A15wednesday, may 2, 2012 • the lebanon enterprise • NEWS

By Stevie Loweryeditor@lebanonenterprise.com

The Pigasus Parade is one of the highlights of the Marion County

Country Ham Days festival each year.

But, to Missy Farmer-Spalding, the parade means so much more.

“I call it my parade,” she said, sitting comfortably on her couch at her home on Brown Forman Road near Raywick. “I am so attached to that parade.”

The job of organizing the Pigasus Parade is some-thing that, honestly, just fell into Spalding’s lap. She worked part-time for the Marion County Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2005. In 2003, a week before Ham Days, she was handed the task of coordi-nating the parade.

When she left her post at the chamber for a full-time job in 2005, one of the first things that then-chamber director Kathy Browning asked her was, “Will you still do the parade?”

“I said, ‘Absolutely’,” Spalding said.

Since then, she’s not only been in charge of the parade, from start to finish, but she’s also been a “chamber cheer-leader” and has volunteered for the chamber in any way that she can. So, it was no surprise (except to her) that the Marion County Chamber of Commerce named her “Outstanding Chamber Member” earlier this year.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I’ve never done it to win an award or get recog-nition.”

It’s that selfless attitude that made her an easy choice for the award although the past year and a half has been anything but easy for Spalding.

In August of 2011, she was forced to hand the reins to her parade over to some-one else after being diag-nosed with cancer.

Spalding, who had her first lump removed from her breast when she was 27 years old, said the lumps had always been benign. But, during the summer of 2011, she noticed a lump that was getting big fast, and it hurt.

On Aug. 26, 2011, she was diagnosed with stage-three cancer.

“It was an awful day,” Spalding said. “That day was the first time I ever saw my husband cry.”

The next week, she got a CT scan, which showed she actually had stage four cancer. It had spread to her lungs and liver. Within two weeks, she was undergoing chemotherapy.

“Dr. Bentley said that if I hadn’t come in to get it checked, I would have been dead in six months,” Spalding said.

After receiving her diag-

nosis, one of the first things Spalding did was go to the chamber office and tell Executive Director Stacy Mattingly that she wouldn’t be able to do the Pigasus Parade.

“I knew she was going to have to find someone quick,” Spalding said.

Mattingly was able to find additional volunteers to help with the parade, but no one could truly replace Spalding. She was truly missed dur-ing the Pigasus Parade last year, especially on the main stage.

Long-time parade announcer Charles Lancaster Sr., definitely noticed her absence.

“He called me and said it wasn’t the same without me,” Spalding said.

That day, as the Pigasus Parade filed down Main Street in Lebanon, Spalding was at home, shaving her head. All of her hair had started falling out from the chemotherapy and she decided to just shave it off.

“At 1 o’clock when the parade came on, I cried and went to bed,” Spalding said.

“I’m missing my parade,” she remembers saying.

“A disease not a death sentence”

For 18 weeks, Spalding had chemotherapy treat-ments every three weeks for four hours at a time. One of the drugs doctors gave her was called the “red devil.”

“That really made me sick,” she said. “Chemo just completely knocked me out. I would sleep for two days straight.”

During her chemo treat-ments, Spalding lost 30 pounds. She said she couldn’t keep anything down, and she was completely exhausted.

“I couldn’t do anything. It was awful,” Spalding said. “I cried and I cried and I cried. I remember saying to my mom, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’”

Dec. 21, 2011 marked her last chemotherapy treat-ment.

Following chemo, Spalding had a mastectomy. And then, in January, she went back to the doctor and had another CT scan. Doctors discovered that the chemotherapy had, indeed, worked. All of the cancer on her lungs and liver were gone, and the lump in her breast had shrunk to one-millimeter.

Spalding was ready to cel-ebrate.

“I told Dr. Bentley, ‘I’m gonna have margaritas with my sisters,’” Spalding said, laughing.

But, because she was tak-ing a blood thinner, she had to refrain from the marga-ritas and enjoy dinner with her family at The Stillhouse instead.

And that was fine by her.“It was amazing,”

Spalding said.

Today, Spalding is in total remission. She takes a chemo pill every day and gets a shot every three months. She said she will probably take the chemo pill for the rest of her life.

And, there’s always a chance the cancer could come back.

“I still think about it com-ing back,” Spalding said. “But, I try to think of it as just having a disease and not a death sentence.”

Her hair is starting to grow back, which is a relief for her 12-year-old son, Connor. He couldn’t handle her bald head, Spalding said, because it was a big reminder that his mother was sick. She had to wear a hat any time she was around him. It’s only been within the past month that he’s allowed her to go with-out her hat in front of him.

Spalding is scheduled to go back to the oncologist May 7, and she’ll find out if she has to do any more chemotherapy or radiation. If not, she will be able to begin reconstruction from her mastectomy.

As for her involvement in this year’s Ham Days Pigasus Parade, she’s still undecided. She’s not sure she has the energy to do it all. But, she plans to at least help from behind the scenes at home.

After all, it’s her parade.

“A heart of gold”Spalding’s positive atti-

tude and giving spirit has won over many people in the community.

Monty Parman, who has helped orchestrate the Pigasus Parade for the past 33 years, said Spalding is truly one of a kind.

“When she was diag-nosed with cancer before the parade, all she was worried about was letting me down for the parade,” Parman said. “She puts her heart and soul into it. People do not realize what a job that is.”

According to Stacy

Mattingly, Spalding is some-one she can truly count on at the chamber.

“Missy is one of few that I can call upon for any ques-tion pertaining to the cham-ber and if she doesn’t know the answer, which she nor-mally does, she will do her best to find it,” Mattingly said. “She is a strong, awe-some individual with a heart of gold and enough patience to fill up the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

One of Spalding’s biggest supporters, Diane Erjavec, said Spalding has the biggest heart of anyone she knows.

“No matter how hard her life is, she is always there for someone that needs help,” Erjavec said. “She’s a won-derful person and deserves

so much out of life.”And while Spalding

appreciates the recognition, she said she’s the one who is truly blessed. During her chemotherapy treatments, she received hundreds of cards, which she now keeps in a keepsake box, and peo-ple dropped off food, gro-ceries, and money to help with medical expenses. A group of women at Lebanon Methodist Church made her a prayer shawl that she wore to the hospital every time she underwent chemotherapy.

“You just don’t know how awesome people are,” Spalding said.

Several of Spalding’s fel-low Rotary Club members shaved their heads at the local St. Baldrick’s event

last month in her honorAnd the medical care she’s

received has been top-notch,Spalding said.

“My doctors and nurseshave taken such good careof me,” she said. “We areall so blessed to have SpringView Hospital. Every test Ineeded, I got done at SpringView. They are all so nice.We are blessed to have themhere.”

Today, Spalding saidshe’s definitely counting herblessings.

As her favorite fish “Dory”says in the movie, “FindingNemo,” she’s going to “justkeep swimming.”

“I’m treading water,”Spalding said, with a laugh.“Hopefully, I’ll get back tosome sort of normal soon.”

■ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

■ BOOK SIGNING

Cancer, chemo can’t stop parade organizerMarching on

Photos by Stevie Lowery

Pictured is Missy Spalding who was named Outstanding Chamber member earlier this year by the Marion County Chamber of Commerce. Left, is Spalding’s award and the bracelet that friend and former chamber co-worker, Diane Erjavec, made her.

Photo by Stephen Lega

Jim Higdon III signed copies of his book, The Cornbread Mafia, April 26 at the Marion County Public Library. Higdon is pictured signing a book for Al Cross (far right), who covered Marion County for The Courier-Journal at the time the marijuana operations described in the book were taking place.