Daisy Lynton and Deidad Vega

00:02 My name is Daisy, l.

00:07 Campbell Billington.

00:11 H71.

00:15 Today's date is October 14th 2021.

00:20 Location, Columbus, Georgia.

00:25 The name of the interview partner is.

00:30 Vega.

00:33 He is a friend to me.

00:39 My name is penis, bigger.

00:42 I am 57 years old.

00:46 Today is Thursday, 14.

00:50 October 2021.

00:55 Play something.

00:57 Gravity on recording is Columbus, Georgia.

01:01 My.

01:05 My company enter is Daisy Lynton.

01:11 I'm a friend of hers. She's my friend.

01:23 I would like to tell the story.

01:26 Most of the thing that I remember of my life growing up and Beena,

01:34 Retired nurse. Now. I was born in Panama on September 30th, 1950.

01:43 To mister and mistress Campbell.

01:47 My dad was from, Barbados.

01:51 My mother was Jamaican.

01:55 And I knew my grandmother on my mother's side was from India.

02:02 They migrated to Panama because of the Panama Canal.

02:06 My dad was a Waterboy working in the Panama Canal.

02:12 Is sorry Daddy telling me used to make $0.10 an hour as a waterborne to take water back and forth to their workers. My dad was not educated. My mother went to school. She was most educated.

02:30 We live.

02:32 On the Panama, Canal Zone area and why?

02:38 We leave there because that territory was rented out to the American for the workers to work there and live there, and go to school there.

02:49 We had two different section that I know when I was going out.

02:56 Two different commissary were white. People will go to one, Sherry. The black says, go to different commissary.

03:04 I'll do the Black Sea in Panama had.

03:08 A better salary than their naked, Latinos. And the reason is, was the new English so they could work for the Panama a day of the American government and that time. So that's why they had the better salary and B a privilege. In those days when I was growing up. I can remember We Are Family.

03:31 Let me see. I have two brothers, three sisters, one deceased brother. When I was little. There was a book and I think they took it out of the library right now with Dick and Jane and Sally. And I was the baby Sally so they used to ride me wrong in a red wagon. I can remember that riding in the Red Wagon, going to the store with my older siblings.

03:59 I went my older siblings, went to school at the Panama Canal and they are fluent in English, more than I am. I went to Catholic School.

04:11 In Panama, I 10 years old, when I was 10 years old, my dad retire from the Panama Canal, and we had to move into the City of Panama.

04:22 So I went to school in Spanish. I graduated in Spanish. I went to high school in Spanish. I most of my friend was Latino.

04:34 As I can remember, sometime and I friends would laugh at Mesa, but babies Daisy, you speak English, but your English is a broken English and I said, well, that's what I learn at home. But to find out that my parents.

04:49 At that time were the English. That Dylan was a British English. They was belongs to the British Monarchy Barbados and Jamaican. So that's why we had that deep accent. That, you know, my friends used to tease me, but you know what? It's all good. I was bilingual seal.

05:11 Also, I can remember going to school.

05:16 I used to like I eat a lot of mangoes. That's my one of my favorite. Are you surprised? There was a neighbor? She had a lot of mangoes. Interferon used to throw rocks at the lady house to get the mangoes and when they complain to my dad, I get a whipping.

05:33 I can tell myself. I was a little tomboys like I used to like to climb a lot of trees and

05:40 Paying the river with the dirty water, and catch the turtles, and the and the fishes and things like that. That was one of my favorite things to do. If I always love the dog. I had a dog, the dog was whatever, Brady was. But when everybody go to bed at night, I'll bring the dog in the house. Put them in the bed with me. And my sisters used to get mad at me, at that time. You don't have separate bedrooms. We all sleep in one bed, the three girls, and one bed, the parents in another bed, and the boys, and another better one, big bedroom. So we used to deliver and it was nice growing up like that. It was a family house. My grandmother had this big house. We had all the vegetable and fruits and everything growing in their yard. So we are going to pick the different fruits that we like, I can remember.

06:37 I used to like, to eat a fruit named guava and have a bunch of little cheese. But when the rain come, it's fall off a tree, a lot for and fell off the tree. So I'll wait till we finish our race. Don't dare try to get it before. My cousin's, get there, the guava. I was going to get my bunch, but I usually would share with them.

07:01 After I graduated, I was working. I graduated as a nurse in Panama.

07:08 I was a surgical nurse.

07:11 I had a big German Shepherd, dog, which I love so much and one morning my I let him out and then you got hit by a car. I need. I thought I was kind of a sad moment in my life.

07:26 I work.

07:28 My brother came to the United States and was it have been in New York for a long time? You send for a sister of mine that live in California actually right now.

07:38 And she went to Catholic School in California, and she was an accountant at that time. And she decided to encourage me to come to the States, because I will make ever have a better salary.

07:51 I said, well, I think about it. I was married at that time. I had my first child.

08:00 And I had my first try when I was 21 isn't in was Ricardo.

08:04 He was the junior high. My referral recorder Linton. We are high school, sweetheart.

08:11 And on one of my first patient, that disease was my own child.

08:17 He died at the age of one year and 6 months at that time. He had a kidney failure. And science was not that advanced as it is today. So the kids either. I just finished school.

08:35 I took him to the emergency room.

08:38 And I told the doctor that you haven't been to the bathroom. And the doctor says no, that's not possible. Send me back home with the kid and

08:48 I insisted and went back again and then you fall into a coma. Didn't do dialysis soon enough. So, he died at the age of a year and 6 months. I was the next tragedy in my life that I think about him all the time.

09:15 So, we migrated to the states.

09:20 No, I had my parents alive still.

09:23 So when my sister offer me I sent for you at that time, immigration was not that tough as it's used today. Then a sister could send for a sister. You know, I mean, 6 months time you get your paperwork, it is but one advantage that I had.

09:44 Coming to the United States. I'm getting a Visa was he was born in the Panama canal, side of the country and the American government used to consider you.

09:55 If you really want to come to the states as an American citizen, they will authorize you to come. So that was an advantage for me to come to the states sooner and you not to come in the country illegal or anything. About a lot of people used to ask me. Daisy. Did you come true? The river. I said? No. I came in a plane airport. I had a resident. Be so when I came to this country.

10:25 Anyway.

10:27 When my sister offered me, I kind of like it and then I suppose, you know, what?

10:33 Afro going to come doing. Those paperwork my mother died.

10:38 So I came to the states with my dad. And we moved, we came. And we was there been in Boston. Cold, very cold, cold, cold, Google.

10:47 I can remember the first Christmas he spend in the oil and Mandy show up to my sister house and we were freezing and refreezing house, but it was okay to watch this commercial be all that you can be, I was working but I wasn't working as a nurse because I didn't have the United States license. I was working in a, I was working at a cleaning company. I was working cleaning company sometime. I used to feel sad and see if you know what? I feel like to go back home and just forget this but like I said, the salary was still great and what I was making as a nurse in Panama.

11:38 So my husband decided to join a military and join the military and we got station in Panama. So when back to Panama, so I'm going back to my same job. I have two kids at that time. My daughter who is 48 years old now, and my son is 42. We stayed in front of my, for about two years, came back to the States and we was living in, Kentucky.

12:06 After Kentucky, my husband get reassigned back to Panama gear. So here we go, or yes, I can add. The Packers is here time to pack. When I wear makeup animals 1979. I left Panama 78. I went back to 80.

12:27 And then I went back again in 81 and stay on 285 1985. My youngest son was more in Panama.

12:39 So 85 was in Panama from Panama. Went to Germany.

12:44 Love Germany, beautiful country Holland, Spain. I mean, I get to travel a whole lot of price of precious memories of Germany. I have German friends that I visit and we keep in contact. When Christmas Comes. I get a box of cookies from those lady. Still send the cookies for the kids.

13:06 And I was when I was in Germany, I didn't work. Well, I volunteer before I could get him working as a nurse because being in Germany and it was an American citizen. Yeah, I can work as a local National. So they allow me to work under the Panama license in Germany, which in the states. They didn't allow me to have to go back to school. So I work as a local National but what I did, I volunteer a whole lot with the Red Cross. I mean, I used to put in 8 hours was just like it was that, but at night and I will work at Burger King to make money.

13:45 And I was feeling it meant that the kids, the supervisor from the Burger King. It one of the four that was one of the first Burger King in Germany in the town where I used to that was baumholder attorney in baumholder. They used to call it the rock, because was way up there in the mountains, but it was nice and cold, very cold, very cold, and Damas. The kids away from me. Now. When I get home and I'll bring the leftover burger and feed the neighbor kids are my kids. So they used to know. My son name is Amir to bring you a burger today. Are you shake and they're waiting on the steps for me because the house is it in Germany was like on. Do you know like something over the condos in New York? Say those are hard to type. But how was he in the military had over there. So after I left, Germany

14:39 I went to a Paso, Texas. El Paso, Texas. I was working.

14:45 At a nursing home.

14:48 I told him that I think I got before ticket RT ticket when I came back from Germany because I got a custom to driving so fast that I think I was on the Autobahn still. So I got to take a shower one day. My husband almost strangled me because, you know, they report that to the commander here and you need to control your dependent, you know, you can't be doing that. So

15:14 I work at a nursing home, and I have a story of two Mexican people at.

15:21 Became friend of mine. That was just one young man. That every time you come to work is Spanish, Fort was a nice butt across the river every morning to come to work. So you said I'll come over like a mojado, but I come to work when you was there all the time. You didn't miss work now or anyting. There was another lady named Lola. I used to feel so bad for Lola because Lord I would have like 10 patient. And is she alone? I complain to the administration. You guys need to get this lady some help and it did she end up getting two more people to work with her. So it was less people for her to

16:07 Take care of also was telling MRI incident with the lady. Her daughter was a big judge Back in the Days. Inn, El Paso. I can remember her name was Aubrey and her mother was in there. So one day I, you know, went to the room because I used to like to sit and talk to the lady after she get her medicine and she grabbed me, my are my neck and I got scared like I used to do about to kill me and daughter was there. And she said, well, you said I never have got a negro better than that, but you are a different negro because you're from. Can you speak Spanish? I like you very much. I said, what I like you to be so bright. So we became friends and when our mother passed, I was telling them. I have a nice chair. She said, this is Daisy chair, make sure Daisy get this chair cuz I used to like to sit there, you know and tell him she was telling me all this story of America and what you been through.

17:07 I want to believe she was from Russia.

17:13 But I know the daughter was a lawyer, he probably past because she was an older lady to at that time and I was in my forties when I met this family. So leaving El Paso was sad. I love a person, I used to love to go through. There was a place in Stone Mountain, a go up in the mountain and when you get up there and you look across this here all day, the likes of a passel of shootout, Juarez, you go see clear across your face. It wasn't no trees or nothing like that.

17:46 So when I came to Georgia, 1992 was a culture shock for me. After all these trees. I was kind of nervous because at that time there was a lot of incidents of people getting killed and turn the river back. If I remember the guy, I know they had him in jail for a long time. I was kind of scared to go searching places, but as it went along,

18:16 I got accustomed to living in Georgia. I work at 7, Francis Hospital as a scrub nurse for about

18:28 10 years or do Saint. Francis made some great friends on, great doctors. And like I said, I was the only nurse at that time. That could speak Spanish because I need their comment Daisy. Where is the Foreigner? They used to call me, the Foreigner coming to speak to you of your people. We need to understand what you're trying to say. So do use me a lot as a translator while I was there. So then I went back to school. I went to Columbus State, and I get a degree in a toaster.

19:04 Medical Associate. Then I went to Columbus Day. Can I get my LPN license? Because I had to get my license and a great thing. That's in France. Is this for me? I will work 20 hours and I will pay me for 40. So that was very good. I remember that kind of nuns used to run. Saint Francis Hospital is a Catholic Hospital and run the hospital.

19:32 So, that was great. I stayed here after same prices are left to Valley. Health community center community center was.

19:42 Where I met and come across a, whole lot of Hispanic people, some great friends, and I'm still friends with them. I still have them out the best way I can.

19:54 And I see I've already had four five years.

19:57 Being at Valley Health. It was very stressful because was me the whole in Spanish. Everybody used to look forward for me to translate or chapparone with the daughter in the room and back and forth. I had a heart attack in 2004 while working at Valley Health.

20:20 I was there.

20:22 Time to go back to work, the doctor keep. Extending my leaf, came up a position at Muscogee school district and I apply for it. It was a be cooking salary, but a piece of mind sometimes is better than the money and I apply for job and got the job. So, I worked there for 12 years with the little kids.

20:47 Cuddling him up and loving him up and giving it a Band-Aid, and then they leave the medicine and call the parents. If I feel like you're not feeling good and see me working there.

21:00 I was complaining about a pain in my back and being a nurse sometime. You neglect yourself. That's not nothing. And I went along with that song about.

21:12 6 months. I remember picking up my granddaughter every Friday cuz she comes to my house and get a pizza. But every time I try to get her piece, I couldn't get out the car because my back hurts. So, so anybody that passed by our memories, to stop by the Pizza Hut, I give them the money and my granddaughter, say, granny chicken. You ain't getting out of the car either because she was about like 10.

21:40 I give them the money there by the pizza time. God. Nobody's never try to rip me off. They'll always come back and give me my change and everything.

21:50 At that time, my husband was

21:53 He was out the military, We got out in 2020, but he was working as a police officer for Columbus State and you left me home that day with the tables and something to drink because I don't think I can make it to work today. Stay home.

22:11 I got up. I had had.

22:15 I got up out of the bed had a party to sit on to use it on when I get up to not move, just sit there and could not move. I decide. I want to call 911, and I call 911 because I knew something was wrong.

22:31 Call 911.

22:34 The doors are locked garage doors long. They had to break in the back door.

22:38 So, why did the paramedic in there with me? On this thing? My husband called, and he said, who is this? You said? Where's her your wife called Mary. This is 911, or you got to take your wife immediately to the hospital. So, did I go ride in an ambulance? And I already said being a nurse. I already said, I don't want to be the old lady that break down the door to take her to the hospital. And they showed it happen to me and

23:07 Saint Francis, Adelphia the X-ray, MRI everything. You said. Did you find? I said no fractures in your pelvic in the backbone. I said, no, you sure. I said, no, sir. And say, let's do this MRI again, when they did, they found out that had multiple myeloma cancer. The Bourne, it likes to take the long bones would like to take the lawn mower. So they put me in the hospital.

23:38 My doctor is Elizabeth Martin, great doctor. I love her to death.

23:43 She says where we got to do a biopsy.

23:47 So when they do the biopsy to find out, it was cancer, so she called me oncologist because dr. Ahmed very good doctor. Still see him once a year. Get all my blood work done.

23:59 Then they had to do a next biopsy, but they have to do it in a hip but I was so swollen and inflamed, they could not do it. So they had to do to the sternum very dangerous area to not my apps. So, the doctor that did them is it was a Chinese doctor that time was the medical center.

24:20 And you say, you trust me to do this by MC. I said, I know it's dangerous, but you have gray hair. So once you have gray hair, you got some experience. So

24:30 I let him do the biopsy and then I start chemotherapy for 18 months.

24:38 Chemoradiation.

24:41 I was on sick leave for all that time. I had a great friend that came from Panama and stay with me. That's the lady. Miss Anna Allen.

24:52 She came and she stayed with me and my husband. He was so depressed because

24:58 When you hear cancel your first thing you believe, okay, this is dead. But is not. I am 15 years in remission.

25:07 And I'm here to tell the story we made preparation. But like I said, again, I'm used to tell the story. You know, God is always in charge.

25:27 And it's so funny because I just tell my kids to him. Are you crazy?

25:33 I see the Gates of Heaven.

25:37 But God keep me back down. And said, he, you need to get back down there. You too busy. You need to keep doing what you doing. And that's what I do. I'm very involved in the community very much. I respond to call you Shannon domestic, violence board, members of different clinics.

25:59 Are you going to head into the neighborhood that takes food for some of the people that cannot let that it? Can I come with a free? They're so afraid to come out and get whatever especially at this pandemic time. When the pandemic hit I was very depressed in the sense that I can't get out. That was my big stink, but I did take my brexit nation. My husband.

26:27 Take his vaccination. We getting ready to get a booster.

26:32 We travel a lot. I love to travel. My daughter said, you, you love to fry and the friendly Skies he is. I love Belvidere to the friendly Sky sailing, Delta Freddy's. Can my daughter say that's good. That you like it from the last place. I just came back from a turkey. I went to Eastern Bulls beautiful country. Do I like the food? The Mediterranean food is very good, lots of cheese and like two cheese olives, you know, it was very interesting come back to Germany to have you talked to your money back to Germany again went back to Germany again before. I went to Germany, twice twice and visit. The ladies are old ladies. Now, you know, the daughter is doing charged and no me a couple years ago. One of them came and visit me at the old lady's daughter that came out.

27:32 When I was living in Fort Benning, but I keep in contact with them. I look forward for my kindergarten Christmas Box and Christmas, and that's many years of many years about me because I was my little one was just a year and he's 30, 35 years old now, so that's all I know.

27:59 I have one too.

28:03 Three grandkids want to know, four grandkids and one great-grandchild. Just had my first great, great grand, baby.

28:15 It is a h tell my husband. I think I live. I'm living a productive and a nice life. Like I said, I'm a social butterfly. I like to do things when we had at the cancer survivor walk. I did a walk. I like to purchase the bacon, those are not but with this year you haven't done much. Also my husband. He has Alzheimer's Alzheimer's so I participate with them, too.

28:49 So, we do a lot of people with semen believe that is space about, is the dimension that he has, you know, where the military and the PTSD, and the whole thing, but either good gear. I can always, I don't regret. I never regret being in the military with him. I surely enjoy.

29:10 The benefits, the traveling, the people that I made around the world and I still keep friendship with some of them, especially my people from El Paso. I just love El Paso. So my boss Cologne, Germany, we always keep in contact, you know, even if it's Christmas time you get a car from them, you feel good that you know that people still remember, you know, and I love to take pictures. I'm a picture lady. Oh, I love pictures. I might as well because when I cannot go nowhere, this is what I'm going to do. I'm just

29:47 Go back in time. Look at my pictures. Remembering you guys grown up. The good times. We had did that their grandkids are things like that they cook. And I don't like to put no more to love to cook in the kitchen, but I guess I should get sold it to me. You know, you want to take somebody else's food and I was in Virginia. Today, my sister came and spend her birthday with me.

30:17 My birthday was September 10th. And my sister said, oh no. Wish you were my mom and she didn't do nothing. She was not raining right now because she didn't want to do nothing until my vacation. I don't want to do nothing in your house. You said, man, not even get up and drink some water somewhere sometime. But I had a great time. I have some nice Easter. Two, beautiful sister, how you saying? Who lives in California and Diana, who lives in Virginia? And we always make sure we see each other at least three times a year.

30:53 Last year, we didn't get to see each other's with the pain Damien, and it was kind of sad. We always try to do something, wherever either, you come to my house, or I go to your house at least a family. We want to see how we look. Want to see all week, going gracefully.

31:12 As you get older, you know, and enjoy I think that's great. Sometimes you know you think about your youth

31:23 And how you grow up on my parents was very strict. And the sense that you got to follow rules. You got to do the right thing, be kind to one another year already share with people. Don't try to be selfish because

31:41 When you share, I went to give you get back. If you don't get your kids, get blessing all the time, blessing all around. And it's what I do. I do translating for a lot of Latinos in the community. And I'm not confident for a lot of them too, because I tried to advise and the best way I can, you know, do the right thing you get by teenagers. Encourage them to go to school. When you born at brain is empty. Whatever you put in, it is what you going to learn put positive things in your brain, you know, go to school.

32:21 That's your brains. Nobody can take it away from you.

32:25 They can't take away your car your house but your brains. That's your music. That's why God give you 84. Don't lose it. You lose your brain. Do things do positive things with your brain and always pray. Praying is very important in your life, especially in today's time.

32:46 But all the teenagers and so many problem, you know, sometime you make me sad to see what a waste but you know, you keep praying for them and then I have to say it take a village to raise these children and we have to Mentor them and nurse them with positive thinking positive things to do. That's that's my story in a nutshell. I think I'm not sure was a big shell, but Daisy Lynton and my nickname is Baby Sally.

33:25 And if anything, and I'm very, thank you for sharing your story with me baby Sally. Enjoy your life. Dealing with your husband. You've been very lucky, has gotten a lot of people see me, but they don't know. And she do pedia right here. I have a lot of things, and a lot of positive things to give to people. I'm a very caring person and I think

33:57 People, people people people. I'm a people person and I guess a lot of nurses. You find them like that. You so caring here. So giving you know,

34:08 And sometime when I used to work in surgery was kind of glad in a sentence. I don't get too attached to the patient. You know, when you work on the floor, you'll get more attached to this patient. You love them so much and if you get so sad and seem like that in surgery, you see them come and go. So you don't get too attached to that. But like I said, Karen is giving you always have to care for people because we all in the same same, same word, same boat. Because look at the pond Damien. Bring so many people close together. So many people close to where you're not invincible.

34:48 So nice, that's my story.