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Meghan Bartness - “Proving Perseverance: Profile of Denise Bartness”
Proving Perseverance: Profile of Denise Bartness
By: J1 Reporter Meghan Bartness
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When asked to write about someone who inspires us, it was a challenging topic. Everyone has people who motivate, encourage, and support them, but who is someone you want to model your own life off of? Denise Bartness, or as her family calls her, Meme, is a person who inspires her two sons, grandchildren, and anyone she has met.
She is the toughest lady someone could meet, at 77 years old, standing at 5 foot 5, blond hair, brown eyes, she wears a gold necklace that goes with every outfit, even the polka dot pants. Through her ongoing 3-year cancer battle, she finds time to bake the best blueberry cheesecake and her famous hummingbird muffins to ship across the country to her grandkids.
Her eyes will always light up in love and amazement at the sight of her children and grandchildren. Even the days when she felt the worst because of chemo, she still found the motivation and courage, through the support of her husband and family, to always get out of bed and move around.
Humans are consistently being exposed throughout childhood to the people who will shape us. Bartness recalls her biggest personal influence, even all these years later she hasn’t forgotten about Miss Rice, her teacher from high school. “Miss Rice, who was my Commerce teacher in high school, was a phenomenal teacher, role model, and I admired her ability to have fun. She always accompanied our class on trips to see the sights in London, visit the art galleries and museums. The bus rides to and from London were the most fun I can remember.”
This light of a teacher in her life was a stark contrast from her parents, who she described as “aloof and disinterested toward me, but they worked hard and loved one another.” Her parents’ relationship, being as tenuous as it was, encouraged her to become the best mother she could. Denise Bartness goes on to talk about the seven years of raising (her two sons) on her own, and their financial troubles. “It wasn’t hard – I loved them so much. The challenges were mostly financial, so I took a second job to help out.” Her biggest motto that got her through those tough years was, “Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude toward us.” Her own Grandmother Harris, who is her biggest inspiration, taught her how to knit and a Psalm that she says every morning when she wakes up. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want”,she continues to use this every day.
Her grandmother also introduced her to her love for knitting, which later became a hobby that she uses to knit blankets for people who are sick and in need of a prayer blanket. Cooking also became a major part of her life, Bartness cooks hummingbird muffins, blueberry cheesecake, French toast, and anything you can imagine. Even through her cancer battle, she always had a fresh cheesecake at the ready.
After being first diagnosed with stage 3 Lymphoma in July of 2019, she fought her way through, getting up every morning with determination and courage. By December of the same year she finished the first round of chemotherapy, followed by a hysterectomy for ovarian cancer in February of 2020. June 30 was her last chemotherapy but in the Spring of 2021, the cancer was back. Getting back on the horse to battle cancer for the second time, she was ready to beat it once again.
On Nov. 5, 2021 she started her chemotherapy and is ready to do stem cell treatment around Thanksgiving. Through her battles with cancer she reflects how her outlook on her life has changed, through the help of friends and family. “Realizing how very blessed I am to have family and friends who support and love me,” Bartness recalls.
Everyone has their Fridas, Ginsburgs, and Mandelas, but someone in their own life who is a true model for perseverance is a rare commodity. Bartness continues to light up everyone’s day, not solely through her story of hardships, but through her recent perseverance through years of cancer. It’s difficult to understand how anyone can be forced to go through the ups and downs of cancer. It is especially hard to imagine someone so loving and undeserving of the burden of cancer can be forced to go through this.
“When I was first diagnosed with cancer I didn’t know how I was going to get up the courage to tell my family that I was sick, because I didn’t want them to worry or be sad or afraid of what was going to happen,” Bartness said.
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up first. Let someone know that you care about them,” she said. Denise Bartness will always be a symbol of perseverance and determination in the face of pain, not only to her family but to anyone she meets. Through it all she continues to be the best mother, grandmother and cook.
Denise Bartness at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in the 1990s wearing the gold necklace Photo courtesy of Bartness
