Shopper News Blog: Cancer survivor brings healing touch to others
POWELL
Cancer survivor brings healing touch to others
Five years ago, Monica Stecker was given six months to live.
For someone who has ignored numbers for most of her life, this was just another challenge.
Stecker grew up in Iowa. After working for Motorola for several years in the information technology department, her job was outsourced and she was left looking for something new.
“I was just a number,” Stecker said. “After that, I vowed I wouldn’t touch a machine again. Instead, I’d touch a life. I was always the mothering kind. I liked to help people get healthy. God spoke to me.”
God’s suggestion caused Stecker to drive 180 miles round-trip a day for 10 months. She was studying the Eastern Theory of Massage Therapy, which, according to Stecker, deals with the body inside and out.
“I do a lot of holistic healing,” Stecker said. “The body has a lot of energy to work with. The body can heal itself if given a chance.”
Stecker and her husband followed their grown children from Iowa to East Tennessee in 2007. She worked as a licensed massage therapist, but in 2009 decided to be her own boss. She owned the Orange Pearl Salon and Spa in Powell until recently. Stecker downsized and moved A Touch of Wellness By Monica to the Salon Suites at Emory (113 East Emory Road).
No fear after cancer diagnosis
Stecker does not have disdain for the medical community.
She just thinks there are alternatives that are part of personal choices.
In June of 2015, Stecker received a leukemia diagnosis. Her doctor estimated she wouldn’t see Christmas. He came up with a plan that included chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant.
“I don’t fear anything,” she said. “I started studying on my own. I still went to my doctor every week for bloodwork. By January of 2016, I was cancer-free. All my doctor could say was that it was a miracle.”
Stecker’s research led her to BEMER (Bio Electric Magnetic Energy Regulation) Therapy, which is done on a full-body mat. It increases blood flow and oxygenation. She continues to spend time on the mat every day.
She adjusted her diet toward healthy foods and put drops of frankincense under her tongue each day.
“I don’t push anything with my clients,” Stecker said. “I do a lot of sharing. I do a lot of ‘What if…?’”
Massage therapy keyed to the individual
Stecker said her massage prices from 2009 are the same ones she has today: $55 for relaxation, $70 deep tissue, $75 pregnancy.
“I just want simplicity with my business and my clients,” Stecker said. “When I was working for someone else, it was all about making sure I always had someone on the table. That’s not how I am.
“If someone has an area that needs work, I take time to work it out. It’s all about the individual. If I’m not providing relief, I’m not doing my job.”
Stecker is also a founding distributor for Neora, a holistic wellness company that produces weight management and other supplements that, she said, can impact the aging process.
“Age is just a number,” she said.
And Stecker never did like numbers very much.
Stecker’s massages are by appointment only at 865-258-0054.
KARNS
Daughter's cystic fibrosis turned Karns mom into a ‘Relentless Rose’
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Jessica Thomason was named a “Relentless Rose - 2020” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for her ongoing efforts to raise funds for and awareness of cystic fibrosis on behalf of her daughter Sicilee, 5.
Thomason created a Facebook page for her daughter where she posts about Sicilee’s cystic fibrosis (CF) journey. She also designed and sold a T-shirt and asked for donations to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation throughout 2020.
“We normally design a T-shirt for our team to wear during a CF walk every May, but it was canceled this year. I thought why not do the T-shirt anyway. We still need to raise funds and raise awareness of CF even during a pandemic,” Thomason said.
The rose became the symbol of CF because children often refer to their disease as “65 roses” before they’re able to pronounce ‘cystic fibrosis.’
“CF is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and other organs," Thomason said. "Sicilee is known as a 'Double Delta' because her father and I both carry the Delta f508 mutation. It does not affect her lungs as of yet so much as her pancreas. Her pancreas does not work, so her body does not break down nutrients like our bodies do. She takes enzymes every time she eats, even snacks.”
Little Sicilee also takes percussive and nebulizer therapies twice a day to keep mucus from building up in her lungs.
“Having CF is a job; you have to stay on top of it at all times. Sicilee does well with her therapies though, she's used to it.
"Being the parent of a CF child can be overwhelming, but we’re thankful. Things could be a lot worse for her than they are. We just remember to take a step back and realize she’s been a pretty healthy child. All we can do is keep on the same path we’re on and take good care of her.
“Thankfully, we have a really great support system as far as family and friends, so that really helps out.”
Sicilee was found to have CF at 2 days old when she had to have surgery on her belly to remove a meconium blockage in her bowel, a classic symptom of CF in babies.
Before Sicilee received her percussive vest, Thomason did percussive therapy on Sicilee’s chest manually several times a day.
Today, Sicilee is a bright and active 5-year-old. She attends Mother’s Day Out at Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church. She is a member of the Diamond All Stars competitive cheer team, and she participates … and wins … in pageants.
“Cheer is great for Sicilee. The CF Foundation encourages physical activity, so all the jumping around really helps her stay healthy. She keeps up with the other kids just fine.
“She also loves pageants. She competed at 3 and again at 4 and won her category both times.
“She’s a kid just like every other kid."
Info: www.facebook.com/SicileesCFjourney.
POWELL
Kay's Cleaning: Doing her part to help people in a 'tough time'
Al Lesar, Shopper News
There’s a certain satisfaction Kaylyn (Moore) Blalock gets from a clean room and knowing she had everything to do with getting it that way.
It’s the motivation that has launched her toward her current journey.
Blalock, a lifelong Powell resident who graduated from Halls High School in 2019, had enough of someone else dictating her schedule. After more than a year of working for a couple of cleaning companies, Blalock decided to go out on her own.
On Jan. 1, she launched Kay’s Cleaning Service, a one-person “no job’s too big or too small” business that will fill a niche she sees in the area.
“There are other local cleaning companies, but there are a lot of people who aren’t able to clean anymore or just don’t have the time,” Blalock said.
“What sets me apart are my prices. I know the tough time so many people are having now. I’m able to work with them on what they’re able to afford.”
Right time to launch cleaning service
It was a significant holiday season for Blalock and her family. On Christmas Eve, her son Carter turned 1. On New Year’s Day, the business began.
The challenge now is to get the word out.
“Marketing is what I’m doing now,” Blalock said. “I’ve been on social media trying to let people know I’m available. My Saturdays are booked, but I’ve got room for clients throughout the week.”
Blalock said a regular weekly client will get priority — and, likely, a discount.
“I decided now was as good a time as any to take the leap,” Blalock said. “Once I got that first customer, I was motivated to make this work.
“My nature is being a positive person. I have to keep pushing forward. There’s nothing that’s going to pull me down. This is a competitive market, but there’s room for everybody.”
Way to help
Besides the typical house cleaning, Blalock has had other experiences at her previous jobs. She did school cleaning with one service and once did external power washing of a gas station.
She brings her own equipment to each job.
“During the pandemic, I’ve gotten into disinfecting doorknobs, light switches, and toys,” Blalock said. “I work with a mask and make sure there’s always social distance.”
The mundane jobs in the home don’t bother her.
“My goal is to make my customers happy,” she said. “I get my satisfaction from looking at a room that I just cleaned and knowing what it took to get it that way.”
She said she takes extra precaution around fragile items. Detailing baseboards is the part of the cleaning experience that Blalock sees as the biggest challenge.
“That can get difficult at times,” she said.
A normal house will take at most four hours to clean. Prices are determined through individual estimates.
“My main motivation is knowing that this can be my way to help people,” Blalock said.
“That’s a big part of why I’m doing this.”
To contact Kay’s Cleaning Service call: 865-999-6355, or email: kayscleaningserviceknoxville@gmail.com.
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FARRAGUT
TriStar Church launches at Farragut High School
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
About 100 people gathered at Farragut High School for the launch of TriStar Church, a contemporary church planted by Fellowship Church in Knoxville.
Lead Pastor Matt Grimes said the vision of the church is to partner with believers equipping them to go out and be disciples by living the Gospel alongside others.
“Instead of being a church where people come to a service and then go home, we’re about partnering with the community. Matthew 28 said 'go make disciples,' so that’s what we want to do as a church and as individuals within the church.”
The church is two years in the making and was supposed to open a month ago, but the pandemic had other plans.
“We were planned for January, but we had to put that on hold," Grimes said. "There were times when I wondered if we would ever get off the ground. It’s OK, it was actually a blessing and it happened in God’s timing."
Grimes is a certified public speaking consultant and coach with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).
He has been in full-time ministry for nearly 20 years in student ministry and serving as a campus pastor.
He is originally from Enterprise, Alabama, and moved to Knoxville in 2005 to work at a local church where he met his wife, Carman. They have one daughter.
Grimes graduated from Samford University with a bachelor’s in religion in 2003 and earned his master’s in Christian education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008.
The worship pastor is Tanner Thornton, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee in 2014. He is widely traveled but returned home to Knoxville with his wife, Allison, in 2020.
There is a strong children’s program run by Katie Teesdale. She is coordinating programing for a kids' large group worship experience and a small group for kids birth through fifth grade.
“Katie has done a phenomenal job. We have a program for birth through fifth grade just right off the bat, and then the goal is to launch something for larger kids pretty quick,” Grimes said.
He said he hopes the church grows to have a real impact on the community.
“I want the church to become a beacon of light and hope for Farragut and Lenoir City.”
The church meets at Farragut High School at 11237 Kingston Pike. Services start at 10:30 a.m. Masks are recommended; social distancing protocol is followed.
Info: www.tristarknox.org.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
The Stay Home and Read A Book Ball: the year’s best ‘non-event’
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
This time of year, the Friends of the Knox County Public Library (FOL) are usually organizing their massive Used Book Sale, held annually in early spring at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, that’s not to be. But the intrepid volunteers of the FOL aren’t letting a pesky little virus stop them.
On Saturday, Feb. 20, you’re cordially invited to attend “the best non-event of the year”: the FOL’s Stay Home and Read a Book Ball.
According to the invitation, suggested attire for the event is “your favorite PJs, evening attire, or anything in between — it’s up to you.” Location: “your couch or favorite chair, your bed, a tent in the woods — anywhere you choose!”
Participants can RSVP online, using the donation form provided to make a gift in any amount.
Who came up with this clever idea, irresistible to any reader?
Natalie Smith, president-elect of the FOL, says it’s been around for a while. “I learned about it on a United for Libraries webinar. The Los Angeles Library Association has done it for a long time; they had their 32nd last year. There’s one in Cedar Rapids and other small communities. The Book Balls picked up last year; a number of people became aware.”
Smith is also chair of the fundraising committee. Turns out she made the mistake of asking why the group didn’t have one. “I was charged with exploring that. Now I’m the chair. You get what you ask for!”
She’s also eager for everyone to know about FOL’s online bookstore, known as the “little bookshop with the big bargains.” In addition to specific books by local authors, you can “Grab a Bag of Books” for $10 a pop in such categories as Teen Fiction, Science Fiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Romance, Children’s Picture Books, Children’s Middle Grades.
“Think of it as a blind date with a book,” says Smith — and a chance for the whole family to read together on the big day. Purchased bags can be picked up at Lawson McGhee Library and the Halls, Burlington and Cedar Bluff branches.
Proceeds from the Ball and the store go to support the Knox County Public Library.
Sponsors are Knox County Public Library, Knox County Public Library Foundation, Libacious — who will offer two custom cocktail recipes, one of which can be made without alcohol — and Union Ave Books, which is providing participants with a 10% off coupon good through the end of March.
Gearing up for the non-event is Martha Edington, the FOL’s communications committee co-chair who, in the spirit of whipping up some promotion, has been collecting pictures of animals reading. So far, she’s got a chicken, a dog, and Sam Venable.
Edington offered her take on the Ball. “What makes this event different from all the days and nights we’ve been staying home and reading for almost a year? We’ll be reading for a good cause: our library.”
Info and registration: knoxfriends.org. Online bookstore: knoxfriends.square.site.
FARRAGUT
Meet pageant winner Keelie McLawhorn, who is on the autism spectrum
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Getting ready for a pageant might make any teenager tremble in their shoes, but doubly so for Keelie McLawhorn, who is on the autism spectrum.
The Farragut High School junior is gearing up for the Miss Tennessee Teen USA pageant scheduled for Tunica, Mississippi, in March. The pageant is normally held in October but was postponed due to the pandemic.
“I knew something was wrong when she was 2,” said her mother, Charlotte McLawhorn. “Everything from sights to smells to textures made her uncomfortable. She would just stand there and tremble if someone came within 2 feet of her.”
The McLawhorns embarked on a road of intensive therapy four days a week, including speech and occupational therapy. When Charlotte moved back to Knoxville in 2007, Keelie no longer went to formal therapy, but Charlotte continued with all the techniques she learned to desensitize Keelie to all the stimulation overwhelming her.
Today Keelie is a stunning, poised, articulate 17-year-old talented in fashion modeling and interested in graphic design. She sings, dances and loves photography.
She explains her journey: “When I was a child my senses were heightened, sights sounds, smells, textures, they all bothered me. Even other people if they came to close to me, I would just shut down completely. The biggest thing I’ve had to overcome is my texture aversion. Everything has a texture.
“I’m proud of the way I no longer have to worry about every tiny little thing every single day.
“I still deal with it for some things, but it’s not severe at all. Issues do come up with certain food, so I just do my best to avoid them.”
Charlotte added, “I’m proud of Keelie. She’s come a long way and now has so many friends. She just can’t have enough friends.”
The upcoming pageant is Keelie’s second attempt at Miss Tennessee Teen USA. She competed in the pageant in Clarksville in 2019. She ranked in the top 12 despite nearly missing the pageant altogether.
“My alarm didn’t go off,” said Keelie. “I overslept. I panicked at first, but when it comes to a fight-or-flight situation I’ve learned to take control, and I told myself to just focus on getting ready as quick as I can. My hair was still wet, I just threw it in a bun and I lined up as quick as I could for our activewear preview.”
Keelie said she didn’t feel she did her best, but something went right for her. She ranked in the top 12 despite being a pageant novice.
She has a bright future. “I love modeling and I love all things graphic design. I would really love to move to New York. I don’t know if it’s the lights at night or what, but that city has my heart. I would love nothing more than to pursue my modeling career and study graphic design in New York.”
NORTH KNOXVILLE
The Word Players present ‘The Ends We Seek’ for Black History Month
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Knoxville’s Word Players have a long tradition of presenting Black History Month touring productions during February. In 2019, plans were in motion for an extraordinary one: an original world premiere written by Word Players veteran Ethan Norman, who also composed music for the production.
Titled “The Ends We Seek,” it’s a work of historical fiction that follows a mother and son through two time periods — the early and the late stages of the Jim Crow era, which ran for roughly 100 years after the Civil War ended.
The pandemic upended any hopes of the planned 2020 production, but the company of Christian theater artists is pleased to be able to present it for Black History Month, 2021.
“It’s a very exciting project and one that’s close to our hearts because it’s a homegrown project,” said Terry Weber, Word’s artistic director. “We have a lot of faith in Ethan as a writer and a musician. And any time you get to do a world premiere it’s exciting.”
Black History Month theatrical productions, said Weber, are built small, the better to take on the road. This one features a cast of five and a small crew; Weber himself is the stage manager. “I’m wearing a couple of hats!” he said.
The play derives its title from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The full quote is, “Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”
“Ethan is usually an actor or roadie for the Black History show. He’s written several original plays, but never in this genre,” said Weber. “After being in several Black History shows that we had done, he came to me and said, ‘You know, I think I would like to explore this period.’”
The play vividly and powerfully illustrates how major historical events — Lincoln’s election and Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the Civil Rights Movement inspired by King — impacted the lives of ordinary individuals and families.
A mother and a son, in two different centuries, play out the average person’s struggles with life in a dysfunctional society rife with racism.
Scenes of daily life play out against a backdrop of history and lead the audience through moments where national, social, and political turmoil have lasting and powerful effects on ordinary families.
Inspired by true stories, with sharp dialogue and captivating musical interludes, “The Ends We Seek” personalizes and humanizes the experience of ordinary people swept up in the events of history.
This project is supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission through the Arts Builds Communities Grant Program. It is available to tour as a live performance in live venues Feb. 15-28.
Additionally, a video of the production will be available on the Word Players’ website, and organizations will be able to schedule viewings through the rest of the school year.
For fee and scheduling information, call 865-539-2490 or visit wordplayers.org.
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OPIONION
Endless choices sweep me out to sea
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
I think there’s something wrong with me. I can’t make a decision. There are too many choices, too many features and benefits to weigh and measure.
How can I decide? What if I make a mistake? Who can I trust?
Those are the big questions I was pondering in my quest to find the perfect broom. And that’s how I know something’s wrong with me. Buying something as simple as a broom shouldn’t be difficult, but it is.
And it’s Amazon’s fault.
If I were buying a broom and dustpan in a real live store, I wouldn’t be writing this column. I’d be sweeping my floor right now without giving my cleaning supplies a second thought.
But the minute I typed “broom and dustpan set” into my browser, I became a crazy person.
Hundreds of brooms and dustpan sets populated my screen in every color and size. And I felt compelled to consider every one of them.
Do I want a standard dustpan or one with an extension pole? Do I need a dustpan with teeth? Since when do dustpans have teeth anyway? Which bristles are best for hardwood floors? Angled or straight? Soft or firm? How wide should the broom be? How heavy? How tall?
Overwhelmed, I turned to the product reviews to guide me. And that’s when I fell down a deep, dark rabbit hole.
As it turns out, people have very strong opinions about their brooms. One best-seller had over 12,000 reviews. To put that in perspective, that means over 12,000 people cared enough about their broom to write about it.
I’ve never been that passionate about a cleaning product in my life, but I kept on reading.
Marshnello exclaimed “sweeping is a breeze!” and gave her broom 5 stars. Roadphoenix wrote a five-paragraph essay extolling the virtues of her dustpan’s angled rubber lining. She even posted pictures. “Picks up dirt on all surfaces!” another gleeful reviewer wrote. And while I was tempted to purchase that seemingly awesome broom, other buyers weren’t as impressed.
Kim M’s was disappointed when her broom couldn’t sweep up lettuce bits. It turns out, the dustpan “failed to hug the floor properly.” Camille C, an apparent neat freak, thought her bristles “looked untidy.” Harry P’s broom was a tripping hazard while Jessica G declared it “the worst broom ever!!” With two exclamation points.
For over two hours, I read reviews and searched for the perfect broom. It became my mission. If only I knew who to trust — Roadphoenix or Jessica G? I even tried to get my husband involved. “Do you think a 52-inch handle is long enough for a broom?” I texted, frantically.
“I don’t care,” he texted back. And those words saved me. They made me realize I don’t care either.
Online shopping can make even the smallest purchases seem important. There are articles and ratings for every item imaginable. But after losing two hours of my life that I’ll never get back, I’ve come to realize the truth. A broom is a just a stick with bristles.
In the end, I closed my computer without ordering anything. I just didn’t have the energy. But I did start a new grocery list. And right there at the top I wrote, “broom and dustpan.”
Because some shopping is best done the old-fashioned way. In a store. With no opinions and just two brooms to choose from.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com