A REAL LIFE WARRIOR!

Today’s special guest is Makayla Redmon. 

Makayla is an aspiring author, the creator and Editor in Chief of Piixie Dust Magazine, she is thirteen, and a true warrior!
 . 

The meaning for warrior is simple: a person engaged in, experienced in, or devoted to war.  

Well that is Makayla. She has been on the front-line of a horrific battle, not once, but twice. 

 *Warning* Have tissue in hand when watching the video.

1) Hi Makayla, please introduce yourself and tell us what life is like for you. Where you live, what challenges you face, and your future goals.                                                                                

Hey, everybody. My name is Makayla Redmon, I am 13 years old, and I just found out that for the second time, I am in remission from having Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer!

 I was diagnosed in January of 2012, while residing in New York, where my Dad was stationed due to being a United States Marine.  My family and I currently live in California.  My dad is stationed at Camp Pendleton.

 After diagnosis, I received Chemotherapy treatment, which ended in April 2012, and Radiation treatment, which ended in July 2012, one day before my Birthday. 

After that, in August 2012, I found out I was in remission and got my medi-port removed! Very exciting time until the black rain cloud came back over me, just 2 months later and found out that one of the slowest working cancers out there hit me with a vengeance, again! This time it was worse and in my bone marrow. I was re-diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October 2012 and had another medi-port inserted in my chest.

 From October 2012 to July 2013, I received several different types of chemotherapy and it seemed hopeless.  In July 2013, my cancer got really bad and there was only one really harsh chemo left to try, called I.C.E. chemo, the letters stand for the different types of chemo medication.  

 I received it for 7 days straight, in-patient, then had a week off and did another 7 days.  I waited for testing to see if it worked.  You see, all this chemo I was getting was to get the cancer gone enough for me to get my bone marrow transplant, and nothing was working… until the I.C.E. Chemo!

Yes you heard it, it worked. So on July 18^th, I was admitted to the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) wing of the hospital and received my own Stem Cells on July 31^st.  I had to celebrate my birthday here in BMT too. Needless to say we found out in September of 2013 that I am back in remission!

Unfortunately, during my stay in BMT, I got VOD; it is a liver disease that some kids get after receiving stem cells.  It got so bad that they inserted another medi-port in my arm and sent me down to PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), put me to sleep, and put me on life support for 8 days. 

During that time, they did dialysis to remove the fluid from my lungs.  As of today, I have been in BMT for 3 months, still having some problems with fluid in my lungs, but nothing major, back problems from being in bed and re-learning to walk.  I was told by the doctors, I SHOULD BE GOING HOME THIS WEEK!!!!  WHOOHOO!!!

I feel this video best describes what I am going through!

 

2) You run a magazine, congratulations! What inspired you to create this magazine, and why Piixie Dust Magazine? Is there a meaning behind the name?

Well Sass, no there is not a meaning behind the name but kind of a story, if you don’t mind me telling it. I’ve always loved faeries; I just thought they were so beautiful, delicate, sweet, and interesting little creatures. I loved how they would dance, sing, the food they ate, the life they lived, but most of all I loved there gorgeous wings. There wings are all different and each has a beautiful design. As you see I love faeries, but the thing is faerie were so over rated, so the next best thing was pixies! But… Pixie magazine, no that doesn’t sound all that interesting, I thought I wanted to change it up a bit so I changed it to piixie, this time with two I’s, but piixie magazine still not interesting enough, so I thought what has to do with faeries and pixies of course there is dust, so that is how I came up with piixie dust magazine. Pretty interesting story huh??? :)

3) Can you share your experience as an author/writer?

Of course!!! Ever since well, I started reading I’ve always wanted to create my own book, have my own characters, my own world, everything made by me, controlled by me, created by me. I started out small, writing only one page short stories, they weren’t the best, but I kept on reading, writing, and trying my best. But, I felt my best wasn’t good enough, the very first time I got a computer I searched up writing tips, writing techniques, even how to write. I learned so many things that still help me till this day. There were a couple times I wanted to give up, but my family encouraged me, so I kept on trying, eventually I got better, my hand writing and typing got better, my ELA, reading, and writing grades went up, I even started writing longer books. Now till this day, I don’t give up, I still search up how to write, techniques, and tips to help me, I even edit and critique other people’s books so that way I can get ideas, and learn different writing techniques and styles. Writing has been such a great experience for me; it is practically my life now.

4) What inspires you?

A very good question, Sass, what inspires me… First off my family inspires me, they always encourage me, the way they have different personalities, how they live life, and even their emotions it helps me in my writing. Everyday people inspire me, they help me create realistic and relatable characters, and I can take flaws and perfections all from different people and create someone new. The outside world inspires me, the different settings, the different things going on, and even how the day is if it’s a nice day, I usually think of a good event for my book, a not so nice day I think of an obstacle for the characters to go through. Those are just a few things that inspire me, there are many more, but to many to name.

5) What are your future goals?

My future goals… When I was little I wanted to be a fashion designer, but now I want to be an artist or a writer, too hard to pick just one. Some of my other future goals, are to have the best birthday ever, have my dream room, start a family with my hot husband who is either a doctor, or actor. I want to invent something new, travel to Paris France, go to the top of the Eiffel tower, eat a croissant in Paris, go shopping in Paris, meet my favorite celebrities, and much more, way too many to name.

6) What do you prefer writing? For example, fiction, nonfiction, supernatural, chick lit YA, and so on.

I would have to say I would prefer writing teen fiction, supernatural, fantasy, and romance. I like to write fantasy because I love creating an entire world of my own, you have to create an economy, laws, government, and much more. Romance is because I love hearing and writing about dating, marriage, kissing, and more. Teen fiction mostly because I’m a teen, so it’s much easier to write. Supernatural is just because it’s fun to write, all about different creatures, and their abilities.

7) What is your favorite time of day to read and or write?

I would have to say the morning for writing, because I just woke up my mind is fresh and ready to go, I just had dreams, and I could use those dreams for ideas for books or for in my books. I would have to say night time for reading, only because at night the darkness makes the light just that much better, it makes scary books scarier, and when I finally go to sleep after reading I always come up with ideas for my writing in my dreams.

8) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Paris!!! I LOVE Paris, they have the best food, it’s the city of love, I love all their accents, they have the best shopping venues, at night the Eiffel tower is beautiful, you can go on a boat while having people play songs for you, there are places everywhere for you to get a painting of you or you and a friend, and so much more.

9) For aspiring authors or future magazine creators, what advice would you give them?

Here is a very big tip, don’t go for the obvious answer, think outside the box, when writing a book you think of the first thing coming to mind, a sappy vampire romance, but if you think outside the box maybe something about an actual vampire killing people and not caring about any soul, you don’t see that anymore. So, here is my big tip, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT GO FOR THE OBVIOUS ANSWER, IT MIGHT BE EASIER, AND JUST BECAUSE IT’S EASIER DOESN’T MEAN IT’S BETTER.

Facebook group

Facebook page

Twitter page

Wattpad Profile Page

Piixie Dust Magazine Issue 1

Makayla has a special announcement!

Piixie Dust Magazine has opening for the following positions!

Magazine advertiser
Poem of the month
Graphic advertiser
Books monthly

There are opportunities for authors to submit a sneak-peak of your latest work. 

Piixie Dust Magazine will feature a snippet of your work for a full month. It is an opportunity to share your writing with the public!

Thank you, Makayla for stopping by and sharing you life and dreams with us! 

As always, questions and comments are welcome with open minds.

Wishing you the brightest blessings,

Sass :) 

TATTOO TIME PT 2

Thank you for all the incredibly touching stories, amazing photos, and for inviting me into your world!  I have come to the realization that this is definitely not a one or two blog topic. The number of stories and pictures were phenomenal!

As I said in the previous blog, out of respect for your privacy, I would share only the pictures and stories I had permission to share. 

To the many extraordinarily, strong individuals whom allowed me into their lives by sharing their personal stories and pictures, from the bottom of my heart, I deeply thank you. Your stories and pictures were deleted after I read (many times cried), and then responded to your emails. Those stories touched home.  

UPDATE: I am currently working on part three. The topic, are tattoos addictive? If you have a story to share or an answer to that question, please email me at s.cadeaux@hotmail.com 

Once again, many thanks to everyone for actively participating! 

 

Wishing you the best adventures in reading and in life,

Sass :)

 Submitted by Amanda

I got my tattoo for my nanny (grandmother) on the day, which marked the ten-year anniversary of her passing. This was the only tattoo my mother approved of.

I spent my summers up North with my grandparents. I would swim, go on adventures and make new friends. Nanny was an artist, so together we would paint. I have painting she did of me in my apartment.

As years went on, she became my role model. I looked forward to going to seeing my grandparents for the summer, and couldn’t wait the school years to be done.

When we found out she had cancer, the thought of it just about killed me. I was still young, but I knew that soon enough I was going to lose my nanny.

On the night we got the call informing us she was in the hospital, I was packed and ready within minutes. The drive to get to her was the hardest it was 4 hours of my life. We were there a couple days before she passed.

On the day of the funeral, the one doctor I had been helping came to me and brought me a ty beanie baby. It was a white angel teddy bear, and told me my angel would always be watching me and believed in me. So I came up with this tattoo, so she would always be with me.

Additional tattoos from Amanda below. :)

________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by Cat Alley

My first tattoo is the heart on a cross with ivy cascading down and wraps into an ivy anklet. It is my own design, something I had been doodling since I was in JR. high. In art class, we had a chance to paint the drop down ceiling tiles anything we wanted.  My tile is a close replica of that tattoo (that is how long I have been drawing it).  The meaning behind it (as far as I can think) was a broken heart, always crucified for something and ivy is classic.

My second tattoo is a 4-leaf clover with my sons name above it.  The meaning behind it is that I had

cervical cancer when I was 23 and they said I would never be able to have children.  At 21, I had a miscarriage, and after the miscarriage, I was on for a fight.  At 27, I became pregnant again.  I was considered high risk, since I had a couple of surgeries and had an inhospitable uterus.  I was checked every 2 weeks by a team of doctors, and was hospitalized twice with pulled ligaments in the groin area.  He dropped 7 weeks earlier than expected, and was born 3 weeks premature at 7lb 2pounds, 21 inches long. He is my luck.

For more blogs and book reviews, visit: www.catalleyreadthis.wordpress.com

_________________________________________________________________________________

Heather and Jeremy (husband and wife) submitted the following four pictures.

Attached is my original Gemini tattoo that was designed for me for my 30th birthday. I feel that I am a true Gemini.

I have my good and bad side (ha ha). 

This tattoo is called "The Mask of Gemini" 

 

Here is the tattoo I got for my daughter.

It is a purple Aster on my ankle with my daughters name above it.

She was born in September and it is the birth flower of that month.

My husband and I have similar heart lockets on our arms just in black and shading! 

His is more manly looking, hah!

 

Here is my husband’s tattoo tribute to his dad, Roger. 

Roger had been a truck driver for 40 years.

His is still a work in progress. 

It will eventually be his entire arm!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by Susan Hultcher

This unfinished tattoo is all I need to remind myself, I love me.  

Although my imagination is lively, I can’t draw to save my life. About three years ago, I was trying to envision a symbol that could be associated with one of my characters. It had to be simple, but capable of holding meaning for my storyline.

In the story, it’s called the mark of Anguni, but you don’t find that out until book three. For me, it is a marker that says, “I believe in me and I’ll never give up.”

My tattoo is not supposed to look like a tattoo. I wanted it to appear as a scar. Only, white ink fades in the sunlight. I heard rumors that a special thick, white ink exists, which lasts longer. It would be perfect to complete my true intention of the design. After asking many in the know, it seems I’m more likely to run into a leprechaun.

It’s okay, though. I’m not finished either.

For more about this tattoo and her full story, visit: www.susanhulcher.ca

_________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by Faith

This tattoo means "salvation" or "to rescue".

My faith is important to me, and that is why the cross is in red.

This is my second tattoo.

It is a rose.  I got it after my husband and I separated.

It didn't have meaning at the time, but looking back, I think I chose it because it was dark beauty. 

 

The last one is a tattoo that I got with my husband, we celebrated 15 years last year... He has the key on his wrist.












_________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by Andrew

This is Moe, although Dad named him Molson. 

I was an only child, we got Moe when I was six. He was my best friend. 

As with most shepherds, he was intelligent and easy to train. It helped that my Mom taught me the basics.

We lived in downtown Hamilton. Moe guarded our house, our street and the alleyway behind our home. 

When I was eight, I became a latch key kid, and for a half hour to one hour, twice a week, I was home with Moe. I wasn't afraid because he was there to protect me.

Daily, I would go outback with Moe, show him any item such as a pencil, pen, eraser. Literally anything. 

I would tell him to check it, sit and wait. Then I would hide the item somewhere in the house. When I said, "Go find." He would fly into the house and search everywhere until he found the item. He would literally flip the cushions off the couch and retrieve the pencil or whatever the item was hidden inside.

Moe was stricken with bone cancer at the age of 10, it hit him fast and hard. In a matter of two days, he could not walk nor lay down. Dad and I would carry him downstairs and outside. It happened during Canada Day weekend. We rushed him to the vet who gave him a needle for the pain, and suggested we bring him back after the long weekend. 

That night he was fine, but the next day ... it was three times worse. As a family, we all talked about options. The vet said that we could extend his life another six months with a bunch of meds and a few procedures. As a family, we decided to end his suffering. 

That following Tuesday, we took him to his favorite tree, we all stayed there with him and said goodbye while we waited for his appointment. Dr. Vicky, Mom, Dad and my baby brother were all in the room when we said goodbye. Yes, we all cried. 

Cancer is heartless, it does not care about species, age or if the family is ready to let go. When the big "C" decides to strike and take a life, it is a merciless bastard! 

Thank you for considering my tattoo and story.

_________________________________________________________________________________

From someone who would like to remain anonymous

This is a Trinity Knot / heart tattoo. My tattoo needs retouching, and is in a place where no one but my husband can see it. This picture is nearly identical, although my colors are blue and red. :)

I got this on my three year anniversary with my husband. He is Celtic, and the Trinity Knot, also known as a Triquetra carries great value in his religion. 

He is Christian and strongly believes that the three points represent the three elements of the trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I am Neo-Pagan, I know ... hard to believe, but the heart wants what the heart wants. 

It is my belief that the Trinity Knot it symbolizes life, death, and rebirth. 

My husband owns my heart for all eternity, even after the shell that holds my soul ceases to exist. 

Sending brightest blessings to you and your readers Sass!

_________________________________________________________________________________

More great tattoos!

The following tattoo did not come with a specific story, however, I was given permission to share them.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Special thanks to all!

Brightest blessing,

Sass :)