I was born in South America, Guyana, and moved to America in 1994 in the middle of a winter storm at the age of 6 with my three brothers and my folks. My father worked two jobs sometime three in order to take care of us.

But, life took a turn when my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Shortly after my second to oldest brother was killed in a car accident in 2000 at the age of 19; he was a sophomore in college. When things couldn’t get any worse, it did. My youngest older brother was jailed then deported back to Guyana due to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute as I was told, strike 3. The eldest of my three brothers moved out and I was left to keep the peace in my household at a tender age. Regardless, of the misfortune, I always prayed; but life knows how to challenge your faith. I dabbled with marijuana and circulated in a crowd that I knew was outside of my character in my teenage to young adult years. I did a good job of keeping face, controlling my emotions, and showing up for church after a night of partying and drinking, but I was screaming inside. I had my heart broken, experienced a couple of bumps and bruises, dropped in and out of the church, and endured physical pain, until one day I had enough. 

I knew I needed to change, but it did not happen right away. It took time, it took energy, and patience. I felt like such a hypocrite during my walk with Christ and saw so many others just like me. I realized that not only claimed Christians were living a double life, but so many other religious and non-religious individuals were screaming inside too. This is what I called the “Great Secret”. The secret that cripples so many from living their true authentic self. Christianity has been diluted over the years in my opinion and so many do not know the true message of Jesus resulting in confusion and mistrust of the faith.

In 2012, I proudly earned my license as a certified occupational therapy assistant, and life was on a steady course. But in April 2020, during the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic, my world took an unexpected turn. On June 4, 2020, I found myself placed on disability due to a herniated disc and severe sciatica, a debilitating pain journey from my lower back down to my left foot. It left me bedridden for nearly two months, unable to perform even the simplest tasks comfortably. Eating required me to lie down, and standing for more than a minute was excruciating.