I get to see the beauty and value of life a second time through the eyes of someone I’ve created. It’s magical, frankly. They have so much innocence and curiosity and they are so adaptive.

I had my son three months before the COVID pandemic started. I remember wanting nothing more than to protect the innocent life I had just brought into this world, but in doing so, I lost myself in the process. I had an NSTEMI heart attack from catching COVID, and that really made me think about wanting to live better so I could see my son grow up. I’ve looked at life and motherhood completely different since then. I’ve learned to love life and to fill my cup too so that I may pour into others.

I’d love to pay off a credit card with some of the funds, and I’d love to start a strong savings account for my son too. Living in Florida, my son has never seen snow before and I promised him that when i could, I would take him on a trip to play in the snow and to build a snowman. I’d like to fulfill my promise to him on that.