November Spotlight

 

November Spotlight

Tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in Omaha, Nebraska and moved to Texas when I was eleven. I come from a blended family of one brother and three sisters, I am the youngest. 

I like staying as busy as possible, so I usually fill my time going to Bible study during the week and trying to volunteer where I can at church. I also love to meet up with friends and help them where I can. I am pretty open so if you want to know something about me just ask. 

What are your favorite hobbies? My favorite thing to do is be with friends. Hobbies also include doing Lego sets, playing games on my phone, coloring, diamond painting, and I will never turn down learning a new craft if anyone wants to show me something new. 

What are you currently doing or working towards?  What are some of your current goals?  (Current job, dream job, education, etc.)  I really want to become more organized. 

What are some of your earliest Spina Bifida related memories? (SBANT events, conferences, camp, doctors, meeting other kids with SB, etc). I didn't move to Texas until I was eleven so my earliest memory is going to Camp John Marc. I was so scared and did not want to be away from my family but once I got there for about a day, I had the time of my life and cried when it was time to leave. 

Another memory of when I moved to Texas was the shock I had when I saw how many activities there were for me to participate in. When I was in Nebraska, I was on a basketball team that played one game a year and called it a tournament, Dallas had multiple full weekend basketball and track and field events. Dallas is where I truly found my love for playing sports. Dallas is also where I have found my closest friends and met my late husband. 

What have been some of your greatest challenges in life? One of my greatest challenges in life was getting my first job, I had to convince my family I was ready and also convince the employer I could do the job.  

I eventually quit worrying about what others thought I could do and proved everyone wrong when I had to. 

What are some of your greatest strengths? How do you think your challenges have shaped your strengths? You have to try to have a positive attitude, every day is not easy but you can make it with a positive attitude. 

Who was your favorite doctor or nurse that has had a lasting impact on you? Doctor Adams was the best doctor hands down. He had a compassion that I had never seen in another doctor. He spoke to me in ways I understood and included me in talks about my care and made me feel I had a say in what was going on. 

Do you have any funny stories from doctor appointments or hospital stays? The Children's hospital in Nebraska had an OR nurse that made me feel safe and comfortable going into surgery. Once went I went in for a shunt revision and my favorite OR nurse was not there, well a few days later I had to go back in for a second time and she came to get me and told me I could not scream at the doctors and nurses that I hated them. She said I get them in trouble when I do that. It was a running joke for years to come. I never was very nice coming out of anesthesia. 

As an adult with Spina Bifida, what would be your best piece of advice for someone young?

My best piece of advice for the younger generation would be not to ever change who you are to fit in with a group. Be who you are and the right people come along. 

If there was one thing you could tell the world, what would it be? The one thing I would tell the world would be, when you see someone in a wheelchair quit being amazed that we learn how to live our lives, is that not what everyone has to do. I understand we have to adapt more than able bodies.

Instead help make accessibility and accommodations easier.