THIS IS WRITEN BY LOIS ANN KRUGER I WAS BORN ON 2-13-1959 ON A FRIDAY IN REEDLEY AT THE OLD REEDLEY HOSPITAL, WHICH BECAME PLEASANT VIEW CONVELSANT HOME. I WAS THE 4TH CHILD OF PETE AND SALOME BARTEL. I WAS BORN A LITTLE LATER IN THEIR LIVES SO MY BROTHER AND SISTERS WHERE ALSO OLDER. I GUESS THEY WHERE A BIG HELP TO MY MOTHER. THINGS I DO REMEMBER IS BEING AN ONLY CHILD BY 14 I THINK. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS SPOILED. I DON'T KNOW BUT I PROBABLY WAS. DAD AND MOM HAD TO PAY FOR IMMANUEL FOR MY 9TH GRADE BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET A JOB IN THE FRUIT. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DID IT. I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT I WAS GOING ANYWHERE ELSE. I DID GET SUMMER JOBS AFTER THAT YEAR AND I WENT TO IMMANUEL ALL FOUR YEARS. I WAS BAPTISED AT RMBC DURING MY JUNIOR HIGH DAYS. DURING 1978-1984 I ENJOYED SINGING IN THE CHOIR AT RMBC. I WORKED AT MARTENS CHEVROLET, JANZEN'S ACCOUNTANCY CORP, REEDLEY MEDICAL SUPPLY, LEWIS NELSON AND SONS, ADVENTIST HEALTH AND VISALIA HOME MEDICAL. I ALWAYS TRIED TO WORK TO THE BEST OF MY ABILTIES AND SHOW MY FAITH ON THE JOB. HIGH SCHOOL WAS HARD FOR ME. I REALLY DIDN'T FIT IN TO THE RIGHT ECONOMIC GROUP FOR THE CHURCH WE WENT TO. I REALLY DIDN'T DATE DURING HIGH SCHOOL. I MOVED OUT OF MOM AND DAD'S AND GAVE MY DATING LIFE TO GOD AROUND 1983, AND TWO WEEKS LATER I CRASHED A WEDDING AT RMBC WITH PAM JANZEN. WE MET HAROLD KRUGER; HE WAS AN USHER AND HELPING TO CLEAN UP THE RECEPTION. WELL, HE GOT OUT OF THE CLEAN UP PORTION AND WE GOT TO TALK AT THE REEDLEY ME & ED'S. HE ASKED BOTH PAM AND I FOR OUR PHONE NUMBERS, BUT HE ONLY ASKED ME OUT. IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS WE WERE DATING AND HANGING OUT TOGETHER WHENEVER POSSIBLE. HAROLD PROPOSED AROUND AUGUST 1983, AND WE WERE MARRIED ON APRIL 6, 1984. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN DURING THE EARLY YEARS, NEVER TIDE DOWN. WE COULD GO TO THE COAST WHENEVER POSSIBLE. SOMEWHERE AROUND 1986 WE WERE WONDERING WHERE THE KIDS WERE, WHY WE HAD NOT GOTTEN PREGNANT. I TRIED TO FIND OUT, BUT INFERTILITY WAS EXPENSIVE. AND YOU HAD TO HAVE INSURANCE FOR 6 MONTHS BEFORE YOU WHERE COVERED AND THEN AT 7 MONTHS THE RATES WENT UP SO HIGH WE HAD TO DROP THE INSURANCE AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE. SO WHEN MR. JANZEN SWITCHED TO KAISER WE JUST TOOK IT TO TRY AND SAVE MONEY. THEN KAISER DECIDED TO COVER INFERTILITY AND WITH SOME TIME AND DRUGS WE GOT PREGNANT. WYATT HENRY WAS BORN ON 7/29/1994. RIGHT AROUND 10 YEARS AFTER WE GOT MARRIED. AND THEN 19 MONTHS LATER WE WELCOMED SHELBY ANN ON 2-28-1996. HAVING KIDS IS SO WONDERFUL! I LOVE BEING A MOM AND THEN ABOUT 19 MONTHS LATER (SEPT 1997) I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH METASTIC BREAST CANCER. I DID 6 ROUNDS OF CHEMO, A MASTECTOMY, AND 4 MORE ROUNDS OF CHEMO AND 7 WEEKS OF 5 DAYS PER WEEK OF RADIATION. AND THEN WAS TOLD TO COME BACK IN SIX MONTHS. I ASKED GOD TO GIVE ME WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A LONG TIME 10 YEARS. IN SEPT 2007 I WAS DIANOSED WITH STAGE 4 METASTIC BREAST CANCER IN MY BONES AND LIVER. WELL PART OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN HARD. BUT I HAVE LEARNED MANY THINGS. I WISH I COULD TALK OF A LONG LIFE FULL OF THE MANY THINGS I HAVE DONE FOR GOD, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THOSE THINGS. MY SISTER RHODA TO ME SHE IS THE STEADFAST ONE. SHE ALWAYS STEPS UP AND HELPS MOM AND DAD, AND I KNOW THERE MUST BE TIMES SHE WOULD RATHER NOT. SHE FINDS OUT HOW TO DO THINGS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND FROM WHAT I SEE DONES THEM. SHE MUST BE VERY STRONG. I DON'T KNOW EVERTHING BUT IT SEEMS SHE HAS A LOT TO DEAL WITH BUT SHE WORKS UP HER STAMINA AND DOES WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. I PRAY THERE IS JOY FOR YOU. MY BROTHER PHIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SENSIBLE ONE. IF I HAD AN IDEA I WOULD ASK HIM ABOUT IT. AND I BELIEVE HE GAVE ME HIS BEST ANSWER. HE IS ALSO LIKE RHODA AND IT SEEMS LATELY HE HAS TO HAVE THE BACKBONE TO JUST TELL IT AS IT IS WHICH IS PART OF HIS SENSABILITY. I AM SO GLAD HE HAS FOUND LOVE AGAIN... I PRAY HE WILL REMEMBER HE WAS NOT LEFT OUT IN THE PAST YEARS AND... MY SISTER LYDIA SHE WAS THE CLOSEST IN AGE TO ME, BUT LIFES CHOICES TOOK US APART FOR MANY YEARS. I LOVE HER. MY SISTER DEBBIE CAME TO ME BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND PHIL'S CHOICE OF HIS FIRST WIFE. I LOVE HER MORE THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW. SHE IS MY BEST FRIEND FOREVER. I DON'T THINK I EVER MADE AN IMPORTANT DECISION IN MY LIFE WITHOUT ASKING HER (THAT TOOK HAROLD SOME GETTING USE TO). I AM SO LUCKY AND BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR FRIEDSHOP AFTER PHIL AND DEBBIE WERE DIVORCED. THAT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME BECAUSE I LOVED PHIL SO MUCH... THANK YOU PHIL FOR NEVER MAKING ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH DEBBIE AND HER FAMILY (SISTERS). I AM NOT A CANCER VICTIM!!!