Making a Difference One Page at a Time
The Christmas season is filled with mixed emotions for Gaylon Hayden. On December 24, 2007, she received a phone call that would forever change her life. On a night that should have been filled with joyful anticipation of the next day’s gift giving traditions, Gaylon was told that she had breast cancer.
The diagnosis was upsetting, to say the least. While Gaylon felt overwhelmed, her doctors were hopeful and did not believe that a complete mastectomy would be necessary. However, as time went on, it became clear that the cancer was much more aggressive than initially suspected and more surgery was imminent. With each disheartening discovery, Gaylon became more and more fearful about her future.
She was never one to be dependent on others to survive, so when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she did everything in her power to go about living her life as if nothing had changed. She made arrangements with her employer and physicians to continue working an 8-hour day and scheduled her radiation treatments in the evenings. Each night Gaylon would leave work, head to treatment and then go straight to bed around 6:30 p.m. The next day she would get up and do it all over again. That kind of hectic schedule takes a toll on a person’s body after a while. As Gaylon experienced more complications with her treatment, her fears about the future resurfaced.
She knew that if she allowed fear to get the best of her she would never survive. So each time she felt overcome by anxiety, Gaylon would remind herself of the thousands of children who fill the beds of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
“I was 51 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so I figured if the children of St. Jude could be brave, then I must be, too,” Gaylon said.
The strength of the children of St. Jude, served as Gaylon’s inspiration to endure five life-threatening infections and 13 surgeries, all related to her cancer treatment. The bravery of children whom she had never even met managed to give her enough hope and courage to keep going.
While Gaylon’s body continues to battle the physical effects of cancer treatment today, she is now cancer free. She gives much of that credit to the hope she found in her faith and in the knowledge that young, innocent children were forced to deal with the same difficulties she was facing as an adult.
“When I started to feel fear I would always concentrate on the children of St. Jude’s,” Gaylon says. “I would pray for them and think, ‘How do you explain something like cancer to a child?’”
Gaylon wanted something positive to come from her experience as a cancer patient. She decided to make a difference in the lives of the children of St. Jude and began a non-profit organization called Book for Hope, Inc. It’s a 501 (c) 3 organization that will raise money through the sales of a children’s book that Gaylon wrote called “It’s Christmas Again.”
The book is written for children in grades kindergarten through 6th grade. Much like Gaylon’s own story, “It’s Christmas, Again” is set against the backdrop of the Christmas season. The book tells the story of a young girl who has been diagnosed with cancer and describes the experiences and worries that she faces along the way.
While each person’s experience with cancer is different, the book provides children with a gentle guide to the sorts of things they can expect while in treatment.
“The book deals with the questions and the unknowns that so many cancer patients face before and during treatment,” Gaylon says. “It talks about the emotions this little girl feels and though it’s fictional, it’s very similar to my own story.”
Gaylon’s book has inspired her family and friends. Jennifer Gish began helping Gaylon decorate her Christmas tree when she became too ill to do the job herself.
“Every time I left Gaylon’s house, it made me thankful for everything in my life and blessed to have Gaylon as a friend. I have watched her and been with her at her lowest points. Now to see her write a book about her experience and to triumph is amazing,” Jennifer says.
The book was released on July 7 by Tate Publishing. Those who would like to purchase a copy can do so online at www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.amazon.com or www.tatepublishing.com. Proceeds from book sales will benefit the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
As Gaylon reflects on the major trials of her life, she now feels a sense of peace and finds comfort not just in the children of St. Jude, but also in her faith.
“When I look back on the things that have happened to me in my life, I can see where God has always been one step ahead of me,” Gaylon says. “If I can give hope to one family, then my journey was well worth it.”
Impressed by Gaylon’s determination to transform her experience with cancer into something that makes a difference in the lives of others, VUE Magazine named Gaylon this month’s Difference Maker award-winner. West Kentucky Garage Builders and Socially Present also sponsor the program.
“Gaylon has a heart for serving others. She could have easily given up or become bitter about her own experience, however she didn’t let it get the best of her. Instead, she took it one step further and turned her experience into something that provides comfort and hope to others,” Jonas Neihoff, Social President of Socially Present says.
If you know someone who is doing kind things for others in their community, nominate them for a VUE Difference Maker Award. You can submit nominations through the magazine and online at inthevue.com.
