Ross is passing on his way through to St. Cloud, so he, Myrna (Ross' sister), my wife and I got to spend some time together.
First we toured Clemens and Munsinger Gardens (this is a must see for anyone visiting St. Cloud), after which we had a great dinner at Ciatti's. We talked extensively about his travels and about life in general; and the more I spoke with Mr. Ueckert, the more I realized that I was speaking with a national treasure. His love for this country and for the people he's met along the way is nothing less than genuine.
I believe that Ross' journey has only begun, and by the time he makes his way to the Lincoln Memorial, he will have touched the lives and hearts of millions of Americans. It is more than apparent that one individual can make a difference.
The movie, Forrest Gump, began with a scene of a feather floating with the wind, flitting about and traversing to wherever the wind took it. This was done as a metaphor to illustrate how Mr. Gump touched all those he came in contact with, not by design, not purely by accident, but seemingly by divine providence.
Mr. Ueckert's walking journey has thus far been similar to Forrest Gump's; one of unexpected twists and turns, yet through it all, there appears to be a Divine providence, steering his every move, putting him in contact with the right people, at the right time, and touching others in a purposeful, God-driven way; and I feel honored and privileged to have been even a small part of his, wonderful, storied serendipitous journey.
Driving east on Highway 10, just outside of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, I came across this fellow:
Ross Ueckert (pronounced EH-kert) is the real deal.
I had heard about Mr. Ueckert a couple of weeks ago on the Scott Hennen show while vacationing in Detroit Lakes, and when I passed him up today on Highway 10, I just had to meet him in person.
A nicer, more courageous man you will not meet. His lips parched on a hot, sunny, August day, Mr. Ueckert had a smile as large as the Red River valley itself, and he appeared overjoyed when I pulled my Dodge Durango along side the road, and, along with my son Darrin, approached him. He immediately held out his hand in friendship as Darrin and I thanked him for what he was doing.
Mr. Ueckert went on to explain that he was walking for two reasons: one, was to raise an awareness among U.S. citizens regarding the encroachment of government upon our freedoms, and the need to take our nation back from the special interests and lobbyists, to push for term limits, and lead us back to the days of "citizen legislators."
The second reason that Mr. Ueckert is walking is for veterans. He thinks it shameful how many of them are treated by the V.A. He related a story, tearfully at times, of walking through North Dakota, when a lady stopped by the roadside to talk with him. When she asked him why he was walking, he told her, "For freedom, and for our veterans." According to Mr. Ueckert, she immediately broke down crying, and gave him a bracelet, bearing the name of a brother of hers who died in Iraq. She then asked him to wear it all the way to Washington, and to give legislators the message that we must not forget our veterans, and to honor their sacrifices.
Mr. Ueckert's sister, Myrna Miller, is an equally patriotic, Godly woman who believes in her brother's mission and is accompanying him, mile after mile. Both Ueckert and Miller derive strength from the passers by who stop to say hello, or just honk their horns in support. "It gives me a bounce to my step," he said. "It makes me wanna walk even faster!"
Mr. Ueckert made it a point to say that his beliefs and his mission were beyond political. "I'm not Republican or Democrat. I'm an independent!" he said. "What I believe in is that we are losing our freedom in this country and heading toward all-out socialism, which is the opposite of which this country was founded. Members of both parties have been responsible for this trend," he stated. He also lamented the chilling effect political correctness has had on our public discourse. "It's getting to the point where people are afraid to speak out. My mission is to let people know that it's okay to speak what you believe. Don't be afraid to say what you think! I'm not perfect; I have a past that people will try to use against me. But I don't care. My message is bigger than I am." By doing what he's doing, Ueckert's dream is to build up an overwhelming groundswell of independent conservatives whose voice cannot be ignored. "If we can get everyone together, to know that they are not alone, that will embolden people to take action, and Washington will have no choice but to listen," he said.
Ueckert also spoke of the power of GOD in giving him the strength to carry on his mission. "I have people around the country praying for me," he said. "and I can feel the presence of God on this road and in my travels!"
What was expected to be a five minute conversation turned out to be 25 minutes; but an enjoyable 25-minutes, at that. We were talking like people who have known each other for decades, not minutes. We left with hugs and handshakes, but not before a pleasant surprise. I explained to Mr. Ueckert that we were going to be having a TEA party in St. Cloud this Saturday at 10am at Lake George, and asked him if he would like to speak. Mr. Ueckert seemed genuinely excited at the opportunity. He also has a commitment to speak at a Fergus Falls Tea Party rally, but will try to do both on the same day.
As I drove the Durango with Darrin and my wife in tow, I sensed that my life was now richer; that there was indeed real hope left in this crazy world, and that hope has a name.
Brooke has now been switched to a four hour checkup schedule. This allows her to rest for longer periods and also stay calm. They checked her breathing ability at 10am. Today she made it 7 minutes before her blood pressure, heart rate and cranial pressure rose too much for comfort. That is more than double the time she lasted yesterday. It is still concerning that she gets very agitated during this, but improvement is all we can ask for.
The doctors have slowed the respirator down, but increased the size of breathes that she receives. This exercises and strengthens her lungs more to move toward the eventual respirator removal.
The nurses are very impressed with Brooke's resiliency. Her determination is showing more each day.
Thanks again for your continued prayers. A benefit account has been established for Brooke and her family that can be contributed to at any Bremer Bank. Brooke's parents have to take off of work; Brooke's dad is an independent small business man, and Brooke's mom works for a bank; and she is not eligible for any paid leave, since Brooke is over age 18.
Personally, I will see if I can set up a paypal account that will allow online donations.
If you can spare a few dollars, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
My mother, who was taken from this world oh, so soon 11 years ago, died from ovarian cancer. Two months after receiving an otherwise "clean bill of health," she went in with gastrointestinal difficulties; did an MRI, underwent exploratory surgery, and was given 6 weeks to live.
Despite the odds, my mother chose to be treated, and actually walked out of hospice two weeks later, and was back home in three weeks; at some points tests showed her free of cancer. She spent the next two years ministering to others before ovarian cancer re-claimed her at the age of 71 years.
Thing about it is, my mother didn't know she had ovaries. She had a hysterectomy in the mid 1960s, at which time she thought they took her ovaries, along with her uterus.
There was no warning sign for ovarian cancer. That is why it is often called, "The Silent Killer."
This article from Fox News, however, suggests that there is hope for women avoiding the insidious suffering that my mother went through:
ATLANTA — For the first time, cancer experts are advising women of certain symptoms that might alert them to ovarian cancer, a medically infamous "silent killer" that is hard to spot early and is one of the deadliest tumors.
Suddenly experiencing weeks of bloating, the need to urinate frequently, eating changes and abdominal or pelvic pain — either one of these or a combination — could be a tip-off to early ovarian cancer, according to several groups of cancer experts.
The American Cancer Society and other organizations released a consensus statement Wednesday listing the symptoms. Historically, doctors have believed there are no early signs of ovarian cancer, which is expected to kill about 15,000 American women this year.
"There's been this myth about ovarian cancer being silent and people saying there's nothing you can do about it. Well, that's simply not true anymore," said Dr. Barbara Goff, a University of Washington cancer specialist.
There is no early screening test; a regular pelvic exam is considered the main way to detect the cancer early.
But the guidelines are problematic, said Debbie Saslow, the cancer society's director of breast and gynecologic
cancer.
Many women with these symptoms are more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome than ovarian cancer, she said. Also, there are no highly accurate tests to clearly confirm ovarian cancer at such an early stage.
That means pursuing the symptoms as a harbinger of ovarian cancer may, in some cases, lead to biopsies and other treatments that will do more harm than good.
"That was the frustration with this," Saslow said. But experts decided to issue the statement anyway, because important recent studies by Goff have indicated the sudden appearance of these symptoms in healthy women may be an important indicator.
Doctors said they expect media coverage of the guidelines will unleash a flood of queries from nervous women.
"I would expect an increase in calls from people wanting to come in and find out what is the cause of their symptoms. But if a patient is properly evaluated, it should not lead to an undue increase in diagnostic testing," said Dr. George Mussalli, chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology departments at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan.
Proper evaluation includes asking whether a woman has a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or has tested positive for a genetic mutation associated with those conditions, said Jane Langridge, who heads the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, an advocacy group.
Women should initially be evaluated by a gynecologist, but they should go to a specialist in gynecologic cancers if more testing and treatment is contemplated, she added.
Doctors check for ovarian cancer with ultrasound, a blood test and an exam in which a doctor feels for a mass. Unfortunately, none are considered highly accurate. The blood test — which checks for a protein that can indicate ovarian cancer — is particularly problematic, some doctors said.
"In premenopausal women, it's almost useless. So many other factors can elevate it," said Dr. Stuart Pancer, an obstetrician/gynecologist at DeKalb Medical, an Atlanta-area hospital system.
Still, Pancer and others said it's important that more women and their doctors practice vigilance.
"We hope this is going to save lives," Goff said.
Among cancers, ovarian is the fifth leading killer of women. It accounts for about 6 percent of female cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
Lung cancer is No. 1, accounting for more than a quarter of all female cancer deaths. Cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, and pancreas also kill more women.
Survival rates vary by age: Women younger than 65 are about twice as likely to survive at least five years after diagnosis. The overall survival rate is 76 percent after one year and 45 percent after five years.
Survival rates are much higher if the cancer is caught at an early, localized stage, but only one in five ovarian cancers are detected at that point, according to the cancer society.
Ovarian cancer is an insidious affliction, and is an extremely painful way to die. Despite the fact that there may be many false positives as far as early identification, at least in my personal experience, it would have been well worth it if my mother had the knowledge to go in early.
turns, yet through it all, there appears to be a Divine providence, steering his every move, putting him in contact with the right people, at the right time, and touching others in a purposeful, God-driven way; and I feel honored and privileged to have been even a small part of his, wonderful, storied serendipitous journey.
