I was born on March 26, 1970, in Hannibal, Missouri. My husband is also a retired veteran who served 28 years and currently works at NSA at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. I have four beautiful children, JazMone’, 28; Justin, 27; Jordan, 22 (in grad school at UGA); and Jared (junior in college), 21. I served over 24 years of military service to include 12 years of Army Reserves time. My job in the military was a nurse.

I’ve always loved helping others, even as a little girl. I loved being a nurse so much, and I received these awards: Star Performance in Patient Care and Nurse of the Year.

In January 2012, while on active-duty orders, I was mobilized to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to backfill for the NCOIC for the Department of Nursing. In the last week of June, I was doing a lot of training with soldiers, including that Saturday. Although I wasn’t feeling well, one of my soldiers asked me to help her train for her physical training test. I hesitated at first, but I told her yes and proceeded with helping her to work out, not knowing that decision would change the rest of my life. While we were working out, I was having trouble breathing and I fell to the ground. I started having seizures, and by the time the ambulance arrived, I had stopped breathing. They had to intubate me and put me on a breathing apparatus.

Eventually, I was airlifted to the hospital, and soon after I coded and they initiated CPR on me and bought me back. I was put on a ventilator for about three days. Once off the ventilator, on July 4, they had me up trying to get me to walk and I coded again, but this time it wasn’t so easy, and my heart took longer to come back. I didn’t get enough oxygen to my brain, which is called brain anoxia, so once again I was placed on a ventilator for a week. This time, when I awakened, I didn’t know my family, I didn’t know how to walk, my left side was paralyzed, and I couldn’t talk, feed myself or dress. The doctors told my husband that I had a fever of 105, heat stroke, and double pneumonia. I was very sick, and it was going to take time for my body to heal, and I would need to go through long-term rehab.

Once I got over the pneumonia, I was medically evacuated to Fort Gordon Active-Duty Rehab, where I spent the most of recovery time. I spent about a year in the Active-Duty Rehab recovery, where I received physical therapy, speech/memory therapy, occupational therapy, and recreational therapy. I had to learn who my husband and children were again, how to be a mom again, to swallow, bathe and dress myself.

I was in a wheelchair for over two years, but through both hard work and determination, I’m now using a crutch, walker, or bioness.
Having been diagnosed with brain damage, I have accomplished being commander and deputy commander with the women’s veterans’ organization of the CRSRA (four years), assistant treasurer (one year), and the service officer of the Post 337 American Legion (two years), and belong to Kappa Epsilon Psi military sorority.

I do a lot of community service with the Golden Harvest Food Bank, United Way, Salvation Army, Iron Man, and with homeless veterans. I founded my own nonprofit called Sistah Soldiers United Organization, Inc., and am owner of Jokers Comedy Club on Wheels. I was with the Neuro Restorative and while there for serveries, I was featured on the news for making over 25 blankets for NICUS babies while recovering from my brain injury.

Also, recently I was featured on the Today show for soldiers dealing with PTSD during Veterans Day weekend. With all I have been through, I have found out that the most rewarding is giving back.

I have been in art therapy for two years; it has shown me that I have a creative side that I never knew I had. My art therapist is Alyssa Gruett, and my favorite art style is
pottery/clay.