Donna Fitzsimmons Dymally: Justice for Marc Fitzsimmons

orn in Cleveland, Ohio, Donna Fitzsimmons-Dymally, Studied Business Administrator at California State University, Dominguez Hills, graduating with honors (Magna Cum Laude). Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally is a Mother of three. Two gorgeous daughters named Mignon, Miya, and a son Marc Fitzsimmons deceased since July 2, 1998, whose life was cut short at the hands of LAPD. Marc Fitzsimmons was a gifted student graduating with honors from Fairfax High School and accepted into UCLA at 15 years old. Donna Fitzsimmons-Dymally is a Stroke triumphant, still advocating for the unjustified murder of her son, Marc Fitzsimmons. Her story is one of triumph and grief, determination, and sorrows of a society refusing to correct a wrong based on the color of one’s skin.

The author of “Awoke by a StrokeMy Roadmap to Restoration!” Inspiring for anyone who has suffered a stroke. Enlightening for those with loved ones that have suffered a Stroke. It is an awakening, inspirational read about allowing yourself to heal while re-evaluating every aspect of life, with a renewed recognition and value for it.

A journey of an incredibly talented soul, reconnecting to life with a passion everyone can gain motivation from.

A Photojournalist/Photographer for Jonathan Fields’s Ambiance Uncut, Southern California’s Hottest Fashion, Entertainment, Community, and Comedy Magazine for a decade. Ms. Donna Fitzsimmons-Dymally works mainly in entertainment photography. Predominately a Celebrity/Event Photographer. She’s mainly photographing “on the red carpet,” for movie screenings, fashion shows, comedians, musicians, artists, actors, and community events throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Her photographs have been viewed on television, in various publications, newspapers, and magazines throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally initially started as a real estate agent selling homes. After acquiring her real estate license, the real estate market plummeted. She received an offer to be a real estate photographer working on a nationwide project, “Photographing America.” The project entailed 250 urban areas throughout the United States needing to be photographed. She was assigned to cities in Southern California, photographing 800 houses daily for two years in Culver City, Pasadena, South Los Angeles, Bell, Bell Gardens, and Cudahy. She developed the ability to photograph homes with less than a one percent error rate. Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally, went on to be named one of the top real estate photographers in Southern California for Zaio Inc.

Ms. Dymally is a Photojournalist/ Photographer for Hollywood Diversity Association, Indian Voices, and a special events photographer for Suzanne DeLaurentiis Productions. DeLaurentiis is a Producer at Paramount Pictures, an American film producer and actress.

A history of being involved with her community, Ms. Dymally is also the photographer for a variety of community organizations. National Action Network, Los Angeles, is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation, with chapters throughout the United States. The Los Angeles Urban Roundtable, a unique non-partisan public policy forum, and a non-profit organization, The Hutchinson Report, and Five Points Youth Foundation.

She is a Staff Photographer at New Day Talk/Radio Talk Radio Station, specializing in audio talk and video shows serving the community through different talk shows and advertising for businesses, products, and services.

“Awoke by a Stroke-My Roadmap to Restoration!” is the non-fiction book published in 2019 about the humble and sometimes tragic life this talented and courageous woman of distinction experienced. Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally discusses her life’s journey which started in Cleveland, Ohio, her upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness, and the restrictions placed upon her by her faith while being an honor student, not letting it hold her back. She learned that God had given her a gift to excel in anything she did.

She writes in her book, “Too often when we experience a tragedy, we look upon it as a negative.” In this narrative, Fitzsimmons-Dymally looks upon her affliction as a positive. She explains how this experience made her see that having a “woe is me” attitude shouldn’t be the road that one should take. “Rather one should take whatever is dealt to them, as a challenge and make the most of it.” And forging ahead is how she’s lived her life becoming a sales executive, a teacher, a world-renowned photographer. While many would view this as a blessing, this isn’t where the story ends. It’s a prelude to what was to come.

The first tragedy was the murder of her friend’s mother at the hands of her friend’s father. On the devastating and unforgettable day, July 2, 1998. Ms.Fitzsimmons-Dymally says goodbye to her son? Marc Fitzsimmons was going to run an errand for his sister. Mr. Fitzsimmons, racially profiled by LAPD, who played judge, jury, and executioners’ on site. Marc was killed, gunned down in the same streets where he had planted trees for the community of Jefferson Park. Without evidence or questioning, her son found himself in a police dragnet and winds up getting killed by the LAPD.

It was nine months before police would release any details to Ms. Dymally. Elmore Richmond, assisting the family, is still advocating for the injustice and systematic racism of the judicial system. Mr. Marc Fitzsimmons was killed within a two-mile radius of his home in Jefferson Park, where his mother sat on the board of directors, yet the coroner’s office never called to notify her, nor was she allowed to identify her son. Her 5 ft. 2, 125 lb. gifted son, was shot in the chest by police considered a deadly threat because he was Black.

Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally asks the question, “how do you leave home a law abiding citizen, disappear at the hands of police for five days, and then become criminalized,” a fair and honest question. “Justice For Marc Fitzsimmons” can be seen on YouTube, A Mother’s quest for justice in the 1998 unresolved slaying of her son by the Los Angeles Police Department. Her story is one of devastating loss and injustice, inspiration and hope for all to read. She overcame and how she overcame! Photography has been a love affair with life. In retrospect, her photographic experiences convinced her, life is like photography. In the age of film, a negative is needed to develop a photo. Similarly, in our own lives, we need the negative to develop. Develop from the negative. If life was too easy, there would be no challenges. The trials and tragedies are tribulations, we are here for our evolutionary transformation, development, and growth. The negative trials are often our lessons on the greatest teachings. “If things don’t turn out, just take another shot.”

Ms. Dymally says, always, emphasizing “always,” look on the bright side of things. Let the light be your guide. She’s learned we’re on this planet for experiences so we can develop on the quest for success. Focus on what’s important so you can capture it perfectly. Capture the good times, it’s her, living your life advice. Look on the bright side of things and let the light be your guide.

Ms. Dymally was guided to use the camera as an instrument of light. Light makes photography. She describes it as Embracing the Light! Admire it! Love it, but above all know Light! Know it for all it is worth and you will know the key to life and photography. Those are her enlightening and professional artistic views.

“I’ll never forget flying home to Los Angeles from Dallas, Texas where I had been hospitalized for several days,” realizing her left arm and hand needed serious divine healing. She recalls ask-

ing The Universal Force, was I to continue photographing? A voice whispered you have one hand. Use it. I listened and continued my quest to photograph, even though I could only use my right hand and was experiencing severe pain in my left, she thinks.

Ms. Fitzsimmons-Dymally speaking at a book signing about her experience, starts the gatherings with an open thank you to God, to the universe, to whoever your Deity may be. Thank you, for waking us up, for being ably bodied, take nothing for granted. She speaks candidly about feelings before her stroke experience, saying she was sleepwalking. The murder of her son had caused her to lose the will to live, not suicidal or willingly destructive. The traumatic event of his life being snatched away from her so unexpected and sudden to violence. The zest that once propelled her into so many blessings and opportunities now left her aimlessly existing. A portion of the heart withered or stifled by the grief.

With a routine of flying every weekend to a different state to assist students in enrolling in a college assistance program. The counseling job was her dominant source of income, used to it, she settled in for the routine flight and felt something indescribable about her left hand, the realization she was losing the feeling in her body. A voice in her head said, “Call on God before the airline stewardess.” Ms. Dymally never slept during the weekly flights, she carried a book or a DVD to watch. Saying a prayer and stat-

ing God put her to sleep. For five hours she slept, still feeling notably out of sorts but assuming better. Feeling something wrong she couldn’t retrieve her luggage.

Having a connecting flight, an employee met her at the airport and she expressed a trip to the hospital should be made, as soon as they arrive at their destination. A stroke crossed her mind, and she said it aloud.

Overhearing, the situation a young man interrupted, warning her of the dangers of getting aboard the flight. “Due to insignificant oxygen and the air pressure of the plane’s cabin, a trip to the hospital would be too late for your survival.” Stunned and trying to absorb the reality and her state of being, as she sat there, he dialed 911. The gentleman within earshot of her conversations tenacity struck the wrong chord until he informed her he was a doctor. He arranged for them to admit her to a specialty center for strokes. Divine intervention stepped end, leaving an astonished doctor questioning her in disbelief, explaining she must have done something more than pray, having survived the fivehour flight.

Donna Dymally was experiencing chronic “Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.” Chronic arm or leg pain developing after injury, surgery, stroke, or heart attack, the exact cause of complex regional pain syndrome, is not well understood but may involve abnormal inflammation or nerve dysfunction. She subsequently lost her eyesight, the ability to move her left side as a result of the stroke. “I was forced into therapy where I regained eight percent of the use of my left side. The medical doctors had given me little hope of regaining my vision.”

Ms. Dymally sought a holistic approach and found a natural healer who administered healing herbs and eventually regained her eyesight. She was determined to heal despite the physical challenges being extensive. “Photography became the instrument for my healing to occur. Thoughts of quitting were held with contempt, and she did not quit but continued to move forward in a quest to heal.” Defiant being a small woman in a business, mostly dominated by men. She had overcome those challenges, being steadfast in the constant pursuit of greatness. Being taught that comedy was healing, she took one year set in comedy clubs and practiced, and practiced and became adept at performance shooting. That led to a multitude of comedians, and she laughed herself back to good health. Later, selected as one of the top photographers in Los Angeles by Actor Ro Brooks in 2018.

Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort, intelligent work, and it follows determination. The tenacity, her passion, follows dedication, and it does not come before. “If I could have told my story in words, I would not have needed to lug around a heavy camera while disabled. I’m so elated, that I listened, and I kept snapping,” Ms. Dymally writes in her book. “Awoke by a Stroke-My Roadmap to Restoration!” Stroke Triumphant and Celebrity Photographer Donna Fitzsimmons-Dymally is very proud of the reputation she built with her business. Always timely, following through on commitments, and creating fabulous photography. Her artistic craft and skills have offered her the opportunity to cross paths with so many brilliant, creative and entertaining people on the planet while healing during her stroke experience. Photography for this skilled and talented author is a passion igniting her life-force.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then, imagine being the eye that captures the thousands of stories to be told. There is no greater moment than one captured, never to be forgotten, and Ms. Dymally has perfected the art of lighting and capture.

Despite life’s’ tragedies, Ms. Dymally says, “If I had to start over, I do not think that I would change anything. Everything happens for a purpose. I would leave things just the way they are.” No complaints or changes made. Everything occurred for me in divine order.” Ms. Dymally stated, “I kept my commitment to God that when he healed my body, I would be willing to serve as a testament and supporter of others who’ve had the stroke experience and lived in triumph.” Ms. Dymally advocates for stroke triumphant(s) and supports a weekly online stroke support group and Stroke Focus, Healings in Motion, Stroke of Genius, and Determined TV.