If you are reading this and think you need to be checked DO IT! (please)

Just last Sunday I wrote this little poem. I told Buster it was a song, as it turns out it was the poem for Katrina ( living in a nightmare).

I hope you enjoy my latest book.

Thank you so much; Johnnie Oakes