Turning Tragedy into Triumph by Living My DREAM!

AM PRAYING PAM. XO

Thank you Joe Joe!! Looks like I'm going to need a miracle here today : )

I have known Pam for 30+years through the upsand downs of her small business. She is the hardest worker I have ever know. She would organize the town of Rutledge for their Christmas Open house. The only reason they are on the regestry of Historic Towns is because of Pam. Once Pam set her mind to a project, she always did 100%. I was incontact with Pam when her best day ever Dec. 26th turned to living hell. Paul was seriously burned when his shirt caught on fire, checking ou his soup, after playing in the beautiful snow we had. She was there for him from the start, learning how to care for him, she even had the courage to correct a nuse or aid if they did not do something properly. One home, she managed her small business, which was half of their income and took care of Paul. I don't know how in those first days she could watch the care of Pauls raw flesh, I drop at the sight of blood! Because they worked together, and Paul knew she was dead on in his treatment that the two of them have come out of this. There is no one I know that needs to be able to continue her schooling more then Pam. She has budgeted every dime from the sale of her business to pay for her education, and now she needs your help to be able to graduate and take care of the many people who need her.

Karen, you have certainly been there for me and Paul through thick and thin. I could never have put on all those Christmas in the Country open houses in our shops and town without YOUR help. You are an AMAZING woman who always puts the needs of your family and friends ahead of your own. Your friendship is a blessing to me and Paul and goes back to when we met. Thank you for being there for us and thank you for your vote, support and kind words here. God Bless!

Pam, I wish the very best for you and Paul. You are making it through an extremely hard time. It is wonderful that you want to be in service to others. Good luck and may God bless!!!

Thank you Joan! I really appreciate your support!

I have known Pam for 30+years through the upsand downs of her small business. She is the hardest worker I have ever know. She would organize the town of Rutledge for their Christmas Open house. The only reason they are on the regestry of Historic Towns is because of Pam. Once Pam set her mind to a project, she always did 100%. I was incontact with Pam when her best day ever Dec. 26th turned to living hell. Paul was seriously burned when his shirt caught on fire, checking ou his soup, after playing in the beautiful snow we had. She was there for him from the start, learning how to care for him, she even had the courage to correct a nuse or aid if they did not do something properly. One home, she managed her small business, which was half of their income and took care of Paul. I don't know how in those first days she could watch the care of Pauls raw flesh, I drop at the sight of blood! Because they worked together, and Paul knew she was dead on in his treatment that the two of them have come out of this. There is no one I know that needs to be able to continue her schooling more then Pam. She has budgeted every dime from the sale of her business to pay for her education, and now she needs your help to be able to graduate and take care of the many people who need her.

I have known Pam for 30+years through the upsand downs of her small business. She is the hardest worker I have ever know. She would organize the town of Rutledge for their Christmas Open house. The only reason they are on the regestry of Historic Towns is because of Pam. Once Pam set her mind to a project, she always did 100%. I was incontact with Pam when her best day ever Dec. 26th turned to living hell. Paul was seriously burned when his shirt caught on fire, checking ou his soup, after playing in the beautiful snow we had. She was there for him from the start, learning how to care for him, she even had the courage to correct a nuse or aid if they did not do something properly. One home, she managed her small business, which was half of their income and took care of Paul. I don't know how in those first days she could watch the care of Pauls raw flesh, I drop at the sight of blood! Because they worked together, and Paul knew she was dead on in his treatment that the two of them have come out of this. There is no one I know that needs to be able to continue her schooling more then Pam. She has budgeted every dime from the sale of her business to pay for her education, and now she needs your help to be able to graduate and take care of the many people who need her.

What an inspiration to so many you are! I KNOW what you dealt with...and you did so with so my h love and even joy! Love you and Paul! Angie Crowley

Dearest Angie, I KNOW you KNOW what we have been through and I am so thankful our guys have both recovered so well. It is a joy to know Jimmy and Paul are back to all their former activities and doing so well. It is still have to believe that two men from such a small town could be burned in such similar ways and end up in the same burn center 100 miles from home at the very same time! I will never forget y'all trying to see us as you left the day they brought Paul in. You were a God send in your phone calls and visit after the accident. Thank you so much for your support!! God Bless!! Pam and Paul

by KateandNikkou 12 days ago |Reply Re-posted so voters can view Thank you for your kind words. I am inspired by them and I am truly humbled that my efforts have inspired you in any way to go back to school. It is so worth the effort and I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I feel so accepted and blessed to be at the Achieving the Dream school I attend. Everyone there is so helpful from the staff to my professors and the other students of all ages who have been so kind and accepting of this older than usual first time college student. Please know, it is never too late to follow your dreams. I'm living mine now. Life truly does begin at the end of your comfort zone, I know because I am there now and have no regrets, no looking back. Your words so beautifully describe the nurse I want to be. I know what kindness looks like, it looks like the nurses who did exactly as you describe for my husband and for my daughter and me as we lived through this nightmare with him. Some have become friends and I stay in touch with them to this day. I will never forget the nurse who saw my daughter and I sharing the other hospital bed in his room when finally he got in a private room and we were allowed to stay over. She asked why I didn't have a sleeper chair and I told her I had been told none were available on that floor. I said I know where one is, it is in the empty room two floors below us next door to where my husband was in PCU. It was used by the wife of another burn survivor who was released the same day as my husband was moved upstairs. She left the room and not long after I heard something rustling in the hall. I looked out and she had gone down the elevator, got the sleeper chair and brought it up the elevator and was pushing it all the way to our room by herself. It was our anniversary and that was my present, my glorious present, the much appreciated sleeper chair and seeing my husband stand alone for the first time on that day since the fire. Nurses not only treat the patients, they treat the families too and in such a tragedy as a bad burn, that is the kind of care I know they need and the kind I want to give. I may not have as many years to practice when I finish school as some, but I will do so with all my heart and all my strength for as long as the Lord allows. One of my husband's favorite nurses was age 77 and still working full shifts. She is the one who would wake him in the night with a gentle touch on his arm, rather than flipping on the lights and saying it's time to take your BP. He just loved that. As I stood at my husband's bedside day after day and watched out his window as life flight helicopters landed, one after another, with burn survivors, two circling as one landed, having to wait for the helipad to clear, I know there are many that will need my help and will need that gentle touch at night. And there may be another wife and daughter, sharing a hospital bed who will need a sleeper chair or some other kindness to make them more comfortable and brighten their day. I want to be there for them for as long as I can, to do that for them and for their families. Just think, with the inspiration of Nurse Eleanor, I could still have a 20 year career ahead of me! Thank you again for your support and lovely words. God Bless! by Pamdreamer 11 days ago |Reply

Thanks for the repost Beatriz! : )

Dearest friends, family, neighbors, classmates, fellow burn survivor spouses and loved ones, and new friends I've never had the opportunity to meet, who have left comments for me here and supported me with your votes, thank you so much for your support in this challenge and in life! I have read each of your comments and am humbled by them. They have left me more inspired than ever to follow my dream of becoming an RN. I want to help other burn survivors with the same care I gave to my husband and in helping them, also have the opportunity to be a comfort to their families, families who end up thrown into a world they never could have imagined or expected to be. We who had a long stay with our loved ones in the burn unit, could easily spot the "new" arrivals. It was as plain as the shocked looks on their faces, the silent tears they cried, the worry, the horror of what led them there still showing on their faces and many times as in my own case, the smell of smoke from the fire that put them there still on the clothes they wore and lingering in their hair, sometimes for days as you arrive with only the clothes you are wearing in most cases. We would give them space at first because no one wants to talk under those circumstances and then ever so gently give them a knowing look and slight smile to let them know we understood and we cared, and finally speaking to them to offer help and assistance from what we had learned in the time we had been there. It's a never ending cycle in the burn ward and I never met anyone who didn't at some point, need someone to talk to, someone who really could understand what they were going through. Whatever happens in this challenge, your words of support have strengthened me and my DREAM of becoming an RN so late in life. You have challenged me to keep on fighting to overcome all obstacles in reaching for my dream . I want to do this so I can help others who find themselves in the circumstances my husband and I found ourselves in back on Dec. 26th, 2010 and the months that followed. Up until the fire, it was a PERFECT DAY that so quickly turned into a nightmare. We are not to question why when something like this happens to us or to a loved one. In my case, I have always been one to look for the good, even in something this terrible and when the doctors and nurses said my care of my husband was good and encouraged me to follow my dream of becoming an RN, to come back to work with them someday, I knew I had found my calling. With your support and that of my family and my "Achieving The Dream" school, classmates, professors, advisors and others at Athens Tech, I'm going to make it! As I said in the video, I won't let anything get between ME and MY DREAM!! Thank you all again, so much!!

Pam ,I am so excited for you.What a blessing to be able to volunteer @The Chavis House.I know that is a great feeling to be able to give back and help the families there. It is a wonderful place and you will truly make a difference in those families lives who need someone to talk to .I know you will be the kind of nurse who will encourage these patients in The Burn Center. Good Luck in the contest.You deserve to win this scholarship!!(don't think my first comment came thru )

Darlene, Thank you so much!! I wish I lived closer to have opportunity to volunteer at the Chavis House in Augusta and do hope to work at the hospital there someday, but for now I do my giving back by volunteering at Grady Burn Center for the Georgia Firefighters Association. I have opportunity to help bring joy and holiday cheer to the staff and patients there three times in the next month. I began this about this time last year and believe me, it is I that am blessed to be there. I really appreciate your kinds words here and your support : )

I, like so many, have been watching you work for this degree for a while now! You've done so good!! and it's obvious you couldn't have done it without a dream! Just hoping all the dreams come true! Good luck and God Bless in this wonderful endeavor!

Alisa, thank you so much for your kind words here and all your support! It's a BIG dream and I have come a long way but still have a long way to go. Whatever happens in this contest, it is wonderful to know so many are pulling for me to reach my dream of becoming a nurse : )

Hello Pam, How fantastic that you have apllied for this scholarship! As with all that you put your hand to (as thou unto the Lord), your dilligence and tenacity will be rewarded! I am thankful to have met you this term! I can't wait for you to join the ranks and enjoy your talent as you help those in need!! It would be such a great joy to know you receive this blessing and your journey could be made easier for a moment!!!! By the way, if nursing slows ...you should think of PR work...this video was very well presented!!!

Dearest Beatriz, the pleasure was mine in meeting you and sharing what we did this semester. I am thankful to have met you, so glad we stopped that day to talk and get to know each other after class. I wish you all the best and hope we share another class again soon. Thank you so much for finding me here and giving me your support : )

Well Pam, I have shared my excitement with all my contacts...if you haven't yet...PLEASE DO. Attached is my request to my contacts, feel free to copy and send to yours! _From Beatriz Katy, 11_26_2012_ Hello friends, After enjoying a wonderful time of thanksgiving I hope we all desire to bless those in our midst all the more! I have continued to pursue a nursing career at Athens Technical College and found a classmate who is seeking a scholarship sponsored by Achieving the Dream. Pamela Jones is sure to be an awesome and compassionate nurse and is certainly deserving of a scholarship award! She is currently in 10th place out of 130+ applicant ($1500 award) Please consider visiting the attached link and WATCH; Pamela Jones “Turning Tragedy to Triumph by Living my Dream” http://tinyurl.com/a4jbfvj (very touching!), simply register with your email or Facebook and vote by replying to the confirmation email.

Beatriz, this is SO KIND of you!! I have done as you suggested and my poor contacts are probably so tired of my face by now : ) You can't imagine my shock when I saw the school's post on the Athens Tech homepage with our pictures no less, I am assuming that is how you found me. Let's please stay in touch. I do hope to see you again soon. I finished up our algebra class early taking my final before Thanksgiving so I haven't been on campus since. I miss you all but am really enjoying this long holiday break. Best of luck on the final if you haven't taken it already. I'll be thinking of you : )

Beatriz, please add me to your contacts list on our Athens Tech email. Mine starts pamelajones231@ and you know the rest! Hope to hear from you soon so we can stay in touch : )

Good luck with this, Pam. You having experienced burn care first hand, will make such a difference in the relationships with your patients and their families. They will be blessed to have you care for them!

Suzi, Thank you so much for your support and your kind words here. I could not do any of what I have done without the support of mine and Paul's friends and family : )

Much love to you Pam. I am so happy to have met you even though the circumstances surrounding our meeting were stressful. Your voice was calming at a time when I was losing my mind about Andrew getting burned and our house being destroyed. You will be a terrific nurse!

Dear Nancy, thank you and Andrew for your support! And thank Andrew again for looking after his "roommate" Paul during the night hours when they wouldn't let us back in their room. It was a pleasure meeting you both, even though as you said the circumstances under which we met were very stressful. We will always consider you and Andrew our friends, he was the BEST roommate Paul had during his lengthy stay in Augusta. You and I have a real bond and always will, having gone through this together with our guys and now come out on the other side. The last picture I saw of you and Andrew, you both looked GREAT!!! Andrew and Paul are both living examples of the amazing work done in Augusta Burn Center. God Bless!

Good luck Pam. xoxo

Thank you JoeJoe!! I really appreciate your support! Looks like I'm gonna need all the luck I can get just to hang in the top ten through tomorrow, until the voting ends.

Amazing story and dedication!

Thank you so much for your support!!

Thank you so much for your support!!

Good luck Pam. You deserve it!

Thanks Robyn! It's great to have your support! All the best to you next semester. I look forward to seeing you back in school.

Pam, your story is such an inspiring one! You are so deserving of this scholarship. Good luck!

Thank you so much Laura! I"m inspired by your and the other comments here and all the votes y'all have cast for me. I could not do anything I have done without the love, encouragement and support of all my family, friends, neighbors and now even strangers who have found me here and were kind enough to leave their comments.

Pam I am so excited that you have the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. So proud of you for following your dream on becoming a nurse. You are such a smart woman that I know you will go places. You are so deserving of this scholarship, so good luck on winning this one. I know by now you could use these funds to further your education. Love you Betty

Thank you Betty! Your support means so much to me. I'm thankful for friends like you who have only my best interest at heart. You are one in a million, taking time out of your holiday to do this for me. Love you! Pam

I am so THANKFUL here on Thanksgiving Day to be back in the top ten. Thank you for your votes and your support and for taking the time to do this for me during such a busy time. God Bless you all!!

Good Luck Pam and may God Bless~ :) Connie

Thank you Connie!!

Good luck Pam ! This is awesome....

Thank you Charlotte!!

Good luck to you Pam. I hope you win as you truly are an inspiration.

Thank you so much for your support!

Good luck Pam! You are truly an inspiration!!! I hope all your dreams come true! :)

Thanks Kimberly!! I appreciate your support!!

Just signed up to volunteer at Grady Burn Unit in Atlanta three times between now and January. I can't wait to see the patients and staff there and help bring a little holiday cheer to those spending the holidays in the burn unit like me and my family did just two years ago. It is also a chance to give back to the Georgia and Southeastern firefighters associations who did so much for me and my family during that time, meeting all our needs for food, lodging and comfort, right on the hospital grounds in Augusta at the Chavis House named in honor of Jeffrey Chavis, a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty. If you are ever looking for a great and worthy cause to donate too, this organization does great work and every dollar you put in a fireman's boot goes directly to help burn victims and their families during the darkest moments of their lives. God Bless them!!

Loved your story Pam !

Thanks for your support Elaine!

A very inspiring story, Pam. Thanks so much for sharing it.

Thanks for your support!!

A very inspiring story, Pam. Thanks so much for sharing it.

Thanks for your support!!

Good Luck!

Thanks Doug, I'm gonna need it and I really appreciate your support!!

Pam, I am so happy you are following your dream at Athens Tech. Congratulations on an inspiring video.

Thank you for your support Carol!

Pam, I believe you would be the kind of nurse my daughter and I loved and appreciated so much when my beloved granddaughter spent many many weeks and months in the hospital. Their kindness will never be forgotten and you should have the opportunity to become one of those special angels......I hope you get this scholarship...Sandy

Aw Sandy, thanks so much! I really appreciate this.

We love Pam and her love for nursing. She has taken a very challenging and difficult situation and turned it into something wonderful that will bless many lives.

Thank you Jim! I appreciate your support and your prayers. God Bless!

I hope you will vote for Pam - she is going to be a great nurse ; )

Thank you! I appreciate your support!

I cannot think of a more deserving student. Pam has lived the nightmare of a critically ill family member and will always remember the kindness shown to her family by the nurses. She already has the compassion needed to be an outstanding.nurse, and I am hoping she will receive the scholarship to help her achieve her dream.

Thank you Nursebetty! I appreciate your kind words and your support. I hope to join your profession one day soon : )

I can not think of another person I would want taking care of me should something horrible happen. Pam is SO compassionate, dedicated, patient, encouraging, helpful, and I could go on and on. We met through our Antique Business and became long distance friends for years, but I know if there was anything I needed she would be there, no questions asked. She is so deserving of this scholarship. I believe the medical field and patients will be so enriched to have her in this specialty field. Please award this scholarship to Pam and you will find out just how dedicated and commetive she is.

Thank you so much Denise for these kind words and your support! It means the world to me : )

Pam is a dedicated and caring person which are qualities that make for a great nurse.

Thank you so much! I appreciate your support : )

Pam is a friend I met through her antique business and she is very deserving of this scholarship. She is truly devoted to earning her nursing degree to specifically help burn victims. I find it very admirable that she is undertaking this calling. Please award this scholarship to Pam.

Thank you Dob! It is a pleasure knowing you and I really appreciate your support : )

Ooops! typo, thank you DOT! : )

Pam Jones is my friend and neighbor. She is very deserving of receiving this scholarship. She puts her heart and soul into her family making a wonderful home. Pam has worked very hard in her nursing studies and has excelled. I vote for Pam.

Thank you Susan. Your support means so much to me. You are always there for me in your posts on Facebook. With friends like you how could I not succeed in my goals : )

I met Pam march 6th 2012 the day before my brother and her Jenni were getting married.. she is so fun and always smiling it was an amazing time and Jenni and her dad were beautiful dancing together . There is so much love and dedication in the jones family and Pam has worked very hard to get to this point she has my vote! I can't wait to see you again .. at another joyful moment in Robert and Jennis life! Good luck!

Thank you for your support Mary. Meeting you and your family at the wedding was wonderful. You are all very dear to my heart. I can't wait to see you again when baby Pettry makes his or her appearance into this world : )

I wish you all the best in pursuing your dream and goal! Some of the best nursing care I've ever received has been from nurses with real life experience. I've found that those are the ones who remember little things, like water, a cloth to wipe your hands or face, making sure the bed linens aren't crumpled underneath you and such. I'm inspired that you are doing this ~ hoping to return to school and finish my college education after having grown children myself. God bless!

Thank you for your kind words. I am inspired by them and I am truly humbled that my efforts have inspired you in any way to go back to school. It is so worth the effort and I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I feel so accepted and blessed to be at the Achieving the Dream school I attend. Everyone there is so helpful from the staff to my professors and the other students of all ages who have been so kind and accepting of this older than usual first time college student. Please know, it is never too late to follow your dreams. I'm living mine now. Life truly does begin at the end of your comfort zone, I know because I am there now and have no regrets, no looking back. Your words so beautifully describe the nurse I want to be. I know what kindness looks like, it looks like the nurses who did exactly as you describe for my husband and for my daughter and me as we lived through this nightmare with him. Some have become friends and I stay in touch with them to this day. I will never forget the nurse who saw my daughter and I sharing the other hospital bed in his room when finally he got in a private room and we were allowed to stay over. She asked why I didn't have a sleeper chair and I told her I had been told none were available on that floor. I said I know where one is, it is in the empty room two floors below us next door to where my husband was in PCU. It was used by the wife of another burn survivor who was released the same day as my husband was moved upstairs. She left the room and not long after I heard something rustling in the hall. I looked out and she had gone down the elevator, got the sleeper chair and brought it up the elevator and was pushing it all the way to our room by herself. It was our anniversary and that was my present, my glorious present, the much appreciated sleeper chair and seeing my husband stand alone for the first time on that day since the fire. Nurses not only treat the patients, they treat the families too and in such a tragedy as a bad burn, that is the kind of care I know they need and the kind I want to give. I may not have as many years to practice when I finish school as some, but I will do so with all my heart and all my strength for as long as the Lord allows. One of my husband's favorite nurses was age 77 and still working full shifts. She is the one who would wake him in the night with a gentle touch on his arm, rather than flipping on the lights and saying it's time to take your BP. He just loved that. As I stood at my husband's bedside day after day and watched out his window as life flight helicopters landed, one after another, with burn survivors, two circling as one landed, having to wait for the helipad to clear, I know there are many that will need my help and will need that gentle touch at night. And there may be another wife and daughter, sharing a hospital bed who will need a sleeper chair or some other kindness to make them more comfortable and brighten their day. I want to be there for them for as long as I can, to do that for them and for their families. Just think, with the inspiration of Nurse Eleanor, I could still have a 20 year career ahead of me! Thank you again for your support and lovely words. God Bless!

Voting is OPEN! Just a short sign up process or you can sign in with Facebook. Thanks so much for your support!!

Thanks for viewing my video. Voting should be up soon!

Thank you for viewing my entry and thank you Achieving the Dream for this opportunity to share my story of how I ended up in college for the first time in my 50's after a life changing family tragedy. I hope mine and the other stories here will inspire others to Follow their DREAMS!