Come out to Kerr Lake Country Club Saturday, pick up some barbecue plates and let everyone know that you’re supporting the “Fight for Misty” fundraiser.
Pick up barbecue plates, complete with slaw, boiled potatoes, bread and dessert for $12.
No ticket in hand? No problem – you can purchase on site, at 600 Hedrick Drive.
The “Fight for Misty” fundraiser begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
In 2019, Misty was diagnosed with Cardiac Sarcoidosis, a rare disease that disrupts the heart’s rhythm, blood flow and normal heart function causing very aggressive inflammation around the heart.
She had a pacemaker implanted to monitor her heart rhythm and detect irregular heartbeats. She takes numerous medications and receives regular infustions at Duke University Hospital to reduce inflammation around her heart. Cardiac sarcoidosis has no cure and requires ongoing long-term treatment.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Misty_012821.jpg399300WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2023-08-22 00:03:232023-08-26 17:59:03“Fight For Misty” BBQ Fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 26 At Kerr Lake Country Club
She’s done a lot of research since her diagnosis, and Misty Bailey says the heart condition she deals with daily affects 60 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. That makes cardiac sarcoidosis relatively uncommon. There’s no quick fix, but there are treatments that can help make patients like Bailey feel better. Not well, but better.
Bailey takes upwards of two dozen pills each day and sees a team of doctors to manage her condition and the side effects of medication and the toll all of this takes on her body. She and her husband call those specialists “-ologists.” There’s the endocrinologist, the ophthalmologist, the neurologist, and, of course, the cardiologist, to name just a few.
All this care takes time – and money. And that’s where the “Fight for Misty” team kicks in. A barbecue fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Bailey’s church, Harriet Baptist Church, located at 1354 Ruin Creek Road. Pickup is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Baileys, along with Amy Bowling, were on Town Talk Wednesday to talk about the fundraiser and to increase awareness of the disease, which is described as a chronic inflammatory condition, which has no cure.
The barbecue is $10 per pound. There also are t-shirts, stainless steel tumblers and silicone wrist bands – all emblazoned with “Fight for Misty” – available for purchase. Tickets are available before the event, but drive-ups are welcome.
Bailey said she is humbled and honored to feel the support of people, some of which she doesn’t even know. When she sees folks wearing “her” t-shirt, it evokes emotions of appreciation and gratitude. It also keeps her motivated as she learns to live with a chronic health condition.
“They’re spreading awareness and they don’t know me personally – they want to support me (and) they want to help people that need the help,” Bailey said.
“Even for those who I don’t know that have supported me through t-shirt sales, BBQ, and donations, you all have made me feel special. I can’t tell you thank you enough and how much your support means to me,” she said.
In April, Bailey had a port placed so she could receive infusions every six weeks to reduce the inflammation around her heart. Her rheumatologist said this could continue for several years. Sometime within the next five years, she said “Afib will start showing itself,” so that will have to be dealt with. Afib refers to arrhythmia, when the heart doesn’t pump and beat in proper rhythm.
Dealing with all the side effects takes its toll, she said.
“The hardest part of this heart disease is when I am laughing and having a great time,” Bailey said. “Some people start to think, ‘She looks absolutely fine there. It doesn’t seem like she is in any kind of pain. In fact, she is going out having fun!’”
But, she said, she wants to reply, “Did you know that I had to save my energy all week long just to go out that one night?”
As she continues to manage the daily challenges she faces, Bailey said she feels like she is called to be a voice for this disease. “As long as I have the strength to do so, that’s what I will be doing,” she added.
“A lot of people don’t even realize they have cardiac sarcoidosis until it’s too late,” she continued.
Family and friends of Misty and William Bailey are working together to host a barbecue plate fundraiser on Feb. 6 to help the Baileys with medical bills. You might say they’re mighty good-hearted people, helping a young woman whose own heart is giving her some trouble.
The Baileys recall the exact day her heart problems escalated to the current diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis – it was Nov. 18, 2019, Misty said on Thursday’s Town Talk. She had experienced some heart issues before then, (she knew she was in AFib and had arrhythmia) but the November 2019 event has taken her heart condition to a whole different level.
The medications, the regular visits to the hospital, all are adding up, and that is why their friends and family have stepped up with the idea of a fundraiser. The event will be held at Kerr Lake Country Club from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 each; the goal is to sell 1,000 tickets.
Tickets are available now and will be available at the event, said Amy Bowling, Misty’s sister-in-law, who is spearheading this effort. T-shirts are available for sale as well, Bowling said. Visit the Facebook page “Fight For Misty” to learn more.
“It’s a really rare disease,” Misty told Town Talk host John C. Rose. The disease is treatable, but it has no cure. Since her diagnosis just more than a year ago, Misty has been hospitalized five times – two of those hospitalizations were 4-5 days each in ICU. She has a pacemaker now to help keep her heart in rhythm. Her most recent stay was in December, where doctors performed an ablation to help the arrhythmia caused by inflammation in her heart.
People diagnosed with sarcoidosis have tiny collections of inflammatory cells called granulomas that affect proper function of the affected organ. In Misty’s case, it is her heart that has the granulomas.
“The doctors at Duke are amazing.” Misty said. And I am grateful for everything they have done for me and continue to do.” Ultimately, she may need a heart transplant, she said.
Since her diagnosis, Misty said she has learned to be grateful for every little thing. It’s so important, she said, “to do what you can when you can.” On those days she really doesn’t feel like getting out of the bed, she gets up anyway. “I have to,” she said, “while I can.”
Misty expects to begin visits to the hospital every 4-6 weeks to receive infusions, which doctors hope will help reduce inflammation as well. “There are some days that I am just so tired,” Misty said, but husband William “is right there, my extra set of hands and feet,” she said. The couple has five children, and she credits William’s support for making all the difference.
Family, friends and the community have been supportive as well. William’s employers, the City of Henderson and Food Lion, “have both been behind me every step of the way,” he said. February 6 is going to be a good day, William said. “It’s gonna be a long day,” he added with a chuckle. “As we learn more and as we do more, our hearts are behind finding a cure,” he said.
According to Bowling, Mike Humphries and members of the Gela Hunt Club in Granville County are helping with the fundraiser, and Doug Puckett is cooking. The plate will include barbecue, cole slaw, potato salad, bread and assorted desserts.
Misty said she plans to be at the fundraiser, providing moral support for everyone working to make it a success. “I’ll be there to show my appreciation,” she said. “Friends, family, the community have really been good to us.”
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Misty-Sample-Ticket.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-02 21:36:342021-02-03 14:40:01TownTalk 1-28-21 Misty Bailey, Her Strength and a BBQ Fundraiser
