“My mom gardened a lot when I was younger. And way, way back, my grandfathers on both sides were potato farmers from Maine. So I wonder if there’s not something in my genes that just makes me want to grow stuff. “My husband and I … Continue readingTheir garden is their refuge
“As a social worker, I work for a state agency that helps elderly people and adults with intellectual disabilities who are dealing with abuse. In order to see a lot of my clients, I had to go into hospitals while COVID-19 was raging. Some places … Continue readingParents coping with baby born during pandemic
“I found out in my young 20s that I wasn’t physically able to have children. I remember at the time being devastated. Then it just became part of me. It was just something I dealt with. “I’ve always wanted to be a mom. So when … Continue readingAdopted children ‘are my everything’
“I’ve played the piano since I was 3 years old and the harp since I was 11. I teach and I love music. “I was in my early 20s when I started losing my hearing. When you’re a professional musician with a hearing loss, it’s … Continue readingDeafness not able to silence her music
“In 1996, I received a plaque from GCCISD for my PSAT scores on behalf of the National Merit Program. It was called ‘The Exceptional Negro’ award. I’d scored in the top 5% of black high school juniors, which qualified me for the National Achievement Scholarship … Continue reading‘I was content competing to be the best black’
D: “Alex has what’s called pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. It’s a type of autism.” K: “He’s considered intellectually disabled as well. He functions like a wonderful, beautiful child with all the funny things. He’s like a 4-year-old with the hormones of a 29-year-old. So … Continue readingSeeing world through autistic son’s eyes
“We had three senior dogs, and we lost all of them because they were just at that age. One of them, Pablo, was a medical response dog. I trained him because I have two brain aneurysms. I was having neurological events where I would lose … Continue readingMedical response dog watching for falls
K: “David was working as a federal attorney, and he started to have trouble with executive functioning. He was always the go-to guy in the office, his supervisors said. He was the one who mentored all the young attorneys and managed a huge caseload. But … Continue readingGood days, bad days with Parkinson’s
“Last summer, my dad was diagnosed with renal cancer. It was a really big surprise. We were on a road trip, and he got food poisoning eating at a Chili’s. We ended up going to the ER. They did a CT scan of his stomach, … Continue readingBig sister steps up in time of need
“One of my friends got into an argument on social media. She texted me and said, ‘These two people are harassing me on Facebook. Can you please help?’ So I kind of intervened. But I very quickly came to the realization that no matter what … Continue readingDebate opens her eyes to differing points of view