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Race Matters; Equipped, Qualified & BLACK

July 7, 2020/

No matter how many times you’ve been disrespected or treated “less than” because of your skin color, it hurts. The day a patient’s husband told me that he wasn’t seeing “my kind” was no exception. It was obvious that he was speaking for the patient as well as himself. It cut a little deeper given the raw wound I was already carrying given the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, to name a few. It does not escape me that George Floyd could have very well been my husband and that Breonna Taylor could have been me. I bandage...

Beach Vacation During a Pandemic? 5 Things You Should Consider

June 30, 2020/

Can you travel safely during a pandemic? Yes, you can, but it depends on where you are going and what your goals are. Like many of you, my family has had very limited exposure outside of home. Schools closed abruptly and my children were thrust into a life of the unknown. It’s been nearly four months of alternative living and to say that our children were looking forward to a vacation is an understatement. Our original Summer plans included a family vacation to Bradenton and Tampa, Florida with my husband’s side. However, with the ongoing pandemic and increased racial tension...

WHOLE30 Experience

May 31, 2020/

Have you ever done something and later looked back and wondered how you got yourself into whatever that thing was? Yeah, well that was me with Whole30. I walk with a few ladies in my neighborhood in the mornings for exercise and support. The comradery is wonderful too. It’s true what they say, we are better together. It helps having accountability and like-minded people rooting for you. Never mind, the fact that it’s still dark outside at the time we walk. There is safety in numbers, right? Anyway, I digress, back to Whole30. So one of my dear walking friends,...

Happy Nurses Week 2020

May 6, 2020/

Undoubtedly, when you think of famous nurses, Florence Nightingale comes to mind. After all, she is the founder of modern nursing. Not only did she open the first official nursing school and save countless lives, but she also made nursing a true profession. In fact, nurses week is celebrated yearly starting on May 6th and culminates on her birthday on May 12th! However, there are many other nurses who have had a tremendous impact on the profession and the world. In honor of Nurses Week 2020, I invite you to learn more about pioneers in the nursing profession. It is...

Why I Became a Nurse Practitioner

May 3, 2020/

If you’ve read the post entitled Why I Became a Nurse that story continues here. You may recall what influenced me to become a nurse and my journey getting there. If you haven’t read the post prior to this one, definitely go check it out. The decision to go to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) was not without sacrifice. I was living in the Birmingham area, in a city named Calera. Calera is roughly 133 miles from Huntsville.  At the time my husband was a high school math teacher and basketball coach. Going to school in Huntsville would...

Stillbirth is Still Birth

February 18, 2020/

On February 8th my first son would be 14 years old if he was alive. The pregnancy came as a surprise and we were ecstatic. We found creative ways to tell our friends and family. My pregnancy was glorious. I know that sounds hard to believe but it really was. I didn’t have morning sickness. I didn’t even get swelling in my feet. I didn’t have much pain as my body ballooned and blossomed. I had some fatigue, but it wasn’t unbearable. As far as pregnancies go that one was my easiest.  Things had been progressing normally. He was moving...

Mom Died from Cancer

February 18, 2020/

So it was January of 2006. Mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and proceeded to start treatments of chemotherapy. I was pregnant with our first baby at the same time; due in mid-March. He was to be my mom and dad’s first grandchild. I wasn’t working at the time so this allowed me to plan more freely to aid in mom’s care. Our lives consisted of frequent visits to the cancer center in Montgomery, Alabama. My hometown is Wetumpka, Alabama. It sits about 20 minutes north of Montgomery. This is where my parents lived. Mom and I spent a lot...

Why I Became a Nurse

February 4, 2020/

I delivered and buried my firstborn son in that February. Later that year, I buried my mom early December, just a few days before my birthday. I entered a depression. I was at a cross roads and really didn’t know what I was going to do with myself or how to do anything with myself. I was lost. I was without my baby and my mother.  Despite this, I managed to put what focus I could muster on helping my dad and my two younger brothers. At the time my youngest brother was in high school and my middle brother...

Stillbirth is Still Birth…Continued

February 1, 2020/

This post is a continuation of my stillbirth experience. If you haven’t read part one be sure to do so first. I was admitted to the hospital and moved to a room in the labor and delivery unit. I lay there willing my baby to move. Willing him to wake up. I even thought I felt movement sometimes which I understand is a normal feeling. I was in shock. I felt all the stages of grief at once and not at all. I just knew this could not be my reality. How could my baby have died inside me? What...

Mom Had Cancer

February 1, 2020/

In January of 2006 my family received devastating news. After many months of my mom having vague gastrointestinal symptoms we finally learned of her diagnosis. Her symptoms included nausea, vomiting, bloating, early satiety, weight loss and abdominal pain. She was incorrectly diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Finally, we learned of her true diagnosis of ovarian cancer. I was in shock! Then my wheels begin to turn as I thought to myself how in the world could my mom have ovarian cancer when she didn’t have OVARIES! Just a few years prior she had a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy (BSO)....

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