Greeter: Toni Harper
Prayer: Captain Clinton Trimmer
Flag Salute: Andrae Gonzales
Song: Garro Ellis
Roving Mic: Scott Hamilton
Visiting Guests:
Justin Salter brought Narlene Garcia.
Jon Busby brought Louie Gregario.
Joe Hay brought Mikie Hay, Katie Werdel and the Ford Dimension students. It was awesome to hear the plans these stellar teens have. Thank you so much to the Hay family for investing in our community’s future through your educational programming!
Good News Announcements:
John Schuler is pleased to announce that he has welcomed twin grandchildren into his family. Hugest congrats John!!
A GET Bus that was wrapped in a psychedelic 70s design was proudly displayed outside of BMOA for Rotarians to enjoy. (President Jim actually honked the horn and thought it was okay to ask if he can drive it.) Karen King announced that GET is celebrating 50 years. She said the future looks great as they currently have 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses and will have an entire fleet by 2030.
Karen spun the Damian Wheel of Fortune which was sponsored by an attorney's office that had no one present, so Jim tagged Rob Noriega as the representative attorney. Karen, with the help of Bill Lever, identified the number one top rock songs of 1973, Free Bird, by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Also recognized is Ashley Voorhees who was appointed the new Executive Director of CASA. Congrats Ashley!
Program:
Today’s speaker was Jody Hudson, author of My Promise to Alex’s, a book about her and her daughter’s journey with Lyme disease and mast cell activation disorder. Jody was introduced by Ashley Vorhees, who moderated the thoughtful discussion. Jody talked about the difficulty in diagnosing Lyme disease, including what her daughter had suffered for 10 years. From age 8 to 17, she complained of body aches, brain fog, and had significant weight loss. After visiting over 40 doctors from various subspecialties, Alex was diagnosed with Lyme disease and mast cell activation disorder. Unfortunately, Alex passed away after a courageous fight. Jody is committed to raising awareness about Lyme disease as well as generating funding for research. A foundation in Alex‘s honor was created the year she passed. Since then, her name has been attached to tick borne illness studies. Jody has partnered with the Girl Scouts to create a patch program where girl scouts become Lyme disease ambassadors. Jody‘s conversation was extremely touching. She wanted to leave with the message that everyone should consider Lyme disease when experiencing the symptoms discussed, be an ambassador for the condition, and most importantly, never give up – even through the most trying times.
For more information on Lyme Disease, visit www.AlexHudsonLymeFoundation.org. You can also purchase My Promise to Alex on Amazon.
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