Ever a Greene

Issue 27

Peggy Greene was under anesthesia when she saw an army of men surrounding her body. There was Ricky, Danny, Bates, Woody, Mike, Billy – her son’s closest friends from the Navy, and they were each standing guard over her, protecting every organ and appendage. When she looked to her right, she saw her boy, her Justin, 44 years old, but always her baby, standing watch, protecting her heart. We’ve got you, Mama, the men said over and over.

When she woke, Justin was there, of course he was there, and she told him everything.

“I knew I was safe. You were all there with me, fighting this battle. We got it, Justin. I know it’s working. I feel it working right now.”

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Odds have never intimidated Peggy Greene. When she became pregnant at 24 and knew she would have to raise the baby as a single mother, she was undaunted. When she was diagnosed with melanoma during her pregnancy and was told to prepare for the worst, she prayed.

She delivered a healthy baby boy, survived her cancer diagnosis, and moved forward, faith as her compass.

She attended college when her son, Justin Greene, was little. She began a career in medical sales, and they moved a handful of times, from Florida, to Illinois, to North Carolina, eventually settling in Snellville, Georgia.

“So many of my young memories with mom are from those long car rides,” said Justin. “There were no cell phones, no distractions, just I Spy and making up random games. She was my best friend.”

Superwoman, that’s how Justin describes her. Peggy was mother and father. She enrolled Justin in every sport – soccer, swimming, football, baseball, BMX racing, basketball. She was on top of everything, and always up for adventure, whether that be downhill mountain biking or skydiving.

Peggy saw life as a kaleidoscope, ever-changing, brilliant, and Justin inherited that same perspective. For him, moving to new cities and enrolling in new schools was exciting. He embraced change and the opportunity to make new friends.

“That’s all mom’s influence,” said Justin. “She taught me how to present myself, how to introduce myself properly, and showed me what it looked like to be a good friend. Those lessons have taken me far in life. To this day, I can walk into any room, shake someone’s hand, and walk away with a new friendship.”

Justin took a year off after he graduated from high school, and his newfound freedom led to bad decisions involving drugs and alcohol. He didn’t like the choices he was making, but he felt stuck.

When a friend called Justin and said he was meeting with a military recruiter, Justin, who knew nothing about the military, said he’d join him.

The recruiter showed Justin photos of a helicopter packed with soldiers and explained that the soldiers jump out of those helicopters and save lives, while crew chiefs shoot guns out the back of the helicopters. Justin signed on the spot. He went to Fort Benning Army base, raised his right hand, and joined the US Navy.

He shared the news with his mom over a spaghetti dinner. Peggy hugged him, prayed with him, and gave her full support. Justin stuck around for Christmas and left in January 2001.

He served overseas for years, traveling the globe, and saving lives. In 2006, while stationed in Pensacola, Florida as an aircrew/rescue swimmer instructor, he became a father to a baby boy named Austin. Justin deployed to Iraq in 2008 and, when he returned in 2010, he gained full custody of Austin and was stationed in San Diego, California.

With a job as unpredictable as his, Justin knew he would need help.

“I called my mom and she didn’t hesitate. She dropped everything in Atlanta to move to San Diego to be with us, to be “Gigi” to Austin. She helped me introduce him to church; she took him out on adventures and taught him how to be a southern gentleman. They became best friends. It was like watching my childhood all over again.”

In 2017, Peggy went on an annual trip with her girlfriends. While hiking, a tick bit her knee. By the next morning, there was a red bullseye around the bite. She knew that wasn’t good. When pain and fatigue persisted, she became suspicious of Lyme disease. However, when she talked to top doctors across the nation, they told her Lyme disease is not real.

After years of battling debilitating symptoms, Peggy found a specialist who confirmed there were three strands of Lyme in her body. She tried 20 different medications and supplements, visited more doctors, and ultimately found nothing in the United States to cure her Lyme disease.

“There were times I’d drive 100 mph to the emergency room because she felt like she had seconds to live,” said Justin. “There were days when she’d wake up feeling great, then be so drained after a shower that she’d stay in bed for a week. Lyme forced her to retire early and shut down her life.”

Justin and Peggy got their first glimmer of hope when they learned about Sanoviv Medical Institute in Rosarito, Mexico.

Peggy met a woman at a church dinner, who said she had suffered from Lyme disease for a decade, but had been Lyme-free for a year. The woman was treated at Sanoviv, just over the border, 45 minutes from Peggy and Justin’s homes in San Diego.

Justin called the institute and sent over Peggy’s medical records. The facility confirmed she was a candidate, but the cost was steep - $32,000. Peggy and Justin would have to raise the money.

“Mom was nervous and didn’t want to ask anyone for help,” said Justin. “I told her we’d never asked for anything before and we weren’t begging. People in this world want to help people. You’d be surprised by how many are willing and want to be a part of something like this, they just have to know about it.”

Peggy acquiesced and Justin launched a GoFundMe. Within minutes donations were pouring in. Their extended family, Justin’s co-workers, classmates from high school - people from every walk of their lives donated. The full amount was raised within a couple of weeks.

Justin, who is now married to Tiffany Cervantes and welcomed a second son, Jaxton, six years ago, transitioned into life insurance sales when he retired from the Navy in 2021.

When Sanoviv said they could admit Peggy immediately for a 15-day treatment, Justin didn’t hesitate to put his life on hold, just as Peggy had done for him. He stepped away from his job, and Tiffany assured him she could take care of everything and everyone at home.

“I’m so grateful to have such a supportive wife, because I had to be there with my mom,” said Justin. “Mom has always made sure that I’m taken care of and has never asked for anything. In my life, I’ve fallen a million times, but I’ve never laid on the ground alone. She wrapped her arms around me, loved me, and said we’d figure it out together. It’s my turn to take care of her.”

For more than two weeks, Peggy endured intense treatment with Justin by her side. The days were packed with doctor visits, infusions, and multiple therapies, including a hyperthermia bed, which required sedation because Peggy’s body temperature was elevated to 108 degrees.

We’ve got you, Mama, she heard the men say, over and over.

“I knew I was safe,” Peggy told her son when she woke. “You were with me.”

In three months, Peggy will have tests to see if Lyme disease is still in her body.

“She’s only 67 and has so much life ahead,” said Justin. “I want to see her live it to the fullest, and I’ll be right there with her. I have plenty of roles, like everyone, but I am Peggy Greene’s son. That’s my job, my responsibility and my privilege, now and always.”

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In his mind, Justin sees a long road, a path he is traveling with his mom. There are obstacles to their left and right, sure there are, but they move forward, their eyes on the horizon, Superwoman and son, hopeful as ever.