16 minute read
A winter escape for your kids
Katie Brooks, 36
In the game of surviving cardiovascular injury, mindset is absolutely critical to being able to handle the stress that comes with life-threatening cardiac events. For Katie Brooks, a mindset focused on incremental positive improvement is essential to her overall well being, because at age 35, she suffered a dissected artery as a result of a chiropractic adjustment. That dissection led to a stroke that kept Katie in the hospital for a month during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I thought I had a pinched nerve, so I went and sought help from a chiropractor,” she says. X rays showed she had back and neck alignment issues. When she had her second alignment, she immediately knew something was wrong. “My brain felt like it was on fire. It was the most intense pain I’d ever been in in my life,” she says. “My right side slumped, and I started drooling on myself.” She was taken by ambulance to UofL Hospital, where she was given a clot buster drug. “The right side of my body wouldn’t move. Within an hour, I remember being able to slightly move my fingers,” she says. Still, the stroke had impacted her to the point that she had difficulty walking, talking, and swallowing; she still requires speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy multiple times a week. As a result of the stroke, Katie says she has developed a series of medical conditions that have required several return trips to the hospital. Prior to her stroke, she was in good physical condition and had been a caregiver for veterans, but that has become impossible at this point. “The roles have switched,” Katie says. Still, she says, despite the negative life-altering effects of her stroke, she has also become empowered. “I had to dig deep in myself,” she says. As a single mom to three children, she has had to rely more on her 18-year-old son, Kevon, for the care of his siblings, 10-year-old Kiss and 4-year-old Kasey. “[He] has been my backbone,” she says. “He’s been the person who takes care of everything that I can’t right now. I hate putting all the responsibility on him. At first, I could afford to have caregivers here, and I did, but after all these months, your savings run out,” she says.
Most people recognize that life can change on a dime, but Katie gets this in a way most others don’t. “You have to maintain your faith no matter what happens; never underestimate the strength that you have in yourself,” she says. Before this happened, she had a lot on her plate as a business owner and single mother, but despite her physical limitations now, her spirit remains the same. “You feel like a lot of things have been taken from you. But who I am wasn’t,” she says. She knows she has come a long way from when she was first rushed to the hospital less than a year ago.
Katie Brooks
Melissa Pipes, 55
When Melissa Pipes was in her early 40s, her heart began skipping beats. Her primary care doctor did an EKG, which came back abnormal, and that led to a visit to a cardiologist and a heart catheterization. Melissa was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, the same disease that led to her mother’s death at age 55 in 1987. The cardiologist recommended that Melissa have a defibrillator implanted. Despite the defibrillator, Melissa weakened over the years. “I had no energy whatsoever,” she says, which impacted her ability to work as a teacher’s aide to special needs students in Brandenburg, Kentucky. It was hard to gather the energy to go to work; when she was able to work, she would come home exhausted and go to bed. Her ejection fraction, which measures the percentage of blood leaving the heart when it contracts, was down to 10 percent. (A normal heart’s ejection fraction ranges between 50-70 percent.) It became apparent to Melissa’s cardiologists that she needed a heart transplant. After undergoing a series of tests, her name was put on the list on March 10, 2017. Several weeks later, on Easter Sunday, Melissa’s cell phone rang. An unknown number popped up so she didn’t answer, but when it rang again from the same number she picked up. “It was Jewish Hospital calling me; they said, ‘We have a potential heart for you,’” she says. By the next morning, Melissa was undergoing transplant surgery. “They said it fit just like a puzzle piece,” Melissa says. After nine days, she was discharged and sent home. Melissa began doing cardiac rehab, but her heart took an emotional hit in July 2017 when her husband of almost three decades was killed in an ATV accident. “I had a bump in the road there, and I fought depression. That was a hard time,” she says. These days, Melissa takes two types of anti-rejection medications, has lab work done once a month, and has a heart cath once a year. As a result of her transplant experience, Melissa has become vocal about encouraging others to put themselves on the Kentucky organ donor list. “I know it brought me closer to God. It’s given me a different outlook on life. I don’t take things for granted,” she says. Not only did Melissa personally benefit from a donation, her husband was a tissue donor. Being both the receiver and giver of a life-sustaining gift brings both joy and a feeling of responsibility. “So often I think of my donor and my donor’s family,” she says. She tries to spread the word about organ donation; “If you can find it in your heart to be an organ donor, you can help so many people with a second chance at life,” she says.
Go Red for Women
Photos by Melissa Donald
The Circle of Red, founded locally in 2008, is a group of passionate women leaders recognized for increasing awareness and improving women’s heart health. For more information or to become a member, please contact Karrie Harper at 502.371.6014.
Circle of Red Members:
Above, left to right: Judie Parks, Kim Tharp-Barrie, Judith Petty, Ann Marie Holas-Dryps, Kimberlee Huffman, Terrian Barnes Below, left to right: Ruth Devore, Renee Cecil, Edith Mae Wright, Leah Eggers, Jill Bell Not pictured: Pamela Alvey, Carol Lambert, Gretchen Leiterman, Nancy Olzack
29 THINGS
(Why 29? Because we are 29 years old!)
Happenings, news, and tidbits that caught Today’s Woman’s eye this month
By Anita Oldham
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PLAN AN ART NIGHT
Art can pull us out of our own minds and out of the drudgery that often shows itself in the midst of February. Bring art and light into your life with these local options.
Sundance Film Festival, speedmuseum.org
LOVE & THEATRE IN YOUR HOME
Buy a ticket to Romeo & Juliet: Louisville 2020 An unprecedented global pandemic and social unrest embroil the nation in conflict as Romeo and Juliet, the children of sworn enemies, dare to imagine a world where hearts are not ruled by hatred but by love. This passion-filled interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic narrative. February 1-May 31 Part of the Brown-Forman Series actorstheatre.org
WANDER AMONGST THE ART
Check out the Speed Art Museum’s various programs — mostly virtual, but you can attend the museum by reserving tickets at speedmuseum.org. Also, starting February 1, they are hosting selections from Sundance Film Festival and continuing with virtual children’s and adult programs.
Love Orchestra Series Join in on the Louisville Orchestra Virtual Edition: Classical Pairing: John Adams + WA Mozart. February 13 at 7:30pm Purchase tickets at Louisvilleorchestra.org Buy all of the LOVE spring series for $75.
MAKE YOUR OWN
Our Contributing Editor Lucy Pritchett spends a little of each day with artwork. For 2021, she is creating a daily tiny collage.
LEARN AN ART
Cross Stitch Embroidery on Feb 11 or Feb 13 — Inspired by the artwork of Jordan Nassar in KMAC's current exhibition, The Field is Infinite, this workshop explores the traditional craft of cross stitch embroidery. Sign up at KMACmuseum.org
If You are Grieving
6In a time when there is so much loss, seek help. Here are a couple of locations, but there is help at all price levels and many are free. Griefshare.org offers many local groups that are currently meeting online. Hosparushealth.org offers grief counseling services/support groups specific to the type of loss.
“Deep grief sometimes is almost like a specific location, a coordinate on a map of time. When you are standing in that forest of sorrow, you cannot imagine that you could ever find your way to a better place. But if someone can assure you that they themselves have stood in that same place, and now have moved on, sometimes this will bring hope.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
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We lost a member of the region’s art community actor/ teacher/dancer Barb Cullen. Read more about her at TodaysWomanNow.com.
Photo by Melissa Doanld
DO YOU KNOW YOUR HEART?
8. Go Red day is February 5 — a day to bring attention to heart disease and the risks for women.
9. Check out our visit with the American Heart Association Red Sofa after page 32. (supplement) Find the dress at shopaif.com. At the end of her interview, while still sitting at her sewing machine, Minniequa said, “I AM today’s woman!”
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3 Questions About Her New Children’s Clothing Design Business
Story and Photo by Gioia Patton
Minniequa Johnson is owner/designer of Designs by the Johnson's, a children’s clothing store business at Mellwood Art Center.
HOW DID YOU GET FUNDING TO START YOUR BUSINESS?
Minniequa created her business without the benefit of a grant, business, or family loan. “Any extra money I made from my previous career as a certified nursing associate (CNA), in addition to any monies made from the years spent making children’s clothing from my home was put back into the Designs by the Johnson’s business itself,” explained the Clarksville High School and Indiana University Southeast graduate.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE STARTING THIS NEW BUSINESS?
Prior to 2020 the 33-year-old single parent of four children (ages 3-13), was a CNA in various Southern Indiana nursing homes for 13 years. Minniequa has designed for local and national children’s fashion shows from South Carolina to Florida. She even designed her Ms. America gown in 2019 when she competed as Ms. Indiana in 2019 (She won Ms. Congeniality).
HOW DID THE PANDEMIC CHANGE YOUR COURSE?
In March of 2020, the Louisville native felt moved “to do my part to help. So I began designing and making masks and surgical caps at my sewing machine from sunup to sundown,” Minniequa explained. “I know for a fact that to date I’ve made over 2,500 of them!” Creating those masks and caps “resparked my passion for designing clothes. And by the summer of 2020 I’d taken my previous eight year side hustle of creating and selling children’s clothing from home into a full-time business.”
29 THINGS 13-21. INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE
@macklin.made @lulubellesboutique @ednamode_sd
@thelifebar
@hoosiergirlpie @wellsmadeco
@thenurseryproject @themocktailproject
@lucylubakes
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MENTALHEALTHCHECK We asked the women we interviewed this month for a little more on how are they handling their mental health. Here’s some answers from the women featured on page 20.
• “I’m striving to embrace the lessons learned in the past but keep my focus forward on what life has for me.”— Jenna Wheelock, volunteer,
Blanket Louisville, and audiologist,
Louisville VA Medical Center
• “My faith is at the center of everything
I do. It’s very clear to me I’m not in control.” — Kathy Fehder, director,
Blanket Louisville, and principal,
Corpus Christi Classical Academy • “If I give myself too many things
to accomplish in one day, I’m
going to feel like a failure.” — Tricia Hackworth, volunteer at
Kentucky Refugee Ministries
• “I’m very visual. I have to see what my options are, what that can look like, and then start connecting the dots.” — Sara Beth McCrady, family outreach coordinator, The Council on
Developmental Disabilities
ABOUT FINDING FRIENDS
Cover Model Lori Cheek (page 18) moved from New York City to Louisville recently, and she explains how she is connecting to others.
“I found myself starting from scratch in a new city during an extremely difficult time to make new friends. As I’ve found many
times in life, just like looking for a job or love, you can’t just wait for
it to appear at your front steps. I am making every effort to create a new social network.
26. I’ve reconnected with old friends by using Facebook.
27. I recently bought a bike (a safe sport for social distancing) and convinced a new resident of my building to get one, too — we’ve been biking around town for several months, and we always sit down for a beer at the end of our ride. Out of my own passions for biking and craft beers, I recently created a Facebook group called Bluegrass Bikes & Brews.
28. I am seeking local networking events on Facebook by neighborhood on a daily basis.
29. I talk to strangers often. By smiling and saying hi, you’ve got nothing to lose except an opportunity.”
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1 Barefoot Dreams Slippers, $68, Bedded Bliss, beddedblisslinens.com. 2 Bourbon and Boweties Bangles, $32 each, Cartwheels Paper & Gifts, IG: @cartwheelspapersandgifts. 3 Asher’s Chocolate smothered pretzels, $1, Paul’s Fruit Market, paulsfruit. com. 4 Customized Stationery, Qty: 25 starting at $40, Cartwheels Paper & Gifts. 5 Graphique Pen, $12, Cartwheels Paper & Gifts. 6 Pré de Provence Bar Soaps, $9 each, Bedded Bliss. 7 The Bread Lady Almond Toffee with Chocolate, $4, Paul’s Fruit Market. 8 The Bread Lady Rum Creams, $5, Paul’s Fruit Market.
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9 Lucifer and Lemon Chess Brownies, $3 each, The Cheddar Box, thecheddarbox. com. 10 Two’s Company Soap On a Rope, $10, Cartwheels Paper & Gifts. 11 Mary Square Hide & Seek Purse/Wallet, $25, Cartwheels Paper & Gifts. 12 Pré de Provence Hand Creams, $9 each, Bedded Bliss. 13 Assorted Nuts, $7, Paul’s Fruit Market. 14 LAFCO New York Fragranced Candle, $65, Bedded Bliss. 15 Barefoot Dreams Socks, $16, Bedded Bliss.
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Treat Yourself FOR GALENTINE’S
By Jill Cobb Photo by Melissa Donald
Pamper yourself with a few local goodies.
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A WINTER ESCAPE FOR YOUR KIDS
By Tonilyn Hornung Photo submitted
The air is crisp, but my 7-year-old doesn’t mind. Watching my son run ahead, it occurs to me I might have bundled him up a little too well. He looks a lot like Ralphie’s younger brother from the holiday movie A Christmas Story, but at least my kid can put his arms down. Exploring the Louisville Zoo in the wintertime is chilly, but the animals don’t notice and neither does my son. He’s thrilled to be out of the house, and I’m finally relieved to have a safe way to grab some much needed time outdoors.
As soon as my child was born, my protective instincts went into overdrive. I worried about everything from diaper changes to which hat would keep him warmest. While my nervousness has lessened over the years, my need to protect has remained. I’ve done my best to roll with the changes, but I must admit trying to keep my son active and safe in the middle of a health crisis in the middle of winter is a conundrum. In the times before, he had in-person school to fill this gap, but now we’re home remote learning. This means our day is all about sitting indoors and staring at a screen. When the weather was warmer, we’d take playtime breaks outside. This helped my son burn off energy, and I noticed his focus increase when we came back to schoolwork.
Now that the weather has turned cold, freeze-tag doesn’t hold the same appeal when one of the players is actually frozen, and many of our usual indoor activities aren’t safe right now. Children need to be active for at least an hour a day, and I’m guessing this doesn’t mean actively working the remote control. So I tried taking our outdoor activities indoors. We’ve played indoor tag and even run relay races with the dog, but these ideas crashed and burned.
Studies show that being out in nature can reduce stress, and another good reason for my son to run free in the great outdoors is because it boosts creativity. Harvard Medical School reports that being outside increases our executive function, including creativity and using our imagination to problem-solve and entertain ourselves. I’d love to see my kid lose himself in a little imaginative outdoor time.
“The zoo is a place to escape life and spend the day in nature learning about our animal ambassadors,” says Kyle Shepherd, the Louisville Zoo’s media and public relations manager. I was surprised to discover the zoo is only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Buying tickets is easy because you can buy tickets in advance on the website. “It’s a paperless transaction this way,” Kyle says.
The protective parent in me checked their COVID-19 safety protocols. The zoo requires masks for entry, and “we have masks here in case someone forgets,” Kyle says. The zoo is also practicing social distancing and has a “one-way pathway, which helps us clean and keeps the route moving,” she says, Knowing these were in place, I felt confident getting us out and going.
Taking trips to the Louisville Zoo in chilly weather hasn’t hindered my son’s excitement. After our visits, his attitude is more carefree. He loves saying hello to his favorite animal friends — the tiger and the baby elephant, Fitz. I love that the colder weather brings less crowds, but mostly I love spending time in nature in a way that’s safe and uproariously fun. Like Kyle says, “We’re a place for building memories.”
