Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, continues on his journey with stage four lung cancer with ups and downs. At this point, he is expecting a big birthday celebration that includes a safe separation from his guests in order to maintain a safe social distance during the continued coronavirus pandemic.
What keeps him going? Of course, Rev. Fuzz has a continuous desire to help people through a plethora of ways. September is national Sickle Cell Month. Fuzz is excited about celebrating his birthday to be held at the new Elliston Place Soda Shop as a fundraiser to help defray the cost of his medical care. However, what he describes as “a driving force to keep going” is a little seven-year-old girl he describes as “a real hero, living life fully as a student at Ezell Harding Academy.” Shelby Scott will be presented with the Pamela Fuzz Sickle Cell Hero of the Year Award.
Shelby is living with sickle cell disease and she is being given this award to continue to bring awareness to the disease that took the life of Rev. Fuzz’s former wife, Pamela Fuzz. Shelby will be presented a framed ‘certificate of recognition’ and cash gift. She will be pastor Fuzz’s honored birthday guest!
Shelby’s mother, Chasity said, she was ecstatic to find out that Shelby was the recipient! “I was very humbled to know that with Sickle Cell there is actually someone who cares. The compassion and understanding means a lot that Rev. Fuzz would take time to think of someone else during his own trials.”
Fuzz maintains that he has not heard much about the impact on Black victims and family members living with sickle cell. And he hasn’t heard of any cures for this disease. The Pamela Fuzz Sickle Cell Hero of the Year Award was developed following the death of Pamela, affectionately called ‘Pam’ as he watched her fight this battle for many years. He feels that sickle cell disease is often overlooked for whatever reason.
SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a farm tool called a ‘sickle.’ Genes for the sickle hemoglobin must be inherited from both parents in order to have the disease. A person who receives a gene for sickle cell disease from one parent and a normal gene from the other has a condition called ‘sickle cell trait.’ Sickle cell trait produces no symptoms or problems for most people.
Rev. Enoch Fuzz will safely celebrate his 65th birthday at Elliston Place Soda Shop on Saturday, September 26 from 10 am-4 pm. To maintain his positive progression of health during his journey with cancer, he will not be present for the complete day. Yet, he will be celebrated.
Continue to pray and check on him through his Facebook and follow Rev. Enoch Fuzz’s journey, ‘Cancer: My Journey in Time’ by reading each week.
