Not Without A Fight
by
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I feel compelled to go through Tammy’s things over and over again, to touch and smell the things she lived in and with. Each object, whether it’s an earring or a book or a sweater, still holds the essence of her, and I want to hold her essence just a little while longer. I don’t want time to steal it from me. Here is one of her trophies — Lokahi Canoe Club, Most inspirational Crew, 1987. She was a senior at the University of Hawail that year. She and Terri were seniors in high school when we moved to Hawaii. Wayne, (their dad and my husband), worked for the U. S. Department of Agriculture and in those days, if he wanted a promotion, he had to accept a transfer every couple of years or so. By the time Tammy and Terri graduated, they had attended three different high schools in three states. Their older sister, Cindy, was tired of moving when Wayne transferred to Honolulu, so she stayed behind in San Antonio, Texas to work on her bachelor’s degree at the University there. Though most of the kids in the T’s classes at McKinley High in Waikiki were very short Orientals and the Ts were very tall — nearly six feet tall — Tammy and Terri got along just fine. Their buddies called them “the Redman trees” and quickly introduced them to Island ways. For example, the Ts played clarinet in the marching band and after football games, everybody went for saimin instead of hamburgers or hot dogs. And everybody hung out at the beach instead of fast food joints. In short order both girls learned to body surf and to paddle an outrigger canoe. Terri and Tam are mirror image identical twins, so Terri, the oldest by one whole minute, is left handed, while Tammy was right handed. They loathed being referred to as “the twins” but they didn’t mind at all being called “the Ts”. Each struggled to find and maintain her own identity, separate from the other, yet they both liked the same things, had the same friends and wanted to do the same things at the same time. Maintaining the peace could get a bit tricky at times. When they were babies, Terri and Tam seemed to need to touch each other before they could go to sleep. They both slept in the same crib, crossways instead of lengthwise. Later, they learned to sleep in separate cribs, but they still needed to be able to see each other before they could relax. By the time they earned their bachelor’s degrees, they were determined to finally go their separate ways.
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About the Book
After she finished her PhD at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Tammy Redman continued working there as a postdoctoral fellow, but in 1997 she decided to move back to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be near her family, which included her twin sister, Terri; her older sister, Cindy, and Cindy’s two young daughters; and her parents. Terri bought an old house near the University of New Mexico, and Tammy shared the house and the house payments with her. They fixed up the house, refurbished the yard, and became a part of the delightful old neighborhood. In 1998 Tammy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She was determined to declare war on this monster and face it head-on. Along the way she learned many things—practical, scientific, and personal things. Tammy spent most of her last year traveling, seeking some way to vanquish the monster that was cancer. The author, her mother, went with her to offer companionship and support. Not Without a Fight is the story of Tammy’s battle with cancer, seeking a cure but finding a miracle of strength and devotion and family unity through her courageous quest.
About the Author
Donna Redman has been a freelance writer for over twenty years. Her work has appeared in CURE magazine, New Mexico Wildlife magazine, the East Mountain Telegraph, Crosswinds, and the Albuquerque Journal. She accompanied her daughter Tammy through Tammy’s odyssey with cancer.