MY  STORY

Hi, My name is Michele. 

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I am Jonny’s mother and full time care manager. We are a team. I assist Jonny in all areas of life. 

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In 2018 life for me and my family changed in an instant. On a Sunday afternoon driving home after church I got a call that my son had been in a serious car crash. I was informed that he was being airlifted to the closest trauma hospital.

 

I immediately turned the car around and headed that way. I arrived at the hospital ER before the helicopters and was there when they landed. From that time on I lived in hospitals with my son for months. I stayed at the hospital while Jonny was in the ICU in Norfolk, Virgina for the first 6 weeks and then was flown with him in an air ambulance (a medical Learjet) to Sheppard Centre in Atlanta.

 

After a time, it became clear that life would never be the same. I left my job as a teacher to become a full time caregiver to my son. In 2020 in the middle of the pandemic my other sons and I left our home and community that we loved in North Carolina and moved across the country to be closer to extended family in California. It has been a difficult road full of much loss but also more blessings than I can count.

 

On this journey, I have seen much suffering, ugliness, despair and desperation as well as immense beauty, the incredible power in hope, faith and acceptance of life on life’s terms. I have been blessed with support from my family and community. I am immensely proud of Jonny and all my children on this incredibly difficult path. I am grateful that I have been granted the ability to learn, grow and experience life in a unique way that most never know. I hope that as you continue on your path in life our experiences and adventures may add something of value to yours.