Editor’s note: “My Story” is where business executives share their personal and professional backgrounds and journeys that have made them who they are, in their own candid words, from the challenges of confronting stereotypes to the glory in overcoming them. Amid calls for racial justice, we can only make real change with greater awareness and understanding — and the ability to learn from each other’s experiences.
At the age of 11 months, some minor infection — starting from a small scratch — snaked its way through my body and found an unwelcome home in my spine. Spiraling quickly, my doctors gave it a name that no one wanted to hear: spinal meningitis. Death within a few days for some, my seizure, listlessness and multiday, super-high fever all signaled one outcome. My parents were called in for final words.
I’m not supposed to be here, medically. Especially in the early ’70s, those who survived didn’t do so without scars. My mom said the little girl next to me…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
