Still I Rise

Still I Rise

As I sat in the children’s oncology unit, with alarms screaming as my daughter's body rejected her chemotherapy medication and went into anaphylaxis shock, I truly understood what Queen Elizabeth II meant when she called 1992 her ‘annus horribilis’ — her year of disaster. It was only April, but 2025 would be my annus horribilis. The Burning. In February 2025, I was included in the Inc. Magazine Female Founder 500 list. After 20 years of incredibly hard work in the mortgage industry, my efforts to increase housing affordability and extend credit to the underserved was being nationally recognized. My husband and I had planned a trip with friends to Europe to celebrate this occasion and savor the sweetness of this moment. As we arrived in London in early March, I received an urgent call from our youngest daughter's doctor. The routine lab work they did came back concerning and she had several markers for cancer in her results. They wanted her to come in for surgery the next day. After several frantic phone calls to the airlines, we were headed back to the states within a matter of hours. And by April, we were in active chemotherapy treatments and had taken our seats on the emotional rollercoaster no one wants to ride.

The Ashes.

Watching my child be infused with toxic chemicals in order to cure her cancer was an emotional trauma I do not wish on any person alive. With each curly lock of hair that fell from her scalp, I felt more and more of my soul break. As a working mom, I know the amount of time I spend traveling and public speaking. Time away from my family, my friends, my dogs. Watching my daughter fight for her life while navigating work travel and public speaking was too much. I could no longer plaster a faux smile on my face. I knew my priorities needed to change. I decided to take a medical sabbatical to be with my daughter at every stage of the cancer journey. Through the hours of surgery and chemotherapy treatments, she and I talked — a lot. I got to see life through her eyes as I listened to her stories. I learned about her friends, her dreams and goals, and the little things that bring her immense joy. I began to see her as more than my child. I was witnessing her as a young woman coming of age: bald as a cue ball, navigating an incredibly challenging diagnosis, but with an authentic smile consistently on her beautiful face and the strength of ancestors long since passed fueling her. Listening to her awakened something deep inside me. I had re-discovered my passion for storytelling. And I was ready to share my gift authentically and with cultural sensitivity.

The Journey.

I often speak of my great, great, great grandfather, Henderson Faribault. He was born enslaved and began picking cotton on a plantation at the tender age of 9 years old. After emancipation he began cooking in local girls' schools and for notable community members. Despite not being able to read nor write, he amassed a substantial amount of wealth. When he died in 1902 at the age of 66, he owned over 50 acres of land, a brick yard and he left a home for each of his 8 children. I wanted to understand Henderson’s story and how it correlated to mine. So I traveled to the small town of Hillsborough, North Carolina, and walked several miles in Henderson’s shoes. After days of listening to family tales, looking at old photos, and touring historical sites, I was able to truly feel my family's story. It is the quintessential American story — filled with entrepreneurial spirit, big dreams, hard work, and the determination to never quit. This journey back to my roots allowed me to bathe in the river of my family’s journey and left me more committed than ever to storytelling with sensitivity, cultural mindfulness, and authenticity

Still I Rise.

Maya Angelou is my favorite poet, so much so that I named one of my children after her. In her poem, “Still I Rise” she poignantly concludes”

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise.

I rise.

I rise.

As my daughter’s cancer journey concludes, and I embark on a new beginning, I am filled with the grit and resolve of my ancestors. And with a grateful heart and listening ear, I am ready to share my gift of storytelling.

And Now…You.

This journey taught me that our most powerful stories emerge from our greatest struggles. I am taking this wisdom into Origin & Oak Creative, a marketing and communications agency dedicated to crafting inclusive, culturally competent and community-centered messaging. We transform personal and professional narratives into compelling, engaging and mindful content. Let’s uncover the stories that need telling. Your story, too, deserves to rise.