VOICES
Khalena S
o many times, Khalena McIntyre could have given up her dream of working in the medical field. Her lupus diagnosis could have stopped her. Or her youngest son’s brain tumors. The cost of college, even. But here she is. By day, a pharmacy technician at UAB, making rounds to help care for patients recovering from surgery. And after work, a devoted mother to Khamari, age 7, and Khalib, age 4. Khalena was in the top 10% of her class when she graduated from Midfield High School in 2009. “I had planned for college,” she said. For several years, she worked hard in customer service and insurance jobs. Then her health began declining and she was diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disorder that can be excruciatingly painful during flare-ups. Soon after, she gave birth to Khalib,
2 | The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham
“ W HEN M Y K ID S SEE ME W I T H A UNIFORM ON, T HE Y ’RE P R OUD TO S AY, ‘M Y MOM W ORK S AT UA B.’” who arrived premature and with cancerous tumors in his brain. Career and college plans were sidelined. Thankfully, she and her son both grew healthier. For Khalib, this meant school at Head Start, which is how Khalena learned about The Women’s Fund program assisting single mothers in post-secondary medical training at Jefferson State Community College. Finally, six
