Community Outreach
Green Bakes
"Green Bakes" is a Radiance Within Rejuvenation project that goes to schools and clubs to teach students how to make healthy, delicious, soy free, dairy free, egg free, refine sugar free, and gluten free recipes (mainly desserts and treats) that are easy to make and that are all made from whole plant-based food. Not only will the students learn how to make delicious food themselves as most of the recipes are easy and simple but they will learn about the food and where it came from. In addition there will be a bake-sale to raise funds for a butterfly or food garden for the school or community that bakes and sells.
Green Bakes exclusively teaches plant-based recipes to bring more of an awareness that food is first and foremost for fuel and equally for pleasure for the taste buds. With the plant-based recipes you make a other wise empty calorie treat something that will nourish the body and mind without a sugar high and crash.
Permacultre is the way to the future of agriculture and means "permanent agriculture" and combines different fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes and other plants in the same garden. One of the easiest garden designs to build is called hugelkultur, which simply requires tree material. Tree material is best for water conservation and permaculre. These methods of gardening require no pesticides. These gardens will multiply the amount of pollinators which will help multiply food production. This helps to increase biodiversity and healthy, locally grown food.
Green Bakes exclusively teaches plant-based recipes to bring more of an awareness that food is first and foremost for fuel and equally for pleasure for the taste buds. With the plant-based recipes you make a other wise empty calorie treat something that will nourish the body and mind without a sugar high and crash.
Permacultre is the way to the future of agriculture and means "permanent agriculture" and combines different fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes and other plants in the same garden. One of the easiest garden designs to build is called hugelkultur, which simply requires tree material. Tree material is best for water conservation and permaculre. These methods of gardening require no pesticides. These gardens will multiply the amount of pollinators which will help multiply food production. This helps to increase biodiversity and healthy, locally grown food.
Our way of giving back!
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In Loving Memory of my Father "Carroll Simmons"
A Fundraising Event - The Last "23 Days of Life"
My father unexpectedly passed away on March 9th 2018. I have written the following story about the last "23 Days" of my fathers life in hope that it would help others to embrace their health and well-being. To inspire them to stop for a moment on their journey of life, to take care of themselves in a way that we all seem to neglect . . . . . and for some; it is too late.
The Last “23 DAYS” of LIFE . . . . . Carroll Simmons
You never know where the journey of life is going to take you. You never know HOW or WHEN or WHERE you are going to take that LAST breath, and then your journey of life translates over into ETERNITY.
This is the story of my Daddy’s life . . . . . .Carroll Simmons. a man who loved God, his family and country.
Hi my name is Nancy Simmons and I am writing the story of my father’s Last 23 days of Life. As you read the story of my father’s life you will see why
I have titled this fundraising event, The Last “23 DAYS” of Life. While my father was in the hospital, he had requested for me to make up a pad of paper that had a the top of it; the Last 12 Days of my Life; and wanted to write something special to family and friends. He never was able to accomplish that endeavor, so I am doing what he never got to accomplish before he took his last breath.
Please allow me a few moments of your time to set the stage, and to share with you the backdrops of my precious father’s life. Backdrops that will
paint the scenery of the surrounding circumstances, that have taken us down the pathway of the UNEXPECTED. Unfortunately my father did not plan
for the funds needed to give him the burial he requested for in the last days of his life, nor to take care of the enormous hospital bills and the financial challenges that we are facing at this time. If you would like to make a donation to help us with the funds needed for his burial and for the enormous bills we are facing, please go to: https://www.youcaring.com/carrollsimmons-1131165
I believe due to my father had such a good life of health; that he did not feel compelled to make plans for his departure from this world. In the past 5 years I would give him information where he could go and plan for the day he would no longer be with us. A plan that would provide the funds needed to take care of his day of departure and burial. Yet, he never saw what was coming just around the corner and his life was changed over night. Since February 15th 2018, his life was changed (literally in a moment), in the “twinkle of an eye” . . . . . in such a way; that I have learned firsthand, to literally expect the unexpected on this journey of life.
My hope and desire . . . . . is in sharing the course of events that has brought us to this destination will help and encourage others. In writing the story about our journey; I am hoping it will be used as an instrument of love and inspiration, helping those who read it; so that they will STOP for
a moment and take a look at their OWN lives. To take something away from what we have experienced to enrich their own health and well-being.
I pray your response will be to evaluate and then to apply the lessons learned from our story. And as you reflect about your own life; that it may draw you closer to God; it will cause you to hug your family and friends tighter and more often with the actions “I love you”; and to
be more kind and compassionate towards others, reaching out to the community that surrounds you; leading with happiness and
good will, and encourage others to live a life abundant and full of joy!
Setting the Stage to Our Story
Living a lifestyle of health and wellness is essential! Enriching your personal journey is based on the footsteps YOU CHOOSE to follow.
Having daily goals for a well-being is a life time ingredient needed to live a full life that is abundant of Gods wonderful Grace and Blessings!
Our health and well-being should be number one so that we can be of a good and faithful servant to others and most of all to God our Father.
My father Carroll Simmons at the age of 84 had lived a full life and was very healthy. So healthy that he never had any reason to go see a health care doctor for the past 35 years. He had no blood pressure issues, sugar diabetes issues, or even any heart issues. I believe this is contributed to the fact that I have been practicing a lifestyle of health and wellness for the past 50 years and inspired my father to follow the same lifestyle throughout his life.
Since my 20’s becoming a vegetarian, he was always asking me for advice and direction concerning health and wellness; in which he tried his best to embraced and practice on a daily basis. I also inspired my brother Steve to practice a lifestyle of health and wellness, and he was a big part of helping and guiding my father to daily live and walk in those footsteps of making healthy choices. My father owned and operated (at the same location) a small printing business since 1964, and with our being with him in running the business we were able to be a big part of his lifestyle journey to health and wellness.
After my father was honorably discharged from the Army in 1956 and graduated from Business College in 1958; he full-filled his dreams for the past 56 years, becoming an entrepreneur and mastering the printing industry. My brother and I were so blessed at a young age to be a part of out father's business endeavor, giving us the opportunity to inspire him to stay on the pathway of health and wellness. My brother Steve was constantly making sure he would be fully supplied with daily supplements; eating his meals; and drinking his water. He was always researching something that could help enhance our fathers health and well-being.
Unfortunately there was one thing that occurred on my father’s journey; he would not go to see a doctor when he did had a health issue that needed to be addressed. In 2012 he developed a small hernia in his groin area. He would not go to see a doctor about the hernia due to is was not that much of an issue to deal with at that time.
As the years progressed the hernia grew larger and he finally went to see a doctor in 2016. When he met with the doctor he was told he would have to go see another doctor to be evaluated for the surgery due to his age. My father procrastinated and put off seeing a doctor concerning the evaluation for the hernia surgery. His procrastination changed the direction of his journey to health and wellness.
As his hernia started growing larger and he had several (personal) challenging events of life (in which he used as an excuse to put off from going to see the doctor); I started putting pressure on him, several times a month. I would say to him; “Daddy you need to make your appointment to go see the doctor about your hernia surgery”. I became a broken record, constantly reminding him and encouraging him to make that call to the doctor. Also other family members started requesting that he would go to see the doctor.
Finally he went to go see another hernia doctor in Lake Mary and the doctor told him he had a double hernia. The doctor informed him that he did not perform surgery on double hernias. He then gave my father a referral (to go downstairs of the same building he was in) and to go see a particular doctor who did perform surgery’s on double hernias. Yet, instead of going downstairs to see that doctor . . . . . my father walked right out of the building, thinking he would come back another day.
Backdrop of Life's Circumstances
As I am setting the stage with this part of my father’s story I want to share with you a backdrop of information. If my father had been more proactive instead of procrastinating in going to see a doctor, I proudly would not be writing this story today. His procrastination actually coasted extra years he could have lived further in his life. His sister was a missionary to Guatemala for over 40 years and lived to be 92 years old and had just passed away one year prior to his passing away.
My father was a wonderful, precious man who wanted to be healthy and live a long life, yet he would not make that one choice in going to see the doctor about his growing hernia condition. If he had gone at that time it would have added years to his life. I truly believe that Gods will for us is to
live a long, healthy ABUNDANT life. Yet we can shorten that life, (a life God has blessed us with) by not following the principals of healthy living. I have friends and loved ones who did not live healthy lifestyles and have passed away at an early age due to destructive unhealthy ways of living. They too chose not to go see a doctor about their conditions and when they did finally go to see a doctor . . . . . it was too late.
On my journey of life I became a vegetarian at the age of 20 and started studying about health and nutrition. In my late 30’s I became a personal fitness trainer and worked in that industry for about 15 years. For the past 10 years I have been an Instructor at Cortiva Institute (previously Florida College of Natural Health) teaching the Skin Care program. I am also a licensed Aesthetician working in spas, wellness centers and doctors’ offices promoting skin care treatments and services for the past 14 years.
On my journey I have witnessed so many who have gone to see a doctor about their health conditions and was able to change the course of their lives. Due to the miraculous advances of medical doctors and treatments . . . . . they caught it in time . . . . . and they were able to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT . . . . . and added years on their lives.
The Call of Alarm
In the first week of January 2018 my father called me up on a Saturday afternoon with an alarming request. He had just weighed himself and he weighted in at 110 lbs. He told me it scared him because he did not realize that he had lost that much weight. Comparing to last year 2017, in January he had weighted about 170 lbs. Hearing of this alarmed me, because I did not realize that he had lost so much weight due he was 6 ft. tall and I saw him several times a week. I knew he had developed a diet of eating lighter meals and had lost some weight, yet could not believe it was such an alarming amount.
Throughout the years; weekly I would bring him several meals just to get him to eat better and to gain some weight. Also, my brother would daily remind him to drink his water and to eat his meals regularly. It became a constant endeavor to help him maintain a lifestyle of health and wellness.
He would become lazy and put off eating his regular meals and go some days eating very little.
On that call my father asked me if I would help him with a diet to gain his weight back. I told him that I would take care of him, and that he would have to eat every meal that I made for him, and in combination drinking a protein smoothie. He agreed and promised me that he would put his daily calorie intake into my hands, to manage and to follow faithfully.
He also informed me that he was having trouble with his urination for the past several months. He further informed me, that for the past year he had slowly experienced slight changes in his prostate. His urination was much more frequent and in smaller amounts. I responded that he needed to go
see a doctor as soon as possible about his prostate issues. I later found out that he had been encouraged several times in the past, by other family members, to go see a doctor when he started developing his prostate issue.
My father had also been struggling with a painful knee that had slowly affected his ability to walk. By February he could not walk without the assistance of a walking cane. When he had to go out to walk into a store we had to use a wheel chair due to his ability to walk had become so debilitated.
The Gaining Weight Mission
Within 8 days he followed my daily regimen and gained up to 119 lbs. He was so happy of the results and I was so happy that he was applying my
5-meals per day plan to gain weight. I told him that due to he had lost so much weight that it could possibly postpone him from getting his hernia surgery. I urged him to please go to see a doctor to get his hernia surgery scheduled. He said he would look for the doctor’s number to make the appointment.
The following week-end February 9th, 10th, and 11th I had to go for a training seminar daily from 9am to 6pm. I prepared all his meals and protein smoothies to daily consume until I got home for the evening meals. Yet, due to I was not there to manage my father in getting his first few meals for the day, he chose to be lazy and to sleep through the day eating only one meal. This caused him to lose almost all the weight he had gained in the past few weeks.
Due to the loss of the weight he had gained, I told my father he had to go to the hospital to see about his health and to inquire about getting his surgery for his double hernia and to see about his prostate issues. Other family members had also visited him begging for him to go to the hospital to go see
a doctor. That week on February 14th my father’s nephew and his wife came over pleading with my father to please go to the hospital immediately, to go get checked in and to get his hernia surgery. He finally agreed that he would have me take him the next day to Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida.
The Unexpected Fall
Later that evening on February 14th; when I got off from work, I went by my father’s house to give him his last meal and protein smoothie for the day. Yet, I found him laid out on the floor, he had fallen 20 minutes prior to my arrival. He was trying to make it over to the portable toilet we had set up for him giving him easy access. He lost his balance and fell over his small space heater he had in the same area. He hit his backside on the heater during the fall and was in tremendous pain.
I had to call my brother to come over to help me get him up off the floor to place him on the couch. He seemed to be okay, his pain level was at a level he could bear. I asked him if he would like to be taken to the hospital at that moment, due to we had plans to go to the hospital the next day . . . . .yet his response was that he did not want to go to the hospital, due to the lateness of the night he just wanted to go to sleep.
The Last “23 DAYS” of my Daddy's Life
Day #1 – Thursday, February 15th my father and I entered into the Florida Hospital emergency room in Orlando, Florida. It was extremely busy for a Thursday afternoon. We finally got into a room and the doctor came in to examine my father and assess all his issues. He ordered for my father to get an x-ray to see if he had any broken bones in his body from the fall he had the previous night.
Two hours later after the x-rays the doctor came to the room and motioned for me to come out to speak with him. He informed me that what he had to tell me was not good news. He told me that my father had 3-broken ribs and had punctured his lung. Also they found a stage-4 lesion that had metastasized on his right side into his pelvic bone and part of his femur bone.
I almost collapsed right there in the hallway with the doctor. I was stunned!!! I was in shock!!! I was in disbelief of what he had just told me about a stage-4 lesion that had metastasized into my father's pelvic and femur bone. I then asked him, “Do you mean you are telling me that my father has stage-4 cancer?!!! His response was “yes, that is what it looks like, it is proudly cancer." He further explained to me, he could not fully confirm what kind of cancer it was until they admitted him into the hospital, and ran more test on him. He told me the lesion was the size of my fist.
I told the doctor, this was totally unexpected! I had just brought my father to the emergency room to see about getting a double hernia surgery and that he had been having some pain in his knee and it had started preventing him from walking. I further informed him that for the past 4-months he had to use a walking cane around the house and a wheel chair when we would go shopping. We just contributed his knee pain to an injury he had from pulling weeds out of the lake about 5 years ago, and had fallen on his knee.
About 5 hours later, my father was finally admitted into the hospital and was taken to a room in the new surgical wing of Florida Hospital. It was around 11:30 pm and I spent the next 4 hours getting him settled into the room with the nurses that were going to take care of him. I had called my brother and family members to let them know he had been admitted, yet I could not tell them the full news about the stage-4 lesion due to I was not sure of what kind of cancer it was, or how they would be able to treat him.
Days 2 through 16 – My father’s room was on the 14th floor. He had the most beautiful view over the lake and was able to see all the horizon of Orlando. In the next 16 days my father went through a complete evaluation by a team of 8 different doctors. His calcium levels were a little high and also he was not eating that well. He also had a small bladder infection and they put him on antibiotics for the infection. The doctors told me his vitals were pretty good, yet they needed to get him to take in more nutrition; and would be evaluating what options were available for that to happen.
They did a biopsy on his prostate and it came back positive, he did have prostate cancer. The cancer had spread out over into his pelvic and femur bones into the right side of his body. Which meant he also had bone cancer. The doctors said he had about 6 to 18 months to live with the stage-4 caner and would progress even more into his bones. The doctor ordered that my father could not put any weight-bearing pressure on his legs due to his pelvic bone could shatter and could cause the higher risk of death. He had to stay in the bed at all times.
Due to his low weight he went into surgery to have a gastronomy feeding tube placed into his stomach. This allowed the hospital to administer continual feeding for my father for better nutrition and to gain weight. Also, we had to decide on how to address his stage-4 cancer. The doctors informed me that if they were to administer chemo therapy that it would be too much, and it would not be very effective in such a late stage of his cancer.
It was the hardest news for me to deliver to my father that he had stage-4 cancer and the doctor’s prognosis was that he had 6 to 18 months to live. My father’s wishes were that he just wanted to go home and when he took his last breath he wanted to be at his home to enjoy the last days of his life.
So by the 16th day I had the house set up with Vitas; a hospices caregiver to help me manage my father’s needs as he lived his last days at home. On March 2nd about 8:00 pm my father was discharged from the hospital and was brought home.
Days 17 through 22 – On Friday March 2nd when my father arrived home, I had everything set up so that he could enjoy the last days of his life at home. My brother and I felt very positive, we were going to make the next 6 months or 18 months the best days for our father. I had the carpet cleaned and set up the whole living room with a (hospital type) bed, set up right in front of his large screen TV. He was able to look outside to see the back yard and to see the beautiful lake he had enjoyed from his dream home for over 30 years.
By the 5th day of my father being home it was so overwhelming. Due to the doctor had ordered that my father could not get out of the bed, he became very anxious and had build up a lot of anxiety, wanting to get out to the bed. He had a catheter in him to assist him for his urination that we had to monitor 24 hours. We had to also monitor the feeding machine to feed him through his feeding tube. He was able to eat by mouth, so I fed him all his favorite foods.
The first couple of days he was home, he expressed how happy he was to be out of the hospital and to be in his own home. Each day I was with him
all throughout the night until the next day around 3:00 pm, and then my brother would come to watch him so that I could go to work and come back at 11:00 pm. I would relieve my brother so he could go to go work at our printing shop throughout the late hours of the evening, into the early hours of the morning.
On Thursday, the last 22 day's of my father’s life; he had become very agitated and restless due we would not allow him to get out of the bed. I called Vitas first thing that morning about the situation and by 10:00 am that day they sent out the doctor, a nurse, a nurse’s aid and the Chaplain. My father received all kinds of attention and he loved it. Vitas also placed him on crisis watch for a few days to help get him calmed down so that he would not continue to be so agitated.
That day the Chaplin was so wonderful in consoling my father. He asked my father all kinds of questions about his life and his service in the Army. My father loved sharing all about his life events. Before the end of his visit the Chaplin asked my father if there was a favorite song he would like for him to sing. My father asked him to sing the song titled “the Old Rugged Cross”. It was one of the most beautiful moments I was able to witness of father. As the Chaplin was singing; my father was looking at him and listening to the words of the song, my father had the sweetest, most beautiful smile on his face. He had such a peaceful look in his eyes and a calm spirit. He was connecting with every word the Chaplain was singing. I wanted so much to go grab my phone to film it, yet I did not want to move away from him and distract him in the moment of listening to the song. So in my mind I thought that I could have the Chaplin sing it again to him when he came back to visit him on another day.
Having that thought was my normal way of thinking; thinking that my father was going to be around for at least 6 more months to love and to care for. Never imaging that my father would not be with us the next day. Vitas the hospices caregiver nurse had me administer some medication for my father’s anxiety, so that it would help calm him in his mood of restlessness. It made him very groggy and sleepy. A nurse stayed with me over night and checked on his vitals all through the night.
Day 23 the last day of my father’s life – For some reason I could not sleep and woke up around 3:00 am. I was in and out of the room checking with the nurse about my father. He seemed to be much calmer than he had been for the past few nights. By 8:00 am the new nurse came to relieve the pm nurse. Also a nurse’s aide arrived for the next eight hour shift. I prepared everything with a new feeding bag of food for my father, and the nurse checked on him while he was still sleeping away.
The nurse informed me that he would be very sleepy due to the medication and would probably sleep for a while. I told the nurse I would be back by 11:00 am to check on my father and to give him his next medication. I said my normal fare well to my father; like any other normal morning before going to work, and left around 8:50 am. My drive to the school was only about a 5-10 minute drive.
I had arrived to work and at 9:13 am the nurse called me, he said “Hi this is Doug the nurse, and I am calling to tell you shortly after you left the nurse aid noticed your father was not breathing, I checked him and he was gone.” I could not believe what I was hearing, I literally feel apart, I broke down,
I could not believe what the nurse was telling me. I expressed to the nurse, how could he just die like that! I had just left my father and he was okay. He was doing just fine! I could not believe what the nurse was telling me.
After I had a met down over the phone, the nurse then informed me that he had called the Chaplain and he would be there when I arrived back home. When I arrived home there was the Chaplain and the nurse’s aide. She informed me of the events just as the other nurse had stated to me over the phone. Two of my wonderful co-workers and precious 2-students tried to console me. My co-workers did not want me to drive back home alone, so one co-worker rode with me in the car, while the other one followed me so she could bring the other co-worker back to the school.
They both came in to the house with me to see my father and to make sure I would be okay. After they left all I could do was hug on my father and cry and cry in disbelief that he was gone . . . . . he was gone just like that . . . . . with no warning, no inclination that he would be leaving this world.
If my father had gone to see a doctor earlier I know the cancer could have been detected earlier and he could have been with us a few more years longer. Please take away from our experience to go get checked, go see a doctor when you have the first sign of any health issues . . . . . it could prolong your life, it could allow your loved ones to have you and to hold you and to love you a little more longer. Please embrace a Lifestyle of Health and Wellness. Be kind to yourself so that you will be able to help others and the loved ones of your life.
"Life is so precious, embrace your greatness and be good to yourself and to one another!"
The Beginning of a New Chapter
You know . . . . . you think as you're going through this journey of life you are preparing yourself for the worst that is coming (the passing away of a loved one (which is your mother or father. . . a sister or brother. . . a son or daughter) . . . . . yet when you actually arrive to that moment and you are in the presence of experiencing the reality that it brings to your life . . . . . you find there is nothing that could have really prepared you for what you're going to experience. The floodgates are opened up and you are overcome by the waves of so many feelings and emotions. My heart feels like a huge wound has been afflicted upon it; and now I have to find my way on this new journey so that it may heal. One day at a time I have to look to God to guide me on this New Chapter of my life, to give me the strength to bear the feelings of loss and sadness and to replace it with HIS JOY AND PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING. I know my father is in a better place and he is free from all suffering and pain, yet I just wanted to have him a little more longer, so that I could love and bring joy to his life.
As I stated at the beginning of my story . . . . . You never know where the journey of life is going to take you. You never know HOW or WHEN or WHERE you are going to take that LAST breath, and then your journey of life translates over into ETERNITY! We all are going to have to face that day. . . . . When ever it arrives . . . . . Are you going to be ready for that day when it comes?
As I draw the curtains and bring the closing to my story . . . . . I pray that you will take each and every day to be drawn closer to God; to know Him more and more, building a closer relationship with Him; and that it will cause you to hug your family and friends tighter and more often with the actions . . .“I love you”; and to be more kind and compassionate towards others, reaching out to the community that surrounds you; leading with happiness and good will, and encourage others to live a life abundant and full of joy!
MY PRECIOUS DADDY!!! MAY HE REST IN PEACE AND NOW WILL BE ALWAYS LOOKING DOWN TO SMILE WHEN HE SEES HOW MUCH MY BROTHER AND I LOVE AND MISS HIM SO MUCH!!!
