Sharon Middleton

Infusing Inspiration

December 2024 IssueSharonMiddleton1224

by Mary Hope Roseneau
Photography by Cassidy Dunn Photography

 

Sharon Middleton is an encourager. She drives her own spiffy red car every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning in the dark to begin dialysis at 5:30 a.m. Despite the early hour, she is always perky and friendly to everyone. She likes to get there early and be finished by 8:30 or 9:00 in order to have the rest of her day to enjoy herself. This has been her schedule for the past three years or so, and it works just fine for her.

I met with Sharon on a Wednesday afternoon at her home, where Leo, her devoted dog, greeted me at the door. He is a new addition to Sharon’s life: He needed a home, and Sharon needed a new dog. He’s a poodle mix and as sweet and well-behaved as he can be. Leo parked himself right by his new mistress and regarded me with much interest. She had dialysis earlier that morning, and after a short nap in her chair when she got home, she was ready for our visit.

Born in Nebraska, and raised in Illinois, Sharon moved to Denver, Colorado, and serendipitously moved in right next door to a man who became her husband. She had three small children at this point, and Jerry Middleton, her new neighbor, was from Beaufort, S.C. Even though they got to know each other and things were going well, he decided he wanted to move back home. He asked her to go with him, but she wasn’t ready. He left but came back later to tell her he “couldn’t live without her,” so she agreed to move to Beaufort. The children were 10, 9, and 7, and Jerry adopted the three of them. She chuckles about being a “cougar,” as she is a little older than her husband.

Friends in Denver warned her about moving to the South. She heard there might be rampant racism, and she would regret the move. She was relieved to find out her friends were wrong. She has been happy in South Carolina, and she and her children were immediately accepted and loved by Jerry’s family and friends.

Sharon worked many years for Beaufort/Jasper Comprehensive Health and at the U.S. Naval Hospital as a medical transcriptionist and accountant. She also worked for H & R Block Tax Service, before opening her own tax preparation business, Carolina Tax. She still does taxes for clients each year. Jerry worked as a union electrician in New York City before retiring, and now has his own man cave area in the rear of their property.

In addition, Sharon served in the Army Reserves for many years. This influenced two of her three children to enter the military, as well. Now Sharon is Grandmother to ten children, and a Great-grandmother to 23! They are spread across the country but come home to Beaufort when they can, especially to enjoy meals at her huge dining room table.

In addition to her three children, God sent another child to Sharon in Beaufort. A toddler around 3 years old appeared at her glass front door one day, peeking into Sharon’s immaculate home. She naturally took the little girl by the hand back home to her house across the street. This happened repeatedly, but the child would cry each time Sharon took her back home. This continued for years, the child coming to the glass door, peeking in, and Sharon being nice to her, but encouraging her to go home. Finally, when the girl was around 12 years old, she packed her suitcase and arrived back at the glass door, announcing she wanted to live there! After discussions with the girl’s mother and grandmother, Sharon and Jerry agreed to take her in.

Sharon is proud to report this little girl graduated from high school, college, joined the Air Force, and now lives in Anderson, S.C. She comes back as often as she can to visit Sharon, the mother she chose as a 3-year-old.

About three years ago, Sharon noticed she wasn’t feeling well. She slept a lot, had no energy, and got to where she wasn’t able to drive herself. A trip to the doctor revealed that her kidneys weren’t functioning well. Finally, it was explained that she needed dialysis to clean the toxins building up in her body. Sharon prayed to the Lord that she would serve Him if He would just help her be able to drive her own car again.

Now to see Sharon around town, you would never know she is on dialysis. God did answer her prayer about driving her car. Sharon meets up with her friends regularly to eat in new restaurants and make plans to travel together. A few places she has visited are Hawaii, Mexico, Belize, Bermuda, and St. Thomas, in addition to taking Viking river tours through some of her favorite places. She loves to travel and is making plans for more trips in the future. She shared that dialysis patients can receive their treatments right on the ship! And if she chooses to travel across the U.S., her local doctor’s office can make dialysis appointments for her most anywhere she goes. Dialysis isn’t holding Sharon back from enjoying her retirement!

In addition to friends, family, and travel, Sharon loves the Lord. She is a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and regularly spreads the Word, along with other members at wherever people are out and about. She offers to answer questions and gives out literature for them to read. She is keeping the promise she prayed to the Lord about serving Him if He helped her through the dialysis journey.

At the clinic, she observes others who do not follow the necessary protocol. Some people miss treatments, come late, want to leave early, and generally do not do what they need to do. Sharon said as she pointed up to Heaven, “If they leave treatment early, they might just be leaving early.” She knows everyone’s name at the center—the patients and the workers—and greets them cheerily as they come and go. She asks them about their health and family and settles in for her blood transfer treatment with a kind, knowing smile on her face.

“You just do what you have to do,” Sharon stated. And if you have to do it, why not make the best of it?


Up Close:
More advice from Miss Sharon...

Young women: Don’t get fat! It’s not healthy and it’s hard to lose! It sets a bad example for your children. (She admits being much heavier as a young person, and it was not good for her body.)

Older ladies: Just keep on keepin’ on. Take one day at a time and do the best you can with the life God has given you. And always have a good dog to share it with.