2021 Warrior: Barb Johnson
“Have you heard of Earth Angels? They’re sent here to make the world a better and brighter place. They’re here to spread love, kindness & generosity. My mom is an Earth Angel and chances are if you have met her, you know what I’m talking about. My mom, Barb had been diagnosed with pancreatic caner in May 2021. We were all completely blind-sided being she is only 56 years young. She has 4 daughters (Hi I’m one of them, Brittani) & 3 stepsons. Most days she surrounds herself with her grandchildren, which seems to be an easy task as she has 21 of them! She is a super hard-working lady! She started at Woodcraft, a wood shop in the factory over 20 years ago & just recently was promoted into an office position at Woodcraft corporate. She is very proud of that! Other than spending an abundance of time with grandchildren, she loves to be outside. Loves to enjoy the lake on hot steamy days- which isn’t often as we live in Minnesota. She loves to travel and experience new things. She volunteers at church as a youth leader and is dedicated to her faith. For some odd reason, cancer seems to hit her side of the family hard. She has lost most of her family to cancer- including her mom. Her mom, Easter lost her battle to pancreatic cancer just a few years ago. We will not allow pancreatic cancer to claim my mom’s life too, especially at the age of 56. In this family, nobody fights alone! Did you notice how most of this text is taken up by awesome things my mom does and the good person she is? That’s because her stage 4 pancreatic cancer will not define her entire life- she is much more than cancer! For me, most Fridays & Mondays in the office are similar. Fridays are the typical, “What are you doing this weekend?” Mondays are the same,” What did you do all weekend.” My response is usually always the same, “I hung out with my mom” “I had a girl’s weekend with my mom” etc.. You get the picture. The most common response I usually receive is “You sure hang out with your mom a lot!” The first time I heard that comment, I realized my mom is special & not everyone gets a mom like her! I am blessed to have her in my life! But you know what… in a way, it sucks writing this. My mom is really an earth angel, she is kind to all & lights up a room. She may not be noticed some places as she is an introvert. But those that do take the time to get to know her are lucky, she will end up changing your outlook and life.”
-Written by Brittani Hanson, Barb’s daughter.
During the month of August a portion of the proceeds from shopping all INDY gear and apparel will go directly to Barb and her family. Shop now and be sure to mention Barb in the comments section at checkout. You may also donate and 100% will go to her.