I am a Christian woman and mother, an ally to the LGBTQ community, a registered nurse, and now an author! After surviving a medical adverse event which left me disabled, I dedicated my career to patient safety and healthcare reform. During my career, I learned that the need for representation of disabled people was equally important as the continued advocacy for theirs and the rights of other marginalized populations. My story is one of loss, despair, hope, and forgiveness. I hope to initiate conversations about healthcare disparity, misogyny, body-shaming, and ableism but also demonstrate that resilience and faith can prevail.
I am a member of Exceptional Nurse, a non-profit network committed to the inclusion of more people with disabilities in the healthcare profession, and I enjoy having the opportunity to mentor others in the field or trying to get in.
I joined Free Mom Hugs, National Nurses United and The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, to not only express my passion for but also put action behind my pursuit of civil rights, body-positivity, dignity, respect and justice for everyone.
My writing is deliberately in an easy-to-read style meant to feel like friends in casual conversation. In this first book, my memoir, I share deeply personal, sometimes painful, very real and hopefully relatable experiences with readers to remind us that we have more in common than we may realize. I also provide information that I learned along the way that may be helpful to people professionally and personally.
