I Was Created To Inspire
I've had an innate ability to calm even the most disruptive temperaments for as long as I can remember. Some say it's the calmness in my voice; although, that may play a pivotal role, I believe that my life's experiences and the way I have handled them is what makes me a speaker who believes in motivating others.
I put my life under a microscope when my teenage son died, and I chose to write about that experience as a way of purging. I was also looking for a way to grieve since being sad, demonstrating negative emotions and acting on those emotions was something I was unfamiliar with.
The sudden loss of my son helped me understand how I became the person who ignored the things that caused her pain and instead focused on how to make sure everyone was in a comfortable space. I began to unload secrets that would not be easily accepted or understood. The innocence that was stolen from me when I was about 14 years old, by a family member who raped and tried to kill me. Like far too many families, these events were hidden.
I went through so much that I often wondered how I survived; how I smiled when I wanted to scream or worse. I decided to write my own narrative and that did not include pretending anymore.
My book, The Pain We Hold Inside: Grieving Parent, has allowed me to speak to other parents who have suffered loss. It allowed me to meet with groups who felt like they were alone and discuss ways to release so the healing could begin. "Turning Pain Into Power" may seem unreal but I am proof that it is possible to come out on the other side TOGETHER!
Additionally, on February 8, 2023, I exhumed my son's body after being buried over a decade and because his body was so well preserved, a cause of death was finally determined. Cardiac Arrhythmia, which is a sudden cardiac event that is common in athletes. Especially, teen athletes. Since then I, along with the Tyrell Spencer Foundation (tyrellspencerfoundation.org), partnered with the American Heart Association to train and bring awareness to "Hands only CPR". On 5/23/2023, The Tyrell Spencer Act was signed into law by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, created to protect student athletes from sudden cardiac events. On 6/6/2023, June 9th, my son's birthday, was proclaimed as the Tyrell Spencer Day in Huntsville, AL.
My Pain has become my Purpose.