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The Bakersfield Californian Sunday, November 25, 2012
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Y O U R
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H E A L T H
Elementary school yard aide fights MS, helps others through volunteer work BY CHRISTINE GRONTKOWSKI Community contributor
W
alk on to the playground at American Elementary School on Verdugo Lane in Northwest Bakersfield and you will see yard aide Debbie Taylor, 56, chasing balls, breaking up arguments, and keeping order on the campus. But unlike the other yard aides, Taylor does her job with the use of a cane, or on a wheelchair. Taylor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system — on March 6, 2006, but she feels as though she was living with the disease several years before she received the diagnosis. “I started having symptoms in high school — vision problems, spots in the eyes. I didn’t know what it was,” she said. “In college, I kept falling down stairways. In my 30s, I asked the doctor why my legs were hurting so much, and was told it was just arthritis. In my 40s I went to the doctor not feeling good. Then I was having hearing trouble, and went to a hearing doctor. He said, ‘Don’t worry about your hearing. Go to a neurologist.’ That was on my 50th birthday.” Six years after her diagnosis, Taylor now has a positive outlook on life.
Y O U R
“I think God has been really good to me,” Taylor said. “I’ve met people who were younger than me when they started having symptoms and they’re having a lot more difficulty than I am. So, I really don’t have a lot to complain about.” When Taylor is not working at American Elementary School, she is looking for ways to help people with multiple sclerosis who have more difficulty living with the disease. One main way she does that is through the National MS Society’s “MS Service Days.” At least once a year for the past three years, the Southern California and Nevada Chapter, with the help of funding by Chevron, hosts MS Service Days. An army of volunteers do jobs both big and small — yard work, cleaning, organizing, painting, constructing ramps and installing accessible showers and hard flooring. Kim Kotrla, director for the society’s San Joaquin Valley region, said Taylor has been instrumental in completing many of the jobs by doing site visits, analyzing costs and repairs or work that needs to be completed, and finding skilled contractors to volunteer their labor. “Ultimately, she has been instrumental in allowing people with MS to live more independently,” Kotrla said. On top of that volunteer work, she
PHOTOS PROVIDED
Debbie Taylor, a local woman who suffers from MS, is able to do her job as a yard aide at American Elementary School by using a cane or a wheelchair.
raises money for research and for programs provided by the National MS Society through the MS Walk. The reason? She says treatments are not working and, if they are, they’re causing
other symptoms. “I’m frustrated that the things that are meant to [slow the progression of the disease] can make your life worse in many ways,” she said, explaining that some medications can cause problems with dry skin, dry mouth and cavities, along with balance issues and liver and sight damage. “If we didn’t have the walk and the money that’s coming in for the walk ... we wouldn’t have the opportunity for scientists and doctors to find better ways to help us cope.” Taylor also has the support of the student body at American Elementary School. Each quarter the student council holds a fundraiser for community service. And in September students voted to have a “hat day” with proceeds going toward Taylor’s Walk MS team, “A Taylor Made Team.” For $1, students wore a hat for a day in October. More than half the student body participated, raising $386 as a school and bringing Taylor’s fundraising total by the Oct. 27 Walk MS to more than $1,200. Brett Gowling, the school’s student body president, said they couldn’t have chosen a better person to benefit from the fundraiser. “She’s just awesome,” Brett said. “Definitely, you couldn’t replace her.”
G A R D E N
Robby’s Nursery offers gift ideas, garden advice for holidays
O
ne thing is for sure — the holidays are here! At Robby’s Nursery & Calico Gardens we are busy getting ready for this festive season with ideas for decorating, entertaining, shopping and gardening to-dos. Here’s some ideas to brighten up your season: • Decorating: At Robby’s we have an array of holiday decorations. How about getting a few new pieces to mix in with the old? Also, regroup your ornaments into different themes. This can give a new feel to the traditions you have established. Maybe introduce a new color inside. For the outside, we have a number of new ideas for decorating your front porch. Come by and join us for some holiday inspiration. • After the decorating is done, the parties start! At Robby’s we carry Aspen Mulling Spices that will warm you up, as well as give your whole house a holiday fragrance. We also carry Prairie Thyme Ambrosias and chutney to add to your holiday cooking. Pepper Springs Dips from Carmie’s Kitchen have become a tradition for many of our customers. People are already stocking up so come in and get a package while they last. We will have all of these and more on hand to sample at our “Christmas shop open
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house” that will be held through today. New shipments of wind chimes and bells, bird baths, cement statuary, bonsai, fruit trees, metal yard art, bird houses, fountains, cyclamen, Christmas cactus, and much more should make buying a gift for that hard-to-buy-for person a snap. We have a lot of gifts that will be cherished for years. • For your gardening needs, we are sponsoring a free “pruning and care of roses” session on Dec 15. This popular Garden columnist seminar is arranged so customers can leave the seminar and start pruning their roses. With all the tricks fresh in mind, you will be ensured of the best rose display ever when spring arrives. Remember to pick up a copy of our lawn schedule while you are here to ensure lawn health through the winter months. At Robby's, we try to make you the best gardener possible. Your
KATHY ROBINSON
STOCK PHOTO
A traditional bird bath fountain can be the perfect Christmas gift for someone special.
success is our success. The 2013 calendar of our scheduled classes is also available. Stop by Robby’s at our new location — near the corner of Allen and Hageman roads on Terracotta Court from
Hageman Frontage Road — to celebrate the holidays with us. Come see our “secret Garden” — you’ll be glad you did. Kathy Robinson is the owner of Robby’s Nursery & Calico Gardens.
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
Tevis school chorus to open for All-American Boys Chorus Dec. 2 BY PHILLIP SCOTT Community contributor
T
he Bakersfield Community Concert Association will celebrate Christmas with the AllAmerican Boys Chorus at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at Rabobank Theater. An pre-concert music will be presented by 40 members of the Tevis Junior High School Chorus, featuring Regina Pryor, director and accompanist of the group. Internationally acclaimed All-American Boys Chorus, under the baton of music director Wesley Martin, will take the stage for a superb production that will thrill music lovers of all ages. The Chorus will present “The
PHOTOS PROVIDED
The All-American Boys Chorus will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, at Rabobank Theater. The Tevis Junior High School chorus will offer the pre-concert music under the direction of Regina Pryor.
Sounds of Christmas!” Sing along as the superbly
trained young men present your favorite carols. Sit in awe
as a crystalline voice sings of the “Holy Night,” and the
four-score voices trumpet the news of “The First Noel.” In 2012, the All-American Boys Chorus celebrates 42 years of notable growth and significant achievements. The boys chorus proudly offers a program acclaimed by eminent educators, musicians, statesmen and celebrities for its musical excellence, and for instilling and fostering leadership skills. The group has traveled to Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and throughout the United States. For more information, call 589-2478 or go to bakersfieldcca.org. An adult season membership for six concerts is $80. Student discounts are available.
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Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian
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The Bakersfield Californian Sunday, November 25, 2012