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Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
Announcer 0:00
This is a KUNV Studios original program.
Wesley Knight 0:04
You're listening to special programming sponsored by Making Moves Life Coaching Services. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and Moore, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Pick it
Music 0:28
back and pick it south. Come on, talk to me, so you can't see what's going on.
Yeah, what's going on? Tell me what's going on.
Dave Washington 0:48
Great day, Las Vegas! Great day, Las Vegas! This is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host, and I am pleased to have three wonderful women in studio today, we'll get to them shortly. But I want to first of all encourage folks check your voter registration and get your butts out and vote early and often. No, not often. And I should also say that, and I failed to do it last week, but it's already in front because Wes makes sure it's played that Jason give disclaimers because sometimes I go off the chain and say things that could get the university in trouble. So I speak for me. I don't speak for the university under any circumstances, but certainly want to say it's important that we get out and vote. Not trying to tell you who to vote for. That's on you. But I can tell you that myself, my wife Marsha, Steve Stowers, Nedra Cooper, and also was Justin. I forget Justin's last name, but he's with a group that work does a lot of work within the community. Also listed there is Virginia Brooks Brewster. We are doing a voter education project in the Sarah Ann Knight Senior Apartments on october 24. It'll be the the second of these series, and we're encouraging people to come out because you need to know your voting rights. And there's so many games going on today. That's why we encourage people before you get down into the early voting as well as voting itself. Make sure you know that you are registered. And Nedra was on the show last week, and she mentioned that Nevada is a state where there was a law. She don't recall when it was passed, but we're a state that they don't purge you from the voting rosters, but some states they just purge people, and we don't want to take a chance. So we're encouraging people to go and check and make sure because there are some changes that got to be made, and we know if we can get some changes made in Senate and Congress in the midterms, we can turn this ship around. There's a lot of damage that's been done by 47, and again, I'm speaking on behalf of Dave Washington. So, birthdays. Oh, I miss so many. You know, I count on my wife Ingrid to to send me a list of birthdays of each month. Well, I failed to get that. So, I'll just repeat: her mom in heaven' birthday was this month. Retired Fire Chief Eugene Campbell, my sister Anita, and there's several others. So anyone who has a birthday in September, because I think this show will air in October, actually. So all those I missed, I apologize because I do think it's important. And all of those who've lost loved ones over the since we were last on air certainly want to express condolences to them. So, ladies and gentlemen, Veterans Affairs Plus is so pleased, and we're talking a lot on the plus side today. And as one of my daughters said, "You know, this is sickle cell anemia. What it is? Oh my goodness, your your name came up first in my head because I know you've been a patient, and also I met you at a at a function a few years back. I think it was at the park you were doing something there. That's Miss Glass and Miss White. I don't. I'm sure I've met you somewhere around the farm because I'm I'm an activist in our community, but important for you all. And we'll start with you, Miss Glass. Where you from? How long you been in Vegas? And what is you doing right now? Just tell our listening artists briefly about you, and then we'll go around and come to Miss Pam. Then we'll leave you for last, Ingrid.
Georgene Glass 4:37
Okay. So I'm Georgianae Glass. I have been in Las Vegas since 2016 from California. I have two children. My youngest daughter Gia lives with sickle cell disease. So after moving here a couple years, after moving here and navigating the healthcare system here, I decided to. Start Dream Sickle Kids Foundation in 2018, which became at that time the first sickle cell organization in the state of Nevada, and we met at the very first sickle cell walk. So you were at the very first sickle cell walk we had at Lorenzi Park.
Dave Washington 5:15
I remember like it was yesterday. I've been an activist most of my adult life. We will appreciate that, and we'll come back to you. Thank
you.
Pamela White 5:22
My name is Pamela White, and I am from Savannah, Georgia.
Dave Washington 5:26
Okay.
Pamela White 5:26
I have been here. Oh, geez, probably 4849, years. We came when I was young. My dad was in the military. Okay. And we met Ingrid when we were children. Did not spend a lot of time together because then, at that time, I knew that Ingrid had an illness, but I really did not know much about sickle cell disease at that time. And so now the world brings us back around, and she's living with it, and I have two children that are living with sickle cell disease. I have one; she's 47 years old, and my son is 27. So I come with a lot of experience. Okay,
Dave Washington 6:02
all right. Missing.
Ingrid Williams 6:05
Yes. Well, I'm Ingrid Williams, and I'm sorry if I had to interject with you, but the there was a sickle cell foundation that was created in the 70s. My dad, as well as Al Crosby, yeah, the black social workers, the black nurses, and the black educators, and a couple of other activists were trying to get the the testing for newborns
Dave Washington 6:44
to
Ingrid Williams 6:44
include the sickle cell trait. So they worked with the governor, and I believe it was Governor Ornshaw, and or Old Callahan, one of the old.
Dave Washington 6:58
Right, right. Old Callahan's probably Old Callahan.
Ingrid Williams 7:00
Yeah, they came together and got that newborn. It added as part of the newborn testing, but it was part of a wide variety of things that they were putting together with the newborn testing. That was round 76, and then in 83 they formed the Nevada Sickle Cell Foundation, and then I guess the the charter muster ran out. It was like the the old guys, you know, the with the black nurses they were very
Dave Washington 7:38
active at that time. Yes, as
Ingrid Williams 7:40
well as the black educators, were the ones that started the that culinary event that was held in West Las Vegas. That was not in West Las Vegas. They bought all the hotels together. Oh, the chefs and yeah, yeah. Because
Dave Washington 7:53
Chef Albert Washington has Darla's on. Yeah, MLK. Yeah, he was one of the leaders of that program. Yeah, absolutely.
Ingrid Williams 7:59
Yeah, yeah. They came together and just did the thing, and in that though, there was has been long bouts of time that although they were able to get it as part of the testing, there was some other things that that these ladies bought when they came into town, or they had their interest. That now there's more social services and education, and we need to get into some actual care for the warriors out there. Excellent.
Dave Washington 8:40
And she and I used to be colleagues with the city of Las Vegas. I did 33 years. How many did you
Ingrid Williams 8:46
do? About that many. Yeah, we was doing our thing.
Dave Washington 8:49
So your your concentration, I think you mentioned children or youth or something with
Georgene Glass 8:54
it. Children and families, but really the entire sickle cell community we support regardless of age, but we do focus more on children and families. Just being that I'm a caregiver of a patient with sickle cell, and my experience was from more so from the the youth side of dealing with sickle cell.
Dave Washington 9:16
Right, and you know what? And as when you contact me, because I was the first person I contact. She said, "I'm gonna bring Pam White. I'm like, "Pam White's the president of so and so and so and so, and then I ask April, my daughter, about you, and I'm like, "I hope there isn't any kind of conflict. And I'll say that for this reason: there was the 100 black men. I was in the first 100 black men group, and there was a controversy. I heard this brother say, "Yeah, we were the first, and I'm like, "No, you weren't. But you know, it's a play on words, I guess you could say, because they were with the national group and the group that I was with, Mujahid, Ramadan, and and Mike. What was Mike's last name? Anyway,
Ingrid Williams 10:00
Chambliss.
Dave Washington 10:03
Chambliss, no, no, no, wasn't Mike Chambliss? I'm trying to remember my. He was an accountant, but anyway, we weren't attached to a national group, but we were still the first ones in the state of Nevada. But the bottom line is, what are you doing? That's the key. Right. So if we're doing things that's going to to take care the needs of community, because it's not something that's widely studied or talked about, and I think the importance of both groups is to ensure that we keep it on the front burner. Because, as we know, particularly and and again, as I mentioned, Jason always does the the disclaimer at the at the at the start of the program for all of us talk show hosts because I'm liable to say anything and I can tell you this we know that 47 is trying to eliminate all that we've done in this country
Pamela White 10:50
yes
Dave Washington 10:51
and we did a lot so anyway tell us a little bit more about your organization and and each of you tell us about things that we can do to assist because I think it's important for the entire community to stay engaged in things that are important from a health standpoint. And as I'm sure you recall, Ingrid, and you guys may know as well, I'm I'm not under any treatment right now for pancreatic cancer, but I am going down quarterly. In fact, me and my wife will be back down next month for my fourth of my quarterly for the year. You know that evaluation they do all the whatever they do to you. You know, and you'd be like, "Oh, not again! But you go down there for your health. So anyway, we got to keep things that deals with our health on the front burning, and also, if you would, I know we got someone in the studio. We don't have so many mics, but would you introduce and say hello to? I think you had a board member.
Georgene Glass 11:50
Oh yes, so we have Marcus Pride the second. He's our fiduciary officer. We also welcomed a new president this year, Tamara Williams. She's also a sickle cell warrior, so we've had some changes over this year. I've had the pleasure of working with and knowing Pam almost since I moved here. We met at a support group that used to be at the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation years ago. So she was one of the few people who I discussed starting the organization with, and over the years we've been able to work together to make a lot of progress in the sickle cell space here in Nevada. From getting a sickle cell bill passed in 2019, AB 254, that was sponsored by Senator Dina Neal and co-sponsored by the late Tyrone Thompson, we actually just concluded a five-year sickle cell disease grant through HERSA. It's a federal grant. It's been established for 15 years, and when we applied for that grant, it was the first time that it was ever given to Nevada or ever even applied for by someone in Nevada, and Pam and I and a couple of other advocates literally sat around a table like this and wrote that grant with no prior grant writing experience on a federal level.
Dave Washington 13:11
Here, here! If I could do a drum roll, that is excellent. So you guys have worked collaboratively, collaborately on legislation to ensure that things are done to address the needs of the community. Well,
Pamela White 13:26
we're we're trying. We're trying. Okay, we we do work together, and like she said, we did get that five-year grant, and we were working together and building the infrastructure for here in Las Vegas with the sickle cell community. We've managed to do a lot in these last five years. We have a lot of support services, like we have transportation to help them get to their doctor's appointments. We help with food, helping to give them food. I want to say what's the word anyway?
Ingrid Williams 13:57
Social services,
Pamela White 13:58
helping to get them get food at their homes, especially a lot of times people don't understand when sickle cell patients go to the hospital. Be it that patient themselves or the caregiver, sometimes the monies are cut because you know they can't get to work. So now you don't have enough money to pay your rent. You don't have enough money to bring food into the home, and and then some don't some of them don't have transportation. So as
Dave Washington 14:25
so as Ingrid
said,
help to bring in social services to give assistance. So let me ask you this, Ingrid. So I know you've been, and you don't have to say time wise if you don't choose to, but I know you've been in battle with this for a number of years. So, how do you think, with the work of these organizations, have helped to increase the care and and and the human thought about you know? Because sometimes people get left in the background, if you will. You know, unless someone is advocating for you, people just kind of like kick you to the curb. For lack of a better word,
Ingrid Williams 15:01
see, and that's why I appreciate what both these ladies are doing, as well as anybody that's doing. Because I was diagnosed on the time that I was I was a kindergarten dropout because they didn't know what was going on. So over 60 years ago, that was when I was diagnosed, and believe me, you know, some of my first memories is was of pain. You know, when I was two years old, and just remember my extremities being really warm,
Dave Washington 15:30
right?
Ingrid Williams 15:30
And not understanding what was going on, and just crying, crying for no reason. So they fought. You know, my my grandmother not being able to console me, and me not being able to be consoled, very misunderstood what I needed, and because I didn't have those communication skills to to say you know that this or that was wrong. Now, as far as the look of a sickle cell patient, you know, I don't have that that look of a sickle cell patient. So, how what I was experiencing wasn't what they had in the books. So, you know, some of the typical things that they were looking for. I was just asked this question like a week and a half ago, because I have some new people on my medical team, and one of the first things they asked me was, "My eyes discolored. I'm like, "No, was my stomach extended? No. What are you looking in a pediatric book? Right. So I really do want the community of of Nevada, and especially the community of Clark County, for one to continue on with the education and social services that are happening right now, but but then to add on the education of our the medical community as to be more accepting, because most of the the treatment for sickle cell are really is for hard drugs. Because I'm so old, as I was telling Pam, because I've been a caretaker of other people, and I've put my own needs to the back burner, but now I need to concentrate on me.
Dave Washington 17:23
Once, once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 jazz and more individuals who are dealing with the whole issue of sickle cell. It's important for us to discuss, and I can say this, you know, with my cancer, I just joined a group. It's a it's a firefighter group, and guess what they asked me to do, and it seems like something that you're doing that people speak a little bit more about it. They asked me if I would be a mentor to someone because they say they don't get a whole lot of survivors with pancreatic cancer. I said absolutely. I mean, why not? Those guys who were coaching me, you know. And this year, this I just left the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute as a president for the last 10 or so years, and you know it's just time for me to move along. But as I was getting an award, or not an award, well, moving to what's called the virtual wall of honor, they were honoring those who have done things to help to perpetuate this organization, this institute that is trained firefighters to move up through the ranks, several people came up to me after George. They said, "Wow, you are so strong, and we really appreciate. And then they start telling me about stories. So, talk about people that you're assisting, and I, you know what? All these years I've known you, I didn't know you had it as a baby.
Ingrid Williams 18:43
Yeah, yeah, I I was hiding in plain sight a whole lot. Just hiding in plain sight. I don't think that the first maybe my my close coworkers knew that I had something wrong. You know, not except not especially what was wrong? Right, but at least 13 to 18 years, I hid it from most of people in the city. It was well into the FMLA Act and the the ADA Act, and
Dave Washington 19:13
start getting some help from government.
Ingrid Williams 19:15
You know all these organizations that you know so many people are against. How well you don't want because a lot of sickle cell patients are on government assistance of some sort because it really impacts your ability to earn a living for your family, and without good medical care, and it's it's very hard. So the the Pam was saying, as a a sick cell warrior, you know I needed it. I I needed to be lifted up on two ends, one as a a patient of sickle cell, and the other as a a parent, and then the third as a caregiver. So I I needed. All the services, but way that I was brought up because my brother also has
Dave Washington 20:08
it.
Ingrid Williams 20:09
You didn't you didn't go to anybody and ask for help. You know you needed to be strong enough within yourself to figure it out, and that's not necessarily the the best way to handle it, you know. If we we can all come together and work towards a common goal, that's when we are the most successful.
Dave Washington 20:30
Absolutely. Let me ask you. So, and either one of you guys can answer, but how about insurance? I trust that there is some effect that it would have on getting coverage.
Pamela White 20:41
Well, you want to answer that?
Ingrid Williams 20:43
I can say what my experience was up until the affordable healthcare situation happened. I was uninsurable, so part of my silence was, especially that first year of of working was to ensure that I had medical coverage. So a large part of my silence was to keep it from my employee, and that may be the wrong thing to say. May be politically incorrect. You're
Dave Washington 21:15
you're a human being that's trying to to live your life, and and sometimes government and others have made it difficult for people because, to me, and I keep talking about this on this show, our lack of humanity. We should all be caring about one another. We should be caring about one another because, you know, as I said, people talked about how strong I am, and y'all, if y'all haven't seen my documentary, a documentary Idaho is it's on my journey with with pancreatic cancer, faith, family, and friends.
Pamela White 21:46
Yes,
Dave Washington 21:47
because otherwise I'd have been probably walking around. And you know what I cried about? I didn't cry about the possibility of death because we all gonna die. Know what I cried about? I couldn't taste my food. My wife said, "What you crying for? I say, I was like, when you can't taste your food, you don't eat. Oh, oh my goodness! He said, "Well, eat what you enjoy. Still tastes like trash. I'm like, "Oh my, oh my. This is anyway, but on the insurance thing, please.
Pamela White 22:13
I wanted to say that we do have a. I have a person who she loves to work. She has sickle cell, and her son has sickle cell, and she was working, but not reporting how many hours she was working. So then it got to the point that she had a choice to make. I stop working and just draw disability, or you know, if I keep working now, I have to. I have so much money I have to pay back. So you don't you you cannot live the life that you want to live. She she went on ahead and she stopped working so that she could keep a roof over her and her son's head. Sure. But now she don't have enough money to buy a vehicle. You know, there's nothing to the size. That that little disability check goes for rent and food, sure. So she has nothing else to really enjoy life with.
Dave Washington 23:04
So let me ask you this: Are you guys doing anything on a fundraising tip, if you will? And what can we do? And and and do you guys have websites that that people can go to and make contributions? Because
Pamela White 23:16
absolutely, we
Dave Washington 23:17
gonna use this platform to just squeeze everything. We and I'm looking at the board, the board member, and he said, "Yeah, man, that's right. Let's squeeze them, man. We gotta care about each other. That's right. So
Georgene Glass 23:27
we, so we actually have for the past two years, a gentleman found us through Google and reached out, and he lost a brother to sickle cell disease. He's a Las Vegas native. His brother passed away when he was about 30. So he owns a clothing line and he has a love for golf. So he said that he wanted to throw us a golfing fundraiser. So last year he threw the first swing for sickle cell golf fundraiser and they raised us $5,000. Now we don't typically do fundraisers, so that was the first fundraiser that was thrown for us that raised us the most money we ever had raised in a fundraiser fashion, and this year he did it again, and he raised 5200. So his goal is to try to raise more and more each year.
Dave Washington 24:18
Well, let me stop because I am an avid golfer. I'm not that good. Well, you got to be there next year. Yeah, let me know, and then plus you can come on and talk about it on the show because this platform, through the help of Wes, we get things out to people, and I think it's an important thing for us to raise those. I mean, any kind of money is better than no money to do something. When you talk about you know I'm sitting up here trying to keep from getting emotional you know I'm not a journalist I'm a talk show host you know journalists they always be tough I'd be able to cry in a minute but we got to help each other right absolutely
Pamela White 24:53
right what Ingrid was saying when she said social services is actually support services that's what. We try to do we we're the funds that are raised is to help support those that need rental assistance and the transportation and the food assistance and and all of that. We've even helped with burial assistance, so we help with copays with with the medical with the prescriptions. So that's what the funds are used fundamentally. And
Dave Washington 25:23
you guys mentioned that you sit down had never done a grant proposal, and was able to get it done by just you know God's blessing, God's blessing of course, and using
Georgene Glass 25:34
our experience with being parents and and healthcare providers. We just you know talking to patients, so we have learned what they feel is important to them, and what we feel as caregivers will be important for our warriors and we and for the community. And we just sat down and and wrote it out and turned it in and crossed our fingers, even though we have very little faith because we're a small state, and you know the big states get that kind of money, and but a couple weeks later, got an email from somebody in legislation to say congratulations, we were we got this award, and of course they wanted to let us know if we needed their help. You know they were there, but where were you when we were writing that bill grant? But so yeah, so it was really a surprise that we were able to get that grant. But we were able to help a lot of people in the community impacted by sickle cell disease, or even if they were just carriers of the sickle cell trait, we were able to make a connection with them and assist them in different ways with different supportive services, like Pam said, from rent to food and transportation.
Dave Washington 26:46
All right, Wes says we got about three minutes, so let's go around the horn here and give some closing remarks to include if you have a website that people can connect
Pamela White 26:54
to. Okay, I do have a website that is www.btgadultsicklecell.org, and I do not want to leave here without saying hi to you from Dexter Castle. All right,
Dave Washington 27:09
Captain Dexter.
Ingrid Williams 27:12
No, I don't have a website. It's just me. I'm LV sickler. It's on Facebook, but it's um. But I think that's me and my intention.
Dave Washington 27:22
Well, you say you got a you got a what did you say you have? You don't have a website, but you have you do stuff on social media.
Ingrid Williams 27:30
Yeah, yeah, a little bit. But for for for most part, just keeping my ear to the ground.
Dave Washington 27:36
Well, let me say that. Let me ask you this. They say, what's your handle? Because you know I'm trying to act like I know a horse. I'm doggone thing, but I tell you this, I think your experience will be helpful to someone.
Georgene Glass 27:47
Absolutely.
Dave Washington 27:48
So whatever whatever you're doing out there in social media, there must be. Is it under your name? I'm I'm
Ingrid Williams 27:54
LV Sickler or I'm Ingberg 61.
Dave Washington 27:57
See, that's what I'm talking about. See either one. I don't know. I don't know the proper term, but I know what I'm talking about. Go
Georgene Glass 28:01
ahead. So we have our ninth annual Las Vegas Sickle Cell Walk that's happening next Saturday, September 26 at 7:30, and it'll be at Lorenzi Park, which is the park where we held our very first sickle cell walk. And anybody that wants to volunteer, donate, or come out and be a vendor. Can look us up at dreamsiclekids.org.
Dave Washington 28:25
Absolutely. Once again, lost figures. This is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 Jazz and more. We had Miss Glass, Miss White, Miss Williams, and they are all advocates and and and those who are pushing the envelope to get assistance for folks who, and Ingrid, in her case, would been a long time struggling with the sickle cell. So thank you all so very much, and we're gonna keep praying for y'all, and we're gonna take action to help you all.
All 28:52
Thank you, Dave. Thanks for having us. Thank you, Dave.
Music 29:25
All the smoke in the air, feel the hate when they stare. All the pain that we bear.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai