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Just Sayin'
Keith Julian "Just Sayin" Richards*
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"Just Sayin'" is a lively, animated, fun-loving brother from Rosedale, Queens by way of Brooklyn. As an Emcee, the music he creates and performances he delivers are a direct reflection of his emotion and passion.
But don’t get it twisted. It isn’t all about fun and jokes. "Just Sayin'" is a brother with knowledge who knows who he is. He is a direct product and representative of The Golden Era of Hip Hop striving to create timeless contributions to music and global culture.
A man of achievement, "Just Sayin'" is a living example of the motto, “work = play.” On stage, "Just Sayin'" is a free-spirited, wild, animated showman. Off stage, Keith Julian Richards is a focused, driven, business-minded individual who thrives on excellence and an incessant need to learn, create, and achieve. His music is a testament to the human spirit and experiences that everyone can relate to.
We asked him to share his experiences with VHL.
I first learned about Von Hippel-Lindau disease through my Aunt LaVerne’s experience with the illness [See above]. When VHL began manifesting itself in her I was much younger. At this time I did not understand the ramifications that this disease could possibly have on my family. A few years later VHL hit closer to home when my mother [KJ] started to have manifestations. I remember praying many nights that my Mom would be ok. Even then I still did not know much about VHL.
In 1998 after I completed my sophomore year of college it really hit home. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my 19th birthday and I started having dizzy feelings that evolved to constant fatigue and nausea. I tried to be strong for my family, especially for my mother because I know she worries about my sister and me even when we’re feeling fine. But all of my symptoms just became worse and worse and it never dawned on me that I might have VHL until my sister said to me, “Mommy’s crying because she thinks you might have VHL.”
Things really came to a head at a family barbeque that we had at the house that summer. I usually play the music at our family functions but an hour or so into the party my father must have had a feeling because he came to me and asked if I was ok. I just shook my head ‘no’ and he walked me to the house. I spent the rest of the barbeque upstairs in my bed. The one thing I did not want to happen happened. I drew all sorts of attention to myself and the fact that I wasn’t feeling well. And the last thing I wanted to do was spoil everybody’s fun.
That night after all the guests had left, my Dad came to me and said “we’re going to the emergency room.” I was in the hospital for about a week where the doctors ran test after test and couldn’t find anything. At this point I started to become very angry saying things like, “Isn’t this a hospital?! Why the hell haven’t they figured out what’s wrong with me?!”
The doctors were about to release me and deal with me on an outpatient basis. But my mother spoke up and demanded they conduct an MRI of my brain and spinal cord. That’s when the hemangioblastoma was found on my cerebellum. This is when I really became afraid because I immediately started thinking about the uncle and grandfather I never met who died of basically the exact same thing.
“...Never doubting the word of a physician.
My Aunt Tena was the first family member I saw after I got the news. She helped me calm down and make sense of the situation and really gave me the feeling that I would be okay. Two days later I had my surgery, and about six days later I came back home. I decided to take that fall semester off from school to recuperate. In the Spring of 2001, through study, patience, and prayer, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware. I’m currently working as a Case Planner for a non-profit agency in Jamaica, Queens, New York, while pursing a professional music career.
My mission and purpose in life is to use the power of music as a springboard into activism and spreading public awareness about VHL among many other happenings in my community, the African-American community, as well as the world community.
Through it all I knew that God would keep me and bring me through it as he did for my mother and my aunt. It’s true my uncle and grandfather passed away, but I knew that God had a plan for me and they live through me. My Aunt LaVerne and my mother are my biggest inspirations when it comes to dealing with VHL. The two of them have endured much more hardship than I have at the hands of VHL, but they’ve never complained, so why should I?! We all have a cross to bear, and this happens to be mine.
My experience has definitely made me appreciate life more and every day I have with family and loved ones. My walk with God has become much more intimate also. I get regular checkups and urge everyone I know to do the same. I maintain a fresh haircut and my scar just adds a special uniqueness to my already good looks, if I do say so myself! So I’m still fly!!!
“...And I can’t complain.
Notes: “I’m still fly!” is slang for “I’m still fine, looking really good!” Look for a sample of Keith’s CD on the vhl website.
See also the related article about Keith's Aunt LaVerne
*Keith was formerly known as KARTOON: Acronym: Keeping All Rhymes True Original Obsolete Never
As printed in the VHL Family Forum 13:4, December 2005. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org. mystory |
Hear Keith's song "Staples" 
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