Lisa Adams....you are truly beautiful inside and out. Thank you for sharing beautiful story.
My name is Lisa Adams. I live in Englewood, and I am a mother of three children. Zachary, my oldest, is fourteen, next is Jacob, who would have been eleven, and then lastly is my daughter, Jadyn, who is eight. I have wonderful children, and I consider myself to be very fortunate and blessed to be lucky enough to be their mother.
Even though life brings up challenges and obstacles, the key to success is within. In my experience, if a person stays true to their goals, does not give up, is determined, strong, or in some cases, stubborn, that person will succeed.
I have been pursuing my college degree, on and off, for twenty years. I went to a local community college after high school, but after a year or so of attending part-time, I became discouraged, and quit. I enrolled again about a decade or so later, after the death of my son.
My son, Jacob, passed away when he was 13 months old. Jacob had Down Syndrome. In addition, he had a congential heart defect, which is common to babies with Down Syndrome. His life was determined to be “fragile” until finally he was healthy enough to have open heart surgery to repair the defect. Jacob had open heart surgery when he was seven months old and came through just fine. We had 7 healthy, wonderful, months with him, until he got what is called RSV. RSV, which can be fatal, is a respiratory virus, and for Jacob, it caused a complication, pulmonary hypertension. In addition, while in the hospital, he contracted influenza. All three conditions were too much and he passed away in January 10, 2000.
I tried several things to ease my grief. I adopted pets, went to grief groups, volunteered for childcare at Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association (MVDSA) meetings, attended MVDSA mom meetings so I could play with the Down Syndrome children, I had another child, and I also enrolled back in college. College was an excellent distraction and outlet because it allowed me to write and talk about Jacob. I stayed in school until my divorce. Going through a divorce is of course difficult, but Chris and I have been able to remain close and amicable.
Several years went by before I enrolled in classes again. I began to feel very unhappy and dissatisfied with my professional life. In addition, I wanted to be a good role model for my children. Even more, I wanted my family, more specifically, my Grandmothers, to be proud of me. Growing up, I was closer to my Grandmothers than my parents, and my Grandparents were the ones who were there for me providing guidance, support, and their unconditional love. I have always been close with my Grandmothers, however, as I transitioned into woman and motherhoods, my Grandmothers were two of the dearest, treasured, and valued people in my life. I confided in them, and their guidance inspired and motivated me to become a better mother, wife, friend, student, and overall, a better person.
When I decided to enroll again, I did it with the intention of finally finishing my degree. I was working another dead-end job and attending school part-time when I was laid-off. Thank goodness I am married to the most wonderful and incredible man ever! My husband Mike is very loving, generous, and his thoughtfulness blows my mind. Mike suggested I stay at home with the kids and go to school full-time, so that is what I did. Mike made enormous sacrifices for me. He became the sole provider for me and my children, took on more side-jobs to earn extra money, and he made budgetary changes. He is the kind of husband that said, “Honey, since you are staying at home and going to school full-time, let’s buy a pool membership so you and the kids can have fun this summer”.
Being able to stay home and go to school provided me with extraordinary opportunities. I was able to spend more time with my Grandma Kline. We had a “play-date” every Tuesday. I picked her up and we went to lunch, ran errands, went shopping, grocery shopping, I helped her around the house, and I took her to doctor’s appointments. During that summer, her health deteriorated and she needed additional help. I was able spend even more time with her, just helping in taking care of her. Sadly, she passed away September 17, 2008, but I was so thankful I was able to have the time spend with her. More recently, I had another extraordinary opportunity. We had plans to go to Florida and visit my Grandparents over spring break. However, my Grandma was in the hospital. At the beginning of the week, we thought she was going to get better and be discharged to a rehab center before going home. She thought rehab was going to be awful, but I told her I would stay with her, and we would do it together. By the end of the week, her condition had changed, and rehab was no longer an option. Because I was going to stay with her and my Grandfather, she was discharged home under Hospice’s care. Sadly, Mike and my children had to say goodbye to her while she was still in the hospital. On the down side, I said goodbye to Mike and my children, not knowing when I was going to see them again. Yet on the positive side, my opportunity to stay with her allowed me to plan a family reunion, my Grandparents 63rd wedding anniversary party, and an after-party for every day thereafter. The week she was home, was my opportunity to show her how much I loved her and show much she meant to me. I treated that week as a testament of my love, devotion, and admiration of her. There was no doubt, she knew every second of every passing moment, how much she meant to me. My Grandma passed away April 11, 2010.
Now, my college graduation has passed and my last day of school has passed. I went to graduation ceremonies on May 8 and my last day of class was May 24, 2010. Even though I had my husband’s loving support all they way, I still had to stay true to my goals, and not give up. And when times got tough, I had to pull strength from places I didn’t know I had. In the darkest moments is when you shine the most, you may not see your light, but others do…and they will follow it. I have succeeded in achieving my goals because of the encouragement from those that have meant the most to me, my husband, children, and my Grandma’s. I earned 2 bachelors and graduated summa cum laude. I could not have done it without those here beside me and those watching over me from above. My life can be an example of how people can still achieve their goals, no matter how long it takes or challenges life brings.
Thank you for your consideration,
Lisa M. Adams
Lisa your going to be our a super model for a day. Enjoy hair and makeup, photoshoot and gift prints. Michelle and I are looking forward to giving you a day to remember!
BTW… I have permission to post these here;)
