ABOUT ME
My goal in life is to be a stay-at-home dog mom, because it seems that I've already had such a fulfilled and happy life already. I not only survived, but I am still thriving after being a victim of shaken baby syndrome. My grandparents got custody of me and loved me so much. Despite the fact that they raised me in a loving home with Christian values, I still turned out a little warped. I put myself through college and married my first boyfriend in order to get a ticket out of Arkansas. It was a nice place to grow up, but the wages and weather weren't ideal (and people had a hard time communicating with me since I talked so fast). I was widowed at the age of 38 after I was the caregiver for my best friend and husband of 20 years. He suffered from Juvenile Diabetes and died during heart surgery after already having both legs amputated, being on dialysis his last 5 years of life, becoming legally blind, multiple strokes, and the day-to-day struggle of being unconscious from insulin reactions. We coped by believing that laughter is the best medicine. I also went around telling everyone that I talked his legs off (which made people wonder since I talk a lot). I only waited 6 months to marry a stranger from the internet who lived 2 states away! We love each other very deeply. My parents taught me to love everyone unconditionally, so why shouldn't our marriage work? Anyway, my mom was shocked by the news and my neighbors in Oklahoma were about to report me missing. Now I am participating in my 5th clinical trial to discover new treatments for my life-threatening genetic disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). I am overall healthy, but struggle with occasional pain and manage my blood pressure. To learn more about PKD go to: www.pkdcure.org
