I am a conservative Catholic mom. I was blessed to be able to stay at home for 24 years and to be able to homeschool my boys for 17 years! God is good. My two youngest have been
diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome and secondary Mitochondrial Disease. My middle son also has EoE. Over the years, we have spent a lot of time in
the hospital! The youngest two have been under close to 100 times in the last 22 years.
Prior
to the married life, I was in the Louisiana Army National Guard. I
spent many years as an enlisted member of the ARNG before going through
Officer Candidate School and receiving my commission as a 2LT. I received The Army Achievement Medal for meritorious service
achievement while serving as Executive Officer of the HHD 165th
Transportation Battalion. The Army prepared me for motherhood. It REALLY
prepared me to handle life with children with rare diseases. It
certainly prepared me for homeschooling three boys, too! I
resigned my commission when my oldest was a toddler. The Army will
always be a part of who I am!
I graduated from LSU with a BS in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies in 1991. I worked as a social worker before getting married and moving to San Antonio, TX. All three of my boys were born in Texas. I love Texas! Once a Texan, always a Texan. In 2001, I helped to found Shwachman-Diamond America and I am proud of all we have accomplished through SDA. Over the years, SDA has supported critical Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome research, the North American Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Registry, Supports the International Doctor's Congress on SDS and works to get successful bone marrow transplant protocols in the hands of doctors and families. Shwachman-Diamond America also pays for doctors like Dr. Harris to present grand rounds to physicians across the country.
Chris left to be with his paramour a few years ago. Not having worked outside the home for 24 years made it difficult to find full-time employment---especially in Obama's economy! But, God provided for our every need. I currently work as a warehouse manager. I'm not sure what my future holds, but I know who holds the future. God is good and I know He is preparing a better place for me! He is preparing a better place for each one of us.
What defines me as a person? I would hope that people who know me would
say that I live for Christ. I would hope that, if I were to be defined
by anything, it would be my love of God first. I love my Catholic faith
as much as I love my boys. My first prayer for my
children, before I pray for healing, is that they love God above all
else. I know if they love God above all else, the rest falls into place.
I want that for myself, as well. I want to love God above all things.
So, while I am proud of all I have accomplished in life, I give all the
credit to God. Without Him, I would be nothing and would never succeed
at anything. God has been with me from the very beginning of my
existence. I was supposed to die when I was born, yet here I am. He has walked every step of this amazing, albeit sometimes stressful, life!
Growing
up, my family was not religious and did not practice the Catholic faith.
God found me on those scared and lonely nights. God protected me. I grew
up in a home where my brothers were in and out of jail, kicked out of
public school, sent to boarding homes, and where violence abounded. They
were addicted to drugs and alcohol. This was normal life for me. Some
neighborhood children were not allowed to associate with me because of
my brothers' behavior, and I often felt like an outcast.
My youngest brother committed suicide when he was 20. I was a sophomore in high school and it had a great impact on my life. My oldest brother died of a drug overdose when he was 33 years old, and my middle brother has been in and out of the state penitentiary 3 times. Last I heard he was out again, but I have not seen him in 32 years. I last saw him at my youngest brother's funeral in 1983 as he was unable to attend the funeral of my oldest brother because he was locked up in the pen. My mother recently died, and my only living brother doesn't even know because we are unable to locate him.
My parents are/were quite liberal and always bailed my brothers out of jail and out of debt. I learned first hand that bailouts don't work, that welfare doesn't help people in the long run. I am blessed to have been born in the USA. Being in the United States gave me the opportunity to work hard, to succeed and to overcome the obstacles I faced as a child. I am blessed to be an American. I don't share the details of my childhood for pity, but rather share it as an example of how great America is. My country has done far more for me than I could ever repay.
Millions of Americans have the same story to tell- they grew up in less than desirable circumstances, yet because of the freedom and opportunity that America affords, they were able to live the American dream. I'm afraid we are losing THAT America. I'm fighting to restore our nation so that our children and grandchildren inherit the same America that allowed me and millions of other Americans to succeed. I believe that we can restore America.
My youngest brother committed suicide when he was 20. I was a sophomore in high school and it had a great impact on my life. My oldest brother died of a drug overdose when he was 33 years old, and my middle brother has been in and out of the state penitentiary 3 times. Last I heard he was out again, but I have not seen him in 32 years. I last saw him at my youngest brother's funeral in 1983 as he was unable to attend the funeral of my oldest brother because he was locked up in the pen. My mother recently died, and my only living brother doesn't even know because we are unable to locate him.
My parents are/were quite liberal and always bailed my brothers out of jail and out of debt. I learned first hand that bailouts don't work, that welfare doesn't help people in the long run. I am blessed to have been born in the USA. Being in the United States gave me the opportunity to work hard, to succeed and to overcome the obstacles I faced as a child. I am blessed to be an American. I don't share the details of my childhood for pity, but rather share it as an example of how great America is. My country has done far more for me than I could ever repay.
Millions of Americans have the same story to tell- they grew up in less than desirable circumstances, yet because of the freedom and opportunity that America affords, they were able to live the American dream. I'm afraid we are losing THAT America. I'm fighting to restore our nation so that our children and grandchildren inherit the same America that allowed me and millions of other Americans to succeed. I believe that we can restore America.
