recovery from an inoperable brain
tumor, a local woman, called a
"medical miracle" by her doctors,
is getting ready to take on a big
3.1-mile walk in New York City to
increase awareness and raise
funds for the National Brain Tumor
Society.
was born and raised in the area
and graduated from then-Worces-
ter Country School, was diagnos-
ed with a rare brain tumor called
anaplastic astrocytoma after suf-
fering a seizure while driving with
her young daughter on Route 54
in Fenwick.
treatments and physical therapy,
Whittington-Joyce has not fully re-
covered and likely won't because
her rare tumor is inoperable, but
the tumor has not grown and the
demon cells have not changed,
giving her some semblance of nor-
malcy and a spirit of hope as she
continues to defy the odds.
to do," she said this week. "The
tumor is inoperable and there was
no prognosis for me. I'm sure they
didn't think I'd still be here seven
years later."
has at least stabilized, if not
shrunk, and she continues to plod
along in life as a wife and mother
of two, which is a challenge for
most even without an inoperable
tumor in their head. She still walks
with a cane and has a little drop-
step condition, which she likens to
a bad connection between a
switch on the wall and an electric
in New York.
Fenwick with her then-2-year-old
daughter when she felt like her
vehicle had been struck on the
side by a large truck. She was
temporarily blinded and could not
hear, although she does remem-
ber hearing car horns blowing and
people yelling as she continued
on barely conscious for a couple
ultimately jumped a curb
and struck a palm tree
stump before coming to
rest.
had had a stroke. Para-
medics arrived and asked
her numerous questions to
before taking her to the hospital.
She was initially diagnosed as hav-
ing had a focal motor seizure and
she had a second seizure on a gur-
ney in the hospital before undergo-
ing testing. A CAT scan was per-
formed after which the doctor deliv-
ered the life-changing news.
brain tumor," she said. "There was
no candy-coating it and no leading
up to it. It was the weirdest thing."
surgeon in Salisbury who confirm-
ed the initial diagnosis. She then
sought a second opinion at Johns
Hopkins in Baltimore and the
news was no better. On Feb. 10,
less than two weeks after the sei-
zure on Route 54, she had a cran-
iotomy. The surgery and the re-
sulting pathology report confirmed
Whittington-Joyce's tumor was
malignant and inoperable.
py and radiation to at least control
saw a neurologist because of the
repeated seizures and was on
several medications related to the
seizures along with the chemo
and radiation. She was also
placed on a hard core steroid that
affected her in many ways and
recalled looking at the medication
with trepidation.
tinue to live," she said.
was driving on a rural road in Bish-
opville late at night when she suf-
fered another seizure and rolled her
Jeep before ending up suspended
from her seatbelt upside down in a
corn field. Hours passed before
someone noticed the Jeep had left
the roadway and entered the field.
seatbelt in a cornfield for three
hours," she said. "As a result, my
whole right side was paralyzed,
but at least I didn't die. Through
treatment, I started to get some of
things on my right side back, but I
was in a wheelchair and had to
teach myself everything all over
again, even the simplest things
like how to eat. I used a walker for
years and now I have progressed
to using a cane."
tal bed to wheelchair to walker to
cane and is now preparing for the
latest challenge in a long series of
challenges that would deflate a
less willful and persistent individ-
ual with the 3.1 mile walk in New
York in June. She is accepting do-
nations and sponsorships in her
name and on behalf of her team,
the Jac Pac, for Jaclyn Sabol. Do-
nation arrangements can be made
at www.braintumorcommunity.org,
or by emailing Robbie directly at
rajoyce65@gmail.com.
the biggest challenges of her post-
diagnosis life. Whittington-Joyce
is part of a team of individuals with
the same rare brain tumor prepar-
ing for the New York Brain Tumor
Walk on Governor's Island on
June 15. Through her connections
and weekly conference calls with
other victims of the same rare
tumor, Whittington-Joyce is now
part of a team formed by
former New York Jets
cheerleader Jaclyn Sabol,
who is organizing the June
15 walk in New York. The
walk's main sponsor and
beneficiary is the National
Brain Tumor Society and
the funds raised during the
event will help increase
awareness and support research.
vity treadmill at Atlantic Physical
Therapy in preparation for the June
15 walk. Although the progress has
often been slow and painstaking,
she has no doubt she will be ready
to tackle the 3.1-mile walk next
month. This week, she completed
half of a mile in 17 minutes on the
treadmill and she continues to
make strides, literally, to her goal.
"I'm going to do the best I can and
I'm confident I'll make the 3.1
miles. There is no cure and it's not
going to go away, but I'm trying to
help other people with the same
thing. Frankly, I feel lucky I'm still
here and I want to give back in
some way to those who are going
through the same thing."
of the seizures, car accidents and
treatments, but more importantly,
her perseverance and will to go on
have driven her to the point where
the next five years and as well as
financing sources for capital proj-
ects over the entire period.
the Public Safety Building and the
65th Street Garage; however, the
city anticipates bonding the im-
provements. In addition, $1.4 mil-
lion in "Pay As You Go" funding for
street paving has been identified.
Almost $1.2 million of this total was
funded through a combination of
parking fee revenue, casino reven-
ue and State Highway User Fees.
the difference. Limiting the Fund
Balance transfer that amount will
maintain the Fund Balance at the
Mayor and City Council's specified
goal of 15 percent of the previous
year General Fund expenditures.
the foreseeable future. While a
challenging situation, I am confi-
dent that our prudent fiscal prac-
tices and strategic budgeting
approach positions us well for the
new fiscal year. Although a few
service level reductions were nec-
essary, the town will continue to
provide visitors and residents with
the high level of service for which
the town is known," Recor said
nance to adopt the FY14 Budget.
A vote made earlier in the meeting
to reverse the council's decision to
reduce the operating hours of the
skate park in the off-season will be
reflected in the budget when it re-
turns to the council in second
reading, which will be an addition-
al expense of $21,000 to be sub-
tracted from fund balance.
ley said. "The council proposed to
bus service and to chase revenue
streams from proposed controver-
sial sources that will cost both the
taxpayer and tourist more money,
cause much ill will with our neigh-
bors and I believe will result in less
people visiting Ocean City."
municipal lots, has been estimat-
ed to bring in almost $153,000, yet
the council voted to spend
$165,000 out of fund balance to
begin the design process for a
new beach patrol headquarters to-
taled to cost $2 million.
maintenance to prevent roadways
from deteriorating and eventually
failing, but the council voted to
reduce road maintenance funding
from $2 million to $1.2 million.
pension plan, the council's deci-
old DB Plan costs more in current
expense and adds more to the
city's long term debt.
wage increase, I wasn't opposed
to a moderate step increase this
year," he said.
es in the 2-percent range. The Bur-
eau of Labor Statistics notes that
for the period ending March 2013,
wage and salaries for state and lo-
cal government employees in-
creased 1 percent.
creases in the 5-percent to 20-
percent range that are proposed
in this budget," he said.
budget in first reading with Ashley
and Councilwoman Margaret Pill-
as opposed.