Springtime is Here!
Gen 2.23 (MSSG) Name her Woman,
Welcome back. March is Women’s History Month. Our theme for 2020 is the commemoration of the centennial celebration of women’s right to vote in USA. Inviting you to join us in exploring great historical and biblical women. Please share with family & friends-our goal is for 100 new followers. Thank you, From The Daughter Line,
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Ps 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
We at The Daughter Line send our love & blessings to you and yours on a great new year & new decade! In 1920 American women were given the legal right to vote nationally. Therefore, in centennial celebration of women everywhere, our 2020 focus will be on women of leadership in the Bible. Looking forward to another great year with you. What are your dreams and goals this year? For this decade? When we come back in the Spring we will spring right into it. Until then check us out online for upcoming fashionable apparel and production info. Again Happy New Year – Enjoy!
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Have a Safe and Blessed Merry Christmas
With Love From The Daughter Line Family to You & Yours. 12/25/2019
Ps 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge”. (NIV)
Except this was no script for some holiday film-but the Hickmans’ real life horror scenario. Married since 2001 the Hickmans’ continuing narrative of love is full of laughter, tears and a whole lot of gratitude. Ask them how they made it through their recent trial of Junior’s Pulmonary Disease terminal illness diagnosis due to complications with pneumonia, hemophilia, HIV, failed lungs and heart clots they will tell you almost synchronously- “Prayers 100%…The Doctors said it was a Miracle.”
February 2019, the doctors at New York University’s Kimmel Pavilion on 34th St & 1st Ave informed Junior as having only months to live. That what was needed to save him was a desperately needed lung transplant. But first he to be placed on a organ donor list. Both in which the whole process to obtain could take years. Yet on May 2019 Junior Hickman was blessed by God with the gift of both within weeks his life was to expire. He is a real life modern day miracle.
In asking Junior (Jr), still recovering from the fringes of death, on his thoughts; he states relating himself to Lazarus in the Bible. “Like him I died and came back to life again… I got a 3rd chance”, says Jr. “First time, I had been told I would be dead in 1995. I was a hemophiliac and took medicine made by blood in the 70s. Back then there were no tests/screens for HIV. I was told I had (contracted) it at 15 and would be dead by the age of 25”. Junior disclosed he sold marijuana at 13, and crack at 16 off and on. Knowing he was sick and stating that AZT was not helping -he felt himself dying. Grateful now, yet reluctantly at that time, he studied the Bible in 1994 being prompted by his Christian sister Renita. In view of his life Jr was baptized at 24. Junior muses, “I carried a gun to my bible studies. Listen I was from the streets, I didn’t trust everybody. I didn’t know all the men I was studying with…but gave it all up learning about the cross. I became more grateful. I felt my body become more alive. My body started flourishing and I stopped doing it all -even getting high. I believed God had something else for me to do. I became happier and aware of things in life, grateful for things, family and friends.” Amen Jr!
His wife Veronica, upon receiving the new news of Jr’s second bout with death, fought to remain upbeat. “I was always singing and dancing to gospel music in his hospital room. If this was the way God wanted him to go we were going to party this thing out.” She admits tackling with guilt over family members possibly blaming her for his recent illness. Then she recognized Satan’s attacks and showed her faith in thankful celebration of her husband. Veronica went as far as even placing a king’s crown on Jr. “I wanted my husband to know he was still the same ole Jr.. my king.” Finally releasing these emotions after all this time, she shared her thoughts on her husband’s ephemeral death. “Yes Junior did die. He had this procedure because his lungs were closing in on him. Something on the machine came loose and his blood was all over. They couldn’t use the resuscitation machines because that would crush his lungs. They had to physically pump him back to life and he was gone for 4 minutes. Lights were flashing, people rushing into the room, I had to ‘stay out the way’. A woman was praying like he was dead, they asked me if I wanted a minister. I didn’t understand that at that moment they lost a life. But God protected me all I could say was ‘God please’. For me, to almost lose my mom then to lose my husband. From everything we went through- to see how God made sure I always had surroundings and family. I don’t know where I would have been. He allowed the two of them to be saved. It helped me to survive. A lot of it for me is gratitude.”
In closing, the Hickman team mutually agree, “Trusting in God, trusting in His word and prayer that’s what really, really helps”. Winding up, I query them on how much prayer made an influential difference in managing their dilemma. The Hickmans emphatically responded, “100%. All of it. It was the prayers of other people that helped us through this situation. Or it wouldn’t have happened.” Junior adds, “God is big. When we expose the situation that’s what makes God happy. He can handle it, he can take care of it.” Veronica hooks, “He gets the glory out of all this”, Junior echoes the sentiment. “You can say it was the doctors, but He used the doctors with their skills to do what they did. Cause the doctors say, they have never seen anyone recover this fast. They said it was a miracle. They said it. They did” Veronica retorts, “Doctors usually don’t say that sort of thing.” Our time concludes with her favorite scripture. “Psalm 62:8. It covers the basis of everything. Sometimes you just don’t know what’s going to happen. Now we’re talking and I’m reliving this stuff. I never cried during this experience because I was so holding on- surviving.” “Oh she cried but,” Jr inserts and they hold each other for an endless moment in the other’s eyes. Veronica deeply exhales and continues, “Now it’s hitting me. I can’t believe we been through this. I held it together because he made it. Now I can breathe and I can cry. I don’t feel bad about the crying because I need those emotions to come out. I’m tired of trying to cover up for folks to look good. I’m cool, it’s okay.” Amen the Hickmans are ok.
Concern(C): Daughter, how is your prayer life? For yourself, the lost, for others and most of all for God. Is giving trustful praise to God in thankfulness, joy and faith your focus.
Encouragement(E): 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Whenever and wherever you are in life there is always an opportunity to see the blessing and be graceful.
Act(A): Thanksgiving is every day for the children of God. In everything be appreciative of God. For He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136.
Thomas Hickman Veronica Hickman
CEO/Spiritual Vibe Records Advisory Board Member
SV Films African American Day Parade
The Hickmans would like to thank the kingdom of God for their prayers, family for their love, friends for their support, and the doctors for their gifts. Specifically, Fisherman’s cough drops that helped ease Jr’s coughing, Renita for sharing her faith with her little brother, the brothers that studied the bible with him Keith, Timothy, Karl & Lonnie, Tori the nurse who urged them to the emergency room, Junior’s mom for being there every day coming up from down south, NYU for being the only hospital willing(after years of searching) to perform the surgery on a hemophiliac. But most of all God and the saving power of His amazing grace. Please continue in prayer for Junior’s strength to be regained. And God’s blessings on the endeavors they do. Know this well –Prayer works!
Editor’s Note: This Thanksgiving I would like to thank the Hickmans who I am grateful to God for. Veronica studied the Bible with me and Jr introduced me to my husband. They are our children’s godparents and the couple has always been a source of love and encouragement for me and my family. May God bless them always.
Further info:
Follow Junior at Spiritual Vibe RD/SVFilms on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spviberdfilms/
Follow Veronica at We’re Going Productions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weregoingproductions/
Organ donor registry. (Please volunteer to save a life) https://www.organdonor.gov/register.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoIPvBRDgARIsAHsCw0-s6den2hKSIPKci4_x7hjkgalZcLlgv4OXCrLieAg0DVdwXCk1IH8aAlXaEALw_wcB
Info about lung transplant: https://www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2018/09/things-to-know-about-lung-transplants.html
This blog is dedicated to the memory of Veronica’s father Joe Brown, Willie, his brother Shelby and sister Melinda Hampton.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11 {NIV}
**Reposting this blog in honor of Sharryl Travis’ cousin Elijah Cummings an outstanding Congressman (served 1996-2019) who spoke about our need to defeat cancer “in our lifetime” and for treatment funding. Noting that cancer is a disease unfairly fatal for African Americans, he incited people to obtain regular screening exams which is “critical to our survival”. Cummings died on Oct 17, 2019 of health complications yet believed by his brother James Cummings to have “..had cancer”*
When our sister, Sharryl Travis, (pictured above along with her daughter Eboni a Mentor for youth whose parents have cancer) a nurse for over 20 years, thinks about why she is here, she knows it is because God is amazing! She is a survivor, first diagnosed with cervical cancer over 26 years ago. Like a lot of women she asked herself, Why me?, What did I do?, Will I make it? Yet she believed it was a part of God’s plan to help inspire others fighting cancer. And she is indeed a Cancer Patient Navigator (CPN) warrior and advocate for women with all types of cancer.
You think Halloween is scary. Not taking a mammogram and other diagnostic tests to know if you have cancer or not is scary. Did you know that “In the localized stage and with early detection the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%”. -American Cancer Society
Living with constant nerve and scar tissue pain after chemo and radiation therapy does not dismay Sharryl to Live. Neither would she acquiesce to this disease or its effects. Concerned more with staying around for her husband of over 33 years, her 5 children and her grandchildren, Sharryl is here on purpose, driven to serve God in this meaningful way.
*In 2019, about 1.8 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the US. An estimated 268,600 women and 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which makes it the most common cancer diagnosis. In 2016 when this article 1st posted that is over 6.81% increase from the estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer. Additionally 606, 880 people will die from the disease in 2019 which is up 1.88% from 2016 -National Cancer Institute
One of Sharryl’s missions is as a Cancer Patient Navigator (CPN) a program which began at Harlem Hospital by Dr. Harold Freeman and supported by Sloan Kettering Hospital. However due to budget cuts, the CPN program has ended and she is now in partnerships with Albert Einstein and Montefiore hospitals. A CPN helps people battling cancer to get through those barriers of cancer. The barriers Sharryl and other CPNs help breakthrough are: getting people resources to stop bill collectors, finding a doctor, obtaining childcare so one can focus on their well being and so much more!
Excitedly, Sharryl is about to commence on new cancer awareness events in various ministry partnerships as a National Cervical Cancer Coalition Chapter Leader and as an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Team Leader. Within these roles, she conducts training programs for CPNs that are Faith Based to teach others through the word. CPN training involves how to do faith based support in outreach, screening, hospital referrals and end of life care. Sharryl is very busy doing God’s will, for she is grateful for every moment. We who have faith believe that she has a lot more living to do!
Concern (C): Do you know that both men and women can acquire breast cancer? Early detection is key especially for men who have a higher mortality rate due to lack of awareness and subsequent early treatment. Additionally, some cancers can be acquired through sexual intercourse by both sexes. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can cause various types of cancers, oral, genital and rectal. Furthermore, men can get penile cancer from sex; whereas women can get vulvar and cervical cancer.
Encouragement (E): There is Hope! People with cancer often seek God throughout this time, they know that it is possible to be healed through God’s word and proper treatment. So Sharryl wants her sisters reading this to Trust in God with your temple, it belongs to Him and He will bring you through this. In reciprocity, we would like to encourage Sharryl and her other daughter fighting cancer (who has been baptized into Christ for over 3 years now) that our prayers are with them. We send up our supplications to God for their continued wellness and complete victory in cancer recovery. Sharryl has been in remission for over 5 years. Amen!
Act (A): Learn and Share the information. Start a cancer support ministry/group at your place of worship like Sharryl did. Consider the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendation to have the HPV vaccination for your child. Call and/or visit cancer patients (bring food, unite in prayer, be authentic and attentive)- but ask for permission first. Be an advocate for cancer screening budgets with your representatives. Participate in walks and spur others to join and raise funds. Just be a friend. Speak to someone who has been through this-including Sharryl herself. For CPN and other info you can contact her at travis.nccdc@gmail.com or 646-281-2234.
Sharryl Travis would like to dedicate this interview to her family and for those who have battled and died from cancer-especially her former team Pamela, Alva, Louisa & Alicia.
You can find Sharryl’s S,A.V.E.D 4 Life (Survivors, Awareness, Victorious, Early Detections) organization on worldwide television, radio shows and tours with promoting cancer and Aids awareness.
References:
*https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-james-cummings-20191018-kuu7kvpmlzehlg4trrhkmjj7jy-story.htmlhttps://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-james-cummings-20191018-kuu7kvpmlzehlg4trrhkmjj7jy-story.html
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