I met Yvette at the Abilities Expo in Atlanta in March. It
was a complete God-thing, and I am so happy that He arranged it! Yvette is a
mom and wife, and her adorable boys wrote a book, which she will talk about
below. Yvette is a classy, well-spoken woman, and she is going to do a great
job representing her state at the national pageant next month as Ms. Wheelchair Northern
Georgia USA. Meet Yvette!
- Tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve been married to my best friend for 11 years. We met after
I was recruited from Barry University, South Florida, as a Networking and
Systems Engineering college hire by IBM during a Technology Conference. He was
living in Memphis, TN at the time. We married on the property where we live
today with our two amazing sons: Isaiah (8) and Elijah (6).
Most say he's a GREAT man for hanging in there and taking
over after the injury. He believes he is fulfilling his purpose and God's
perfect plan to care for, protect & provide for his family to the best of
his ability...no matter what. He never complains, always has a smile on his
face and a song on his heart. I am so blessed to be his wife, the Mother of his
children and his best friend. He has been, and always will be, my knight
in shining armor!
- Tell us about your disability?
I suffer from a condition known as Chiari Malformation, Type
I. Although it is a congenital brain malformation, it was discovered during a
Traumatic Brain Injury in 2011 when my brain dropped into my spine. It is
believed that I suffered from a stroke in my brain stem during an operative
procedure to correct the condition which unsuspectingly left cognitive
impairments and learning disabilities in the left brain as well as limitations
in the spine and lower extremities. The condition, itself, is said to traditionally
lead to very early and numerous operations very early in life, is passed from a
mother to her girl-child, type II/III can be deadly and it is very similar to
the condition, “Spina Bifida.”
- What is your platform/motto in life?
“The scene of our GREATEST disappointment is the setting of
our most POWERFUL miracle!” Everything about our outward tragedy was a blessing
from the moment the excruciating feeling of a red, hot knife cutting through my
bones and fire shooting through my veins led us to the emergency room that
night to the day we walked into the operating room and never walked out. Some may say that we pulled a bad card that
day. We say, the card didn’t have to be pulled at all. There was just as much
of a chance that the high neurological risk in BOTH parental case histories
could have just as easily left me on the operating table. I could’ve also been
born in a wheelchair and/or spending my entire life in and out of surgeries (as
the condition suggests). But God had a different plan for my life. The life I
live today is not for me but for those he has placed in my path and the purpose
He has placed on my heart.
As such, we believe that it is important to leave a benevolent
legacy. Our inclusive service platform is, “Dream.Write.Hope….Building a Legacy
of Literacy, Today” for children with ALL abilities who aspire to be Junior
Authors. Regardless or the categorical determination of child’s disability
status, determination or eligibility under ADA, FAPE or IDEAS qualifications,
DWH believes that every child reserves the right to dream and leave a legacy of
hope for future generations. It only takes one generation to change a world.
Why not now?
- What are your favorite activities?
During rehabilitation, I had the privilege of learning how
to play Chess! For the first few years of recovery, I was a serious fall risk
and still have some limitations. Otherwise, I have an insatiable love of the
outdoors and rigorous sports. As such, I have discovered the world of Adaptable
Sports! I am learning to slowly move into Paralympic sports related activities such
as sled hockey and snow skiing. In the meantime, nothing beats enjoying being
in the pool with the boys and watching them engage in the various sports that we
shared prior to my injury: ice/roller skating, tennis, horseback riding,
lacrosse, fencing, soccer and Tae Kwon Do.
- What is something we might not know about you?
When Isaiah was born, I went back to school to get a second
degree in Early Childhood Education and Montessori to become a better mom which
led me to qualify for a full tuition paid scholarship doctorate opportunity at
Harvard School of Education just weeks before my TBI. I had just returned from
an Earthquake mission where I assisted a medical relief team between Dominican
Republic and Haiti by interpreting in (up to) 5 languages for Military, Census,
families, media and medical. I was the greatest service opportunity of my life.
- What are your future plans?
I would like to pursue my education in service to the
community that I believe my condition has led me to serve. Regardless of my
medical outcome (whether I ever walk again or not), I believe I was truly meant
to be a servant leader in a community that I’ve grown to love and respect so much
more than I can articulate. Our entire family has fallen with me and they have
also grown with me in ways that no other lesson, book or classroom experience
could have taught us. Our experience has been organic and absorbed through
every fiber of our being. None of the lessons have been wasted on us nor will
they be forgotten.
- What is the biggest obstacle you have overcome?
Fear of Failure. In retrospect, my husband could see the health-related
danger signs leading up to the fall. All I could see was the rise: I was a
full-time graduate student Summa Cum Laude, Vice President of the Golden Key
Honor Society, participating in Literacy in Africa at the University level, I
had a fortuitous meeting with the sitting US Secretary of Education who agreed
to mentor me while I was attending his Alma Mater. All while performing with
excellence at the largest IT Company in the world. It was arguably one of my
best (outwardly) performing years in education and career. My husband was happy
and my children were flourishing. We were ‘ready’ to pack up and move to
Cambridge…or so I thought.
I had a really long way to fall, a really hard place to land
and a really long time to lay there. I was so used to fighting that I thought I
had to pick up where I left off. Do better than before. Fight the refusal of
corporate to take me back and traditional academia to see me as normal. Prove
to everyone that I was ABLE even when the reports said otherwise. Then when I
stopped PUSHING and allowed the answers to arrive at a place of serenity, I
realized that the measurement of, “Failure” went away when I changed my
perspective of SUCCESS.
- What is the best advice you would give to someone with a recent injury/diagnosis?
Live LIFE Forward. Life does not end at the diagnosis! There
are THREE major areas I would recommend a newly diagnosed or disabled person to
focus on:
- Your Self
- Acceptance
- Feelings
- Personal Priorities
- Your Family
- Communication
- Roles
- Family Priorities
- Your World
- Educate Yourself
- Expand Your Social Networks
- Celebrate Your New Normal
- Anything else you would like to share?
Our transparency has been our therapy! We have had the
privilege of therapy through writing. I believe that when I allowed my children
into my transition and recovery, it also gave them permission to heal and help
others going through the same/similar situation to do the same. So when they
asked to write a book for kids by kids about what they were experiencing, we
excitedly welcomed the opportunity for them to GROW through their experience outwardly.
The result is, My Mommy had Brain Surgery & I’m Okay!, a small book about a
big journey that has inspired classrooms struggling to make the brain FUN with
a real story of inspiration, diversity, sensitivity, bullying and instruction -
leaving an impact on young minds and hearts for a lifetime. A second book, about the 4/4’s for Newly
Disabled and Diagnosed persons ™ followed.
