Womack knew something was wrong when everyday tasks became harder. She worked a part-time job and commuted to school but felt fatigued and less efficient.

It wasn’t until she went to the doctor for a physical before she started nursing school that she realized something was wrong. Womack had blood drawn, but it took the doctor a while to get the results. The doctor soon sent her blood work to Emory Hospital.

“That’s when they started figuring everything out,” Womack said. “My blood counts were sort of in the critical range and showed why I was so fatigued, and I didn’t have the energy that I felt like I should have.”

Womack, 20, remained in the Brady School of Nursing for three months until she decided to withdraw to focus on her health because she wasn’t performing at her preferred level.

“I think I was so tired and so rundown that I wasn’t able to study as much as I should or do the things required to excel in nursing school,” Womack said.

The pre-nursing major discovered she had the rare disease a few weeks later while at an appointment at Emory with her family and team of doctors.  Womack said she and her family were shocked yet relieved that they finally had a diagnosis after months of having unanswered questions.

The next step for Womack and her family was finding a bone marrow transplant match. Womack’s Emory transplant team partners with Be The Match, an organization geared to help individuals diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases find a bone marrow or blood transplant match.

Be The Match held a donor drive for Kendall in Cartersville, Ga., on Jan. 28. Rod Gunn, account executive for the National Marrow Donor Program, said 444 people registered at Womack’s drive in three hours, which is above average for a normal drive. Bone marrow drives usually register 40-50 people.

“One of the most successful drives we’ve had in the state of Georgia,” Gunn said. “When you register 444 people, that’s just outstanding.”

Womack’s match was found three months after her first drive, but she doesn’t know who the donor is. She only knows that the donor is a 30-year-old male. More information will be released about the donor a year after the transplant.

“They [doctors] said it could take anywhere from three months to six months, and some people wait a year and some people wait many years; multiple years to find a match,” Womack said. “That’s pretty great timing to find a match.”

Be The Match also planned a marrow donor drive on campus for March 28 before Womack found her match, but Womack wanted to continue with the drive to spread awareness and possibly help someone else find a match.

“It was so great,” Nurse Mary Shotwell Smith, student health services director, said. “It was a big success.”

Womack’s donor will undergo a series of tests and procedures as he prepares to save Womack’s life. He will give a blood sample and have a physical examination to confirm that he is the best match for Womack. The donor will then have a consultation with the transplant center that will be collecting his marrow so that they can explain the procedure.

Womack is also grateful for her family, friends and Shorter peers for helping and supporting her throughout her journey. She believes their support has made a difference in her life.

“I feel that the Lord has given me peace about this process,” Womack said. “He’s been with me every step of the way, and I know He’s not going to leave me at this point.”

Caleb Britt
Guest Writer
caleb.britt@hawks.shorter.edu

She walks in the bathroom and looks into her new best friend – her full-sized mirror. She admires the “new Tracy” who’s wearing the 5X batman shirt that now fits her like a nightgown.

Before she walks into the shower, she steps on the scale and sees that she’s lost another 10 pounds. Afterward, she puts on her makeup and clothes, ties her shoes and celebrates finally being able to tie them again. It’s one of many celebrations she has now.

Johnson, administrative assistant to the vice president of advancement and dean of Shorter University’s College of Business, now celebrates “the little things” that most people take for granted. Fitting into movie theater seats, Six Flags rides, baseball game seats and restaurant booths. Walking long distances without worry about her legs giving out. Strapping her seatbelt and helping her mother with daily tasks.

On this morning, she grabs her protein bar and leaves for work in her 2006 Suzuki Hatchback. When she exits, she’s relieved that her car no longer has to carry a 405-pound Johnson and that her stomach no longer mashes the horn.

Johnson began to have weight problems when she was 4 years old. She experienced bullying and name calling as she went through elementary school but didn’t think much of it.

“I would be upset about it,” Johnson said. “I just realized kids are mean, so I just brushed it off.”

The bullying and name calling didn’t stop when Johnson entered high school. Actually, it bothered her even more. Johnson didn’t go on dates and attend social events because no one asked her to go.

“They [boys] wouldn’t look past the exterior to pay attention to what’s in the inside,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s mother Mary Johnson saw Johnson struggle with her weight since she was a toddler but believed that she would lose weight in her teenage years. Mary blames Johnson’s weight struggles partly on her own and her late husband’s income and diets then.

“To see a child be rejected, be heartbroken because of their weight; it just breaks your heart,” Mary said. “You just wish you could take their place. So, you keep hoping and praying that someday they’ll lose the weight.”

Most of Johnson’s weight gain happened after her 1994 divorce when she weighed 240 pounds. During that time, she was upset, depressed and didn’t care. Johnson considered herself an emotional eater who relied on food to comfort her.

“It finally got to a point where I was like ‘Oh my goodness, how did all this weight get on me,’” Johnson said.

Johnson attributes her constant weight gain partly to her negative self-image of never feeling like she was enough though her Christian upbringing taught her to believe she was. She also felt like a failure because of the way people treated her.

“I started believing the negative more over what God told me,” Johnson said. “Words are powerful, and words are something you can’t ever forget.”

Johnson’s friend of 21 years Kraylon Dunkin agrees that Johnson’s physical changes sometimes mirrored her emotional changes. She also believes Johnson’s biggest struggle was forgiving herself.

“She had a harder time forgiving herself than anyone else,” Dunkin said.

Johnson, who reached her heaviest weight in 2014 at 405 pounds, knew her lifestyle had to change and that she was headed toward the same obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression path many of her family members had traveled, including her father who passed away Jan. 15, 2014.

“I basically had no life. I was existing,” Johnson said.

When Johnson began working at Shorter in January 2015, friend Allison Schultz encouraged her to pursue bariatric surgery. Johnson consulted with her doctor, discovered the steps to take with her insurance company and completed a consecutive six-month weight loss plan with her doctor to prove she was serious about the surgery.

Although she looked forward to having the surgery, she faced opposition from people believing the surgery was a “cop out” or that it would change her personality. Some said she should live with the fact that she would always be fat.

“People just don’t understand that the surgery is just a tool,” Johnson said.

Dec. 16, 2015, marked a nerve-wracking and exciting day for Johnson. When she began to see her weight decline, she knew she made the right decision.

Today, Johnson has lost 133 pounds and aims to lose 115 more. She has kept the weight off through a consistent eating regiment including a protein shake or a bar for breakfast and lunch, a protein bar or raw broccoli with dip for a snack and grilled chicken with a vegetable or a starch for dinner. In addition, she does cardio and lifts weights at the gym.

“I still have a long way to go, but I’m not turning back.”

Johnson believes she couldn’t have done anything without God’s help and strength. In times of doubt and despair, she remembers Philippians 4:13 …“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

She tries to inspire others by sharing her weight loss journey through before and after pictures, Bible verses, inspirational/light-hearted posts and advice on Facebook. The post that accompanies one before picture reads: “That miserable person is gone! The only good thing about this picture is my hair. Lol.”

“I just let them know that if I can do this, you can do this,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s co-worker Dr. Dawn Tolbert has been inspired by Johnson’s commitment.

“It helps me make better decisions seeing how committed she is,” Tolbert said.

With the weight loss, Johnson envisions herself walking down the aisle again to the man of her dreams in a “little” white dress, going on a hot air balloon ride and riding on a horse.

“I think just the possibilities for what my future holds are endless,” Johnson said.

Caleb Britt
Guest Writer
caleb.britt@hawks.shorter.edu

Caleb Britt
Guest Writer
caleb.britt@hawks.shorter.edu

“Hidden Figures” officially hit the big screen on Jan. 6 and has been ruling the box office ever since. The movie was NO. 1 at the box office during its first two weeks and made $22.8 million during its first weekend wide release in the U.S. and Canada.

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, let me give you a quick synopsis without spilling all the beans even though I’ve seen it twice.

This movie recounts the true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who made extraordinary strides in NASA in the 60’s at a time where Jim Crow laws were in effect.

These women were a part of the mathematics backbone that helped get Astronaut John Glenn into orbit during the Space Race. During that time, African-American women with college degrees were hired to solve mathematical equations and calculations. They were called “colored computers.”

Did I mention the phenomenal women who portrayed the main characters? Golden Globe winning actress and author Taraji P. Henson played Katherine Johnson, Golden Globe and Oscar winning actress Octavia Spencer played Dorothy Vaughan and award-winning singer, actress and model Janelle Monáe played Mary Jackson.

These women did an incredible job displaying the essence, example, Black Girl Magic and Black Excellence that Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson displayed years ago.

As an African-American man, I found it refreshing to see African-American women break barriers and do the impossible. These women were treated unfairly and were regarded as less than, but they continued to move forward. Movies and stories like this make me appreciate the African-American men and women who paved the way for me and many others.

This movie showed me why movies like this are important. They break barriers and show boys and girls what doing the impossible looks like no matter what color you are or what background you come from.

These women had all the odds stacked against them, even though they were highly qualified. They got up every morning knowing that the day would present challenges, but they worked hard and persevered in spite of.

This movie also taught valuable life lessons. First, you have to truly support those around you. When Johnson and Jackson got promotions, Vaughan was happy to see her girls succeed even though she too wanted a promotion. They had a genuine sisterhood apart from being members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Secondly, hard work and perseverance are the keys to anything. These women did not let anything stand in their way. Even in their moments of doubts and insecurities, they kept moving forward knowing that their hard work would pay off.

Lastly, we are greater when we come together. Vaughan could have easily read about the IBM, got a promotion and left the other women to fight for themselves. Instead, she equipped herself and the other women to succeed.

Overall, this movie will tug at all of your emotions. This is a movie for people of all ages and backgrounds. You will walk away feeling enlightened and inspired to work harder and dream bigger. Hopefully, this movie will also make you think of the other untold stories that the world needs to see.