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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 17, 2005 Friends and family helped cancer patient Barbara Ferguson make a scrapbook Sunday that documents her life. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Making a ‘memory book’ By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune It could have been a party, what with the balloons and the streamers and the flowers and the banner proclaiming "Barb’s Day" in pink ink on one wall. But the women gathered Sunday at the Scrapbook King shop in Medford did not come by plane and by car just to have a good time. Instead, the 20 or so friends and family members of Barbara Ferguson showed up to tackle the subject of terminal cancer — masqueraded by a fair amount of construction paper, ribbon and glue. In the span of less than a day, the women, many dressed in symbolic pink, finished a multi-page family scrapbook for Ferguson, 58. It was the emotional equivalent of a quilting bee for the Medford woman who is grappling with her second bout of breast cancer since 2002. This time, the doctor has said it’s terminal. In August, Ferguson says she was given two weeks to live. Advertisement One of Ferguson’s first thoughts was of Kristopher, her 9-year-old adopted son. It suddenly seemed important to her that he have a tangible record of their life together. "I wanted him to have a memory book," said Ferguson, who hopes to give it to the boy at Christmas. She called on her friend Ann Christy, a fellow cancer survivor and an avid fan of scrapbooking. Christy and her 18-year-old daughter, Amy, documented the entire ordeal of cancer treatment and recovery with an elaborate album of photographs, quotations and souvenirs. "Barbara came to me and said ‘I’ve got all of these picture of Kris and they’re just in a basket. You’ve got to promise me you’ll do it for me,’" Ann Christy recalls. The prospect of completing such a project quickly was daunting, Christy said. Instead, she wondered if Ferguson’s many friends and family members might be interested in helping out. They were, indeed. "We came because it was important to Barb," said Sohn Reynolds of Woodland Hills, Calif. Reynolds and Kai Kramer of Huntington Beach, Calif., are Ferguson’s first cousins — "more like sisters," Ferguson says — who flew from Southern California to spend a day snipping pictures and gluing letters. The project was aided by people like Gloria King, owner of the Scrapbook King, who donated space and materials. Other local business people offered flowers and food and supplies. Helpers who showed up ranged from Kristopher’s teenage babysitter, Lisa Fthenakis, to business friends Victoria Guantonio and Roxy Bentley of Medford. "I was worried," said Bentley, a first-time scrapbooker. "I thought, ‘This is so important. What if I’m terrible at this?’" As it turned out, Bentley didn’t have to worry. Every page of the alphabet-themed scrapbook met with Ferguson’s smiling approval. "I think what’s so special is it’s personal," said Ferguson. "It’s my gift done with my loving friends." The completion of the scrapbook will help Ferguson set a new goal: To be present at Christmas to give Kristopher his gift. After that, she hopes to help him blow out the candles on his 10th birthday cake in February. After that, there’s her older son’s doctoral graduation in June. "It’s so important to have positive goals," said Ferguson, who has used her experience with cancer to help others grappling with the disease. In 2004, in Oregon, the American Cancer Society expected 2,750 new cases of breast cancer and 510 deaths to the disease. Despite the devastating return of cancer last spring and the news that it had metastasized to the bone in August, Ferguson continues to look for the good in the experience. "The journey is a very hard and scary thing, but you get more than you have to give," says Ferguson, who hopes to become an inspiration for other women coping with cancer. "Every day is a gift and there are some that are spectacular gifts," she said. "Like today." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Making a �memory book� ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s