A Contagious Smile Podcast
A Contagious Smile is a powerful platform dedicated to uplifting and empowering special needs families and survivors of domestic violence. Through heartfelt stories, we shine a light on the journeys of extraordinary individuals who have overcome unimaginable challenges. Their triumphs serve as a testament to resilience and strength, inspiring others to rediscover their own inner light. Each episode features candid interviews with survivors, advocates, and experts who provide valuable resources and insights to support those on their own paths to healing and empowerment. Join us as we celebrate the power of resilience, the beauty of shared stories, and the unstoppable spirit of those who turn adversity into hope. Let us guide you in rekindling your spirit, because every smile tells a story of courage and transformation.
A Contagious Smile Podcast
Silent Grandparents, Loud Love: A Daughter's Fight for Life
When doctors told us to call a priest because our daughter wouldn't make it through the night, we refused to accept that fate. Through dozens of surgeries, kidney failure, and countless medical interventions, we fought alongside Faith as she battled for her life. Today, she's not only thriving but hitting bullseyes at the shooting range during her recent birthday celebrations.
This episode takes you on an emotional journey through Faith's remarkable story – from her joyful birthday weekend complete with bowling adventures and her first-ever experience firing a real gun, to the heart-wrenching reality of family members who couldn't spare even ten seconds to send a birthday text. The contrast becomes even more stark when Victoria reads Faith's powerful letter from their upcoming book "Dear Silence," addressed to grandparents who were conspicuously absent during her life-threatening hospitalization.
"You didn't just miss my fight for life, you forfeited your place in it," writes Faith, now 19, who has endured over 54 surgeries in her young life. Her raw words capture the profound pain of abandonment during life's most critical moments, while highlighting the extraordinary strength she's developed as a result. The conversation expands to explore how true family is defined not by blood, but by who shows up consistently – like the strangers who brought food and offered help during Faith's hospital stay, demonstrating more authentic care than some biological relatives.
Between these powerful reflections, Victoria and Michael share insights about their educational program "Stucco Squad," designed to make learning fun for children with special needs, and offer humorous marriage advice centered on the importance of laughter and authenticity in relationships. The episode serves as both a celebration of Faith's resilience and a profound meditation on what it truly means to be family.
Join our community at acontagioussmile.com, where you can access our Academy resources, including Victoria's new ebook "Puppet Mastering the Manipulator," and learn more about the upcoming release of "Dear Silence" during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Good evening and welcome to another episode of A Contagious Smile, unstoppable. I am Victoria, with my husband, michael, who is sitting over here beside me. Hi, babe.
Speaker 2:Howdy y'all.
Speaker 1:How's it going?
Speaker 2:Outstanding.
Speaker 1:He's a little preoccupied, but aren't most men See?
Speaker 2:Hey, easy greasy.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying so. I want to thank everybody who has sent out amazing birthday wishes for Faith. It was very sweet. We did so much. This kid did not have a birthday. She had a birthday week Weekend.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, y'all, she milked it.
Speaker 1:Oh, but she deserves it. So let's just say very quickly we want to thank everybody who did reach out and send their happy birthday messages to her. We went and took her to the firing range and she shot. And that kid has mama's talent all day long.
Speaker 2:So first of all she went out to her favorite restaurant one of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, do that for dinner starts with olive yeah, it ends with a garden.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah and um then, what did we do? We went you guys.
Speaker 1:Well, I said, and I got to watch you guys go bowling and that was hilarious that was hysterical. I mean, this kid is walking up now. She hasn't bowled in a couple of years and she's walking up with her hand in her freaking pocket like she's the cool cat on the right there and just strike and then sassays back with a little tush tush.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, I guess you'd sway it or whatever you want to call it. And then we get done with that and then we do something fun. We do her presents with riddles. So would be like Every gift. She would get the gift bag and then she would say it says number four and I would give her the riddle and She'd have to guess the gift. And it's super fun and she loves to do it every year. And so then, and she'd have to guess the gift, and it's super fun, and she loves to do it every year. And so then we went on another day, we went to the shooting range and she has never shot indoor range ever, and so well, she's never fired a real firearm, correct?
Speaker 1:no, she's fired a bb gun yes, and so we go in and we're a little, you know, concerned how she's gonna do. And we tried it cuz she has very sensitive hearing and she just messaged me at him I did hit the bullseye three times so she wanted me to let everybody know cuz she sees dropping. But yes, she goes in there and before we go back I'm telling her how to do the stance correctly, how not to squint your shoulders, how not to be surprised at the kick of a gun, and blah, blah, blah. Right, she goes in there and just hits the flipping bullseye and she says I can't help my good hearing, all right, and she hits the bullseye. That, my friends, is mom's offspring, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:As my wife said, y'all we were apprehensive about giving you know our precious girl a firearm. You know, loaded, granted, granted. You know we.
Speaker 1:Would you like to come participate? Faith.
Speaker 2:We loaded one bullet in the I'm a natural in the magazine at a time. So she, uh, she surprised me, she did excellent, and then once, that once the surprise me.
Speaker 1:You tell her we're on air. She knows that she's sending me messages to convey to everybody. Like she didn't surprise me, I knew that she'd be good. I was just worried about her with the kickback when she fired the first few times and when she hit that bullseye like that precious child of mine lit up so like and it was the sweetest, cutest moment ever and she got the bullseye not once, not twice, but three times. It was awesome, my kid just saying are you done? Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 2:So she shot, uh, my wife's uh. Smith wesson easy glide 380. Uh, we wanted the minimum amount of kick being her first time. Uh, that's. Any parents should do that. Don't go out and give your kid a 44 Magnum for the first go. No she once that hook was set in her and she went through I don't know, probably 15 rounds. I mean she was all giddy and bubbly and Fucked Dad. Can we come here every time? Can you get a membership right now? Please go, get a membership now right, when are we coming back?
Speaker 1:when, when, when, and then she's signing more, more, more, more. I want to do more, I want to do more.
Speaker 2:I want to do more and I mistakenly y'all, I mistakenly only bought her one box of ammo. Yeah, that was the first mistake, and the sourpuss look on her face was heart-wrenching when she found out that's all the ammo she had heart-wrenching I offered her to shoot. You know the 45s I brought out but that was you know it wasn't gonna happen. So she said, dad, make sure you get plenty of boxes of that she told me you need to get like 10 boxes.
Speaker 1:I said you, you need a job because ammo's not cheap. But I just wanted to say that. And then you know, I, I am forthcoming and I, and I do want to say that, with the fact that she had such a great week of birth, birth week um, that she did have some disappointment, and I just want to, you know, be the mom, the protective, tigering mom, and say shame on all of you who couldn't even take. How long does it take? 10 seconds to send a text. I mean, even when you're on the toilet you can text. I mean, everybody scrolls on the toilet. You scroll on the toilet when you're in there.
Speaker 2:My husband, hey, that's, that's a natural guy thing but, but I mean seriously.
Speaker 1:What do you have to say about that? There are.
Speaker 2:My family members. Y'all should have called and wished her happy birthday. Or texted your family members, which are 45 minutes up the road, should have called or texted or emailed or smoked a cigarette. Yeah smoked a cigarette. I don't care.
Speaker 1:You know a birthday card card. Go to the dollar store because we don't care about the materialistic thing of it. Get a 99 cent card. I mean, right now stamps are almost half that cost, if not more. I don't even know what a stamp goes for anymore, but not even a 10 second out of your day, simple text for this kid who has fought her whole life to be here. She is the heart of gold. All she ever wants to do is help other people. She's really sweet. Now, granted, annie Oakley Jr over there is not someone that you want to mess with or tango with, because she holds her own very, very well. But how do you, babe as across the board, because you even made that clear last night how, how is a grandparent on either side not even reach out and say, you know, happy birthday, or you know?
Speaker 2:like you said, shame on them. You know birthdays. For us old folks it doesn't mean much right this is different but when? When? This is your, your grandkid, you know everything she's been through and and everything she's been through, man, pick up the phone, y'all send a flippin text so I don't know, I can't answer for them but you know, you think okay, could they disappoint you anymore?
Speaker 1:and then something like this is done. But when they come back around on either side, the excuse to me will not hold water. I mean, it's just not.
Speaker 2:It's not because there's no excuse, none I've just learned to be to expect disappointment with either of those, and I'm never going to be disappointed well, see, that's different for us than it is for her. Like it is and you.
Speaker 1:She was heartbroken and that broke my heart. Not that, you know, none of them reached out, because I didn't expect it, but the fact that we had to watch her look at her phone and say, guess what they didn't message, and that is unforgivable. I mean, in today's technology and all the different ways you could reach out, even reaching out through us, her parents, you know we would have given the message to her, but that, to me, is absolutely inexcusable.
Speaker 2:So that was our weekend.
Speaker 1:I'm off the rant.
Speaker 2:It was excellent. Y'all I had a fabulous time, you know, shooting with my daughter Power Going out to eat. She ate a ton of food at her favorite place. So y'all spend quality time with your kids, because you know we've got two others that we don't see, and I wish we did uh I wish we did, I wish we did.
Speaker 2:But um, they're gonna grow up and they're one of them's 20 now and, uh, they're gonna leave the desk, probably when they're 30. But, um, you know, enjoy the time you got with your kids. Like like saturdays, my daughter and I we watch, we have movie night every saturday night. It's call it daddy daughter movie night every saturday night.
Speaker 1:For the past four plus years that I've been back back with my wife, yeah, but in fairness, last night didn't start till this morning because it was after midnight, because somebody was, I took a nap and it's last night, didn't start till this morning, because it was after midnight, because somebody was sleeping, I took a nap.
Speaker 1:Uh no, this is how this goes. I took I'm gonna go to bed, I'll wake up at 10, so at 10 15, that's what we get. So then faith is like I'll do it, so it was, so that's what we get again.
Speaker 1:I need a couple minutes to wake up, so we send the dogs in and then it was get off of me. And then it's 11 and 1130. And it's quarter to 12. And now it's 12. And I'm like that's it, I'm going. So Faith was like open the door, turn on every light that she possibly could find, remove the covers, enter in the dogs to get him because she was not going to give up her movie night. It's just not going to do it, not going to happen.
Speaker 2:Why am I that bad?
Speaker 1:I love you.
Speaker 2:You failed to answer the question. I love you, oh Lord. What are you working on over there?
Speaker 1:What am I not working on?
Speaker 2:Your 42nd book.
Speaker 1:No, so here's what's.
Speaker 2:Oh, we had a subject we were going to discuss, do you recall?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:You have the perfect memory? I do not. I said we were going to discuss it.
Speaker 1:Well, first I want to take one minute before trying to recollect Go.
Speaker 1:I want to take one minute for trying to recollect and put our heart and hugs and prayers to the DeKalb County in Georgia officer who was killed protecting kids and individuals with the CDC shooting just the other day. He has left a wife and two kids and she's pregnant. He didn't even hesitate, he went right in there to the shooter and tried to deescalate the situation and he gave his life. And so I just want to send heartfelt thank you to him and his family and condolences and prayers and hugs to his family. Because that's just today. Everywhere you look, there's active shooting. I mean it's incredible how, like in georgia, there's marta, which is like the train system and the transportation system, and there's buses and trains and things of that nature and, um, anybody in ge knows who Marta, what knows what Marta is, and there was supposedly not even a week ago was an active shooter on the train, on one of the trains in Marta, and then the other day two officers were standing out at little five point station and an active shooter shot both officers and it's every single day.
Speaker 1:Now you are hearing about active shooting and it's just come on. I mean, back in the day we worried about getting smacked around with a dodgeball or, you know, not coming in when the light was on on the street. Street lamp came on. Now, like you know, the CDC is right next to Emory. They have had you know which is the hospital, and now you're having shootings, like right at the hospital. You're having them in churches, you're having them in schools. I mean, how do we get this to stop? How can we get this to stop? How can we get this to stop? This is not okay. These are our lives, our family, our children. This is just. This has got to stop.
Speaker 2:So you might say well, you're being a hypocrite, because y'all were at the gun range.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we're there to protect ourselves.
Speaker 2:Exactly y'all.
Speaker 1:There's a big doggone difference. We're not going to go out there and seek revenge on people. We're going to go and teach our daughter how to self-defend. We're not going to go. And you know, that's just not the mentality, and we taught gun safety from day one to her. And the thing is, is that people say, well, it's guns that. Well, it's guns that kill people. It's people that kill people. A gun doesn't pick itself up and shoot itself, right. And I've had a gun clock to my head. I've had a gun, you know, with my ex, had his finger on the trigger and it was put to my skull, you know, and most people at that point would be afraid of guns. But it wasn't the gun that did it, it was the piece of crap holding it.
Speaker 1:My husband is so preoccupied, hey yes pay attention I am I mean, most people say it's guns that are doing with the killing. But I mean, and a lot of people want all the guns taken off the streets. What is your say on this? We have several guns here we have a good arsenal here, but what about the people who say they want to take them off the streets?
Speaker 2:yeah, they, yeah, okay, let the bad guy come into their house. What are they going to do? Grab a candlestick to defend themselves and their loved ones, their children. Anyway, I still haven't thought of the topic I want to discuss. I don't remember, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Anyway, so why are you thinking of that?
Speaker 2:My wife is still compiling the. What's the title of the book?
Speaker 1:Dear Silence.
Speaker 2:Dear Silence. I don't know why I drew a brain fart.
Speaker 1:Yes, I have actually written quite a few in there and also I'm going to give you a trigger warning ahead of time. And my husband is so preoccupied right now it's not, I mean, normally he's preoccupied, but this is a little crazy because he is very preoccupied. So while I'm pulling this up, I do want to tell you guys what else I'm doing. I created a ebook if you will, of course my husband's going to say, oh, of course you did and it's called Puppet Mastering the Manipulator, like the unmasking the narcissist, if you will, and in this it's over 180 pages. It's over 180 pages and it talks about really seeing the true colors from within of a narcissist, and it's been valued at about $49. And instead of putting it out on Amazon, what I'm doing is I'm putting it.
Speaker 1:My husband doesn't know any of this y'all, so maybe this will undistract him is that I have added it to the resource section of the library for our Contagious Smile Academy and you can go on there and get this 180 plus page ebook for free if you join the Academy. And what we ask is that, if you join the Academy and you partake in the classes and you learn things and you have fun and you bond with your children and some of the stucco squad courses, you get any of the e-book classes or books in there and you feel like you know what. I want to contribute to this so that I can help provide scholarships for other people. Scholarships for other people. There's a link in there where you can do that as well and we can help, because if we don't start getting some funding, it's going to be very hard to keep up with what we're doing, because we're the ones funding it without any help, and it's it's really difficult.
Speaker 2:It's a very challenging thing so y'all get on our website, contagiousspotcom, join our academy and shoot us an email if y'all want to come on our show sometime. I know my wife's very busy with all her celebrities that she has a conversation with I think she reposted Malcolm Goodwin Because he wished Faith a happy birthday, giving our daughter a happy birthday wish.
Speaker 1:But you know, you know that was excellent, he didn't have to do that it's also a law and order svu he was awesome and, if I'm not mistaken, he called up my wife a few years ago yes, he reached out to me and said to me that somebody he knew told him I saved their life, I helped them, I spoke with them, I was talking with them and helping them with all different resources and I had no idea they knew him. You know, I treat everybody, from a CEO to a receptionist to the trash guy, to the same exact way. And he reached out thanking me and said you now have a permanent lifelong fan and me, thank you for what you do.
Speaker 2:and I was just like wow so malcolm goodwin has played in I zombie and reacher and law and order he was also in the breakout kings.
Speaker 1:He was so good in that in that show. So if he's listening, that was one of my favorite things he did. The Breakout Kings. That was like a phenomenal show that did not get the props that it needed. Breakout Kings should have been like a major, major network show. It really was. It was kind of a cool concept, you know. I think if you would watch it you'd really like it. Basically it's um, a us marshal um handpicks some criminals and what they do is they're going after the some fugitives and for every fugitive they catch they get time taken off of their sentencing right, and so they have like an array of different people who offer different skills, if you will, and malcolm goodwin was one of them and quick-witted, hilarious fun. He was great. I was so upset when the show ended because it was. It was good. All right anyway.
Speaker 1:Enough on that one, but I am going to I'm actually going to read one of the entries for Dear Silence. I'm going to put out there trigger, trigger, trigger, warning, and then, as soon as it's done, I'm going to let my husband say what he thinks after I've read it. This is very triggering for me for multiple reasons, so I'm going to go ahead and remind you again. It's triggering. This is actually from our daughter and she wrote this to all of the grandparents across the board. She wrote this to the people who say that they care about her and then need her for whatever. Oh, can you get me to this celebrity? Can you do this, can you do that? And then they don't need her anymore. And she was heartbroken, and so she. She did this and I'm very proud of her for releasing it because I think it really did help her, but she was devastated when we began this. So this is just one of the entries that will be in the book. So I'm going to read this and I'm going to go ahead and tell you again. It's a trigger warning. And then I'm just going to stop and let my husband say what he thinks about it.
Speaker 1:You knew God. You knew. You knew I was in that hospital. You knew I was on life support. You knew the doctors were telling my parents she's not going to make it home and you still stayed away. Don't tell me it was because you didn't know what to do, because I've lived in the hospital dozens of times before, but none were as serious as this. You had one job Be my grandparents, love me anyway and show up.
Speaker 1:But you didn't. Not when my body was failing, not when I was so fragile they couldn't even take me down to the OR. Dozens of surgeries had to be done right there in my PICU room because I was too weak to survive the trip down to surgery. I needed dozens of blood transfusions and was even put back into a medically induced coma more than once. Every time the lights would get brighter, the room would fill with doctors and I'd feel the fear in the air before I felt the pain. My kidneys were failing, my blood was poisoned, everything was shutting down, but my parents refused to give up, regardless of what the doctor said. My mom had already begun the process to donate one of her kidneys because mine was almost gone.
Speaker 1:You guys all knew all of this and you still stayed away. You obviously had already disowned me several times before you even forbid me to be on your property. And for what reason? Because I told the truth when I stopped playing the quiet, obedient granddaughter you could no longer control. I thought that this was the worst you could do to me. Use the fact I have special medical needs as an excuse to your wife to see other women. You told your wife you were with me and my mom, but in fact you were with whatever tramp you were messing with at that time. Pictures tell a thousand words.
Speaker 1:But then came this. Do you know what the nights were like? The machines breathing for me, the alarm screaming if my heart rate dropped. Nurses whispering outside my door like I couldn't hear them through the haze of my pain in the medicine. My dad's eyes never stopped moving from the monitors to the doctors and back to me. He didn't leave, neither did my mom. They lived in that room beside me for months. They ate from vending machines and slept in stiff chairs. They counted every beep every hour, praying, begging for a miracle. They whispered to me like I could hear them, because love refuses to let go. And they weren't going anywhere. And you what one phone call Once Over months. And you told yourselves that was enough, it wasn't, it didn't count.
Speaker 1:When, again, you were nowhere around and my mom refused to give in, and even when the doctors offered to take and make me comfortable and let me pass quietly, that was the moment my mom was anything but quiet. She told them hell no. She told them I was not done. She told them, both her and my dad would keep fighting because they weren't about to watch me slip away. They told me sorry. They told them no. So loud and so certain it cut through the air like a knife. They told the doctors that I was not leaving this earth without a fight so fierce it would shake the walls of that hospital, this earth. Without a fight so fierce it would shake the walls of that hospital. They told them that they would burn through every ounce of their strength, every dollar they had and every heartbeat they had, because I was worth every battle and they were ready to do whatever they had to in order to save my life.
Speaker 1:They fought for me every single second, and you couldn't even fight to come by for a single visit. You could have walked into that room. You should have walked into that room. My parents fought for me every second, every breath. The doctor set my parents down and told them I was in full kidney failure. When they explained that my body was shutting down, that every organ was struggling, I was put on dialysis. They warned my parents that even if I survived the night, there was no promise of a tomorrow. You could have walked into that room and again, you should have walked into that room. You could have held my hand, even if I couldn't squeeze back. You could have said we love you, even if it was the first time in years. But you didn't, because in your eyes I was already gone. You no longer could use me as your excuse for your extramarital activities, therefore making me useless to you.
Speaker 1:And here's the part you'll never erase. I survived, I came home and I remember. I remember the dozens of surgeries you weren't there for. I remember my mom's voice trembling as she talked about giving me her kidney because she hadn't slept or stopped crying in days. I remember my mom, having just lost her hand, learning how to function as a new amputee, trying to put on a glove so that she could learn how to help in my wound care one-handed, crying in frustration, but never once giving up. And guess what? She figured out how to do everything I needed and she did it all one-handed.
Speaker 1:I remember the chair by my bed that my dad stayed in, right beside me, and I remember the silence that told me more than words ever could say that choice. It will follow you. It will sit beside you when you close your eyes at night, it will echo in the hollow space where your love should have been. I lived, I came home and I will spend the rest of my life knowing the truth. You can never outrun that. I fought to stay alive without you and I won. You didn't just miss my fight for life, you forfeited your place in it, and when people ask where you are, I will tell them the truth. You were nowhere, not because you couldn't be there, but because you chose not to, and that choice will carve your name into my story as the ones who abandoned me when I was dying, a brand of cowardness that will outlive you and rot whatever legacy you thought you had ever had left.
Speaker 2:Y'all that is from our 19-year-old daughter who's. Who's had well over 54 surgeries, which is more than anyone should have in their entire life. I've I've barely had one surgery and they call it tonsillectomy. But how dare you say I'm her grandparent? You almost don't get that right to say I am her grandparent. You don't have that possessiveness. This little girl was fighting for her life and you didn't show up one time. You know, hey, a phone call. How's she doing? All right, I'll time. You know, hey, a phone call. How's she doing? All right, I'll call you back in a few hours. I'll call you back tonight. I'll call you back it should have been.
Speaker 1:I'm on the way you know, it should have been. I'm on the way yes, I know you're.
Speaker 2:You're a state away. You're, you're an hour away. I know it's inconvenient right right.
Speaker 1:Most of I mean parts of that were directed towards my biological parents, but the premises of the whole thing was written towards both sides of our family y'all know, as parents we see it one way.
Speaker 2:But y'all just saw it from the eyes of a child, a little girl. Now I'm getting choked up. Um, that that was for her life. Y'all heard the words. We didn't encourage these. We didn't tell her to write this stuff down. No, we already know our daughter's amazing. She's effing amazing. Okay, even in the shooting range. You know she gets it from my side.
Speaker 1:No, she doesn't.
Speaker 2:But she has written some amazing stuff, some amazing poems, and she's this is just her you know expressing herself and you know we're dang proud of her.
Speaker 1:And you know the thing is is that your brother, when he got hurt, I hadn't even met him yet and we were like, we're on our way, what do they need? We're on our way down. And they were how long of a drive away, six hours, okay, we, I had never met that brother and it was like let's go, what do they need? Let's go. It was late at night and you know I was sending stuff to the family and to their son and there was no hesitation, we got to go. You know, when your parents lost their air conditioning, it was in the middle of the night and it was hot and I was like let's go, and we drove down in the middle, we left, drove down to get them and came back the same night and we brought them back and there was no hesitation, because that's what you're supposed to do for family and you know my husband can say what he wants. But you know, babe, I'm sorry, I'm just going to say it across the board Shame on every single one.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean seriously, there's no excuse. If you, if you know, your mom had a colonoscopy, a routine colonoscopy, and I sent her flowers and it, you know, it was just a routine, there was nothing they found, they just did it because you're supposed to at that age. I sent her flowers, I checked on her constantly. You checked on her, you know. But I don't expect everybody to treat everybody the way we treat them. I get that, you know, that's. That's one thing, but to not even a wish this kid a happy birthday, which is so minute in the whole scheme of things, but when she's in the hospital fighting for her life, and they literally told us I mean they told my husband what did they? What did the surgeon say to you?
Speaker 2:he told me go call a priest before he even got up there. Go call a priest now. Now all y'all know when do you call a priest?
Speaker 1:right. He said she's not coming through the night, like they made that clear and they're like we'll just keep her comfortable. And I was anything but quiet at that point. It was just like no, I literally couldn't stand up. I almost fainted.
Speaker 2:The nurses yeah, I wanted to grab him and punch him in his face like I.
Speaker 1:I couldn't even. I couldn't even stand up, and it was. You know we've come this far. There is no way. I mean you're watching your little girl hooked up to everything under the sun. She had IVs anywhere that they could have put them. She was on dialysis. They had two nurses in the room. You know we're in the pediatric ICU. You know her organs are constantly failing. She's having surgery after surgery after surgery I mean we're talking multiple a day, not just one and then you know, a few hours later she's having another one and she's too fragile to move and so they're doing it bedside. And one point she had 11 blood transfusions in one day and it was just.
Speaker 1:It was probably, if not the scariest moment of my life like watching her go through this, and I couldn't change places with her. I couldn't take that away from her and give it to me so that she could be sitting there playing games with you while I lay there for her. Because that's what a real parent does, that's what someone does that really loves somebody is that they'll take their pain so that they don't have to feel it or experience it. And that's exactly what I would have done without a hesitation. And you know, I told the doctors I don't care, go over there, take me across the street, take my kidney, my liver, I don't care what it is what she needs, you just do it. And then you find a way to get me back over here and I will recover here because I'm going to be right here with her. Why Is it going to kill her? No, you know, they're like you can't touch her because stimulation could do something. My child is suffering from bradycardia, which is a low heart rate, so if I stimulate her and her heart rate comes up a little bit, then that's not a bad thing. Go get your license somewhere, from anywhere other than Walmart, your medical license, and maybe you could talk to me. Then I would never do anything that puts my daughter's life and health in jeopardy. Ever, never, ever, ever.
Speaker 1:And for these momos to like like, literally, she's not going to make it through the night, but you can't touch her, screw you and the horse that you just got off of. Don't tell me that. And don't tell me me you're gonna like make her comfortable and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Because that's not gonna happen either. Because if making her comfortable and not giving her, you know, any stimulation is gonna help. Quote-unquote the process of letting her go.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna make a rock concert in that room. It's gonna be loud and boisterous, we are gonna. I'm gonna wake her up and I said I don't care, I will piss her off and make her mad at me, but then for the rest of her life she can live and tell me how mad she was that I didn't let her sleep. Because I am not burying my kid period, not doing it just okay. I'm I going to silence my mic for a minute because now I feel my blood pressure rising. But there is no excuse whatsoever why people are so self-centered and so self-involved that you can't even check on your old, godforsaken grandchild, who would have moved heaven and earth for you time and time again. Mic drop, giving it to michael just I.
Speaker 2:I believe god was with her then he has been. She was a god forsaken her entire life but I know what you meant. So from going for you know from when, the when that douchebag doctor said call the priest. She, she, may not live throughout the night.
Speaker 1:No, he didn't say she may not. He said she will not.
Speaker 2:And then we went to another 24 hours and then we went to a weekend and it just kept getting longer and longer. Here's this beautiful girl at the shooting range. You would have never have thunk it, seeing everything that she was hooked up on. She had two poles because he had two poles on just one. There was not enough room for all the pumps and everything going into her plus the ventilator, plus the dialysis.
Speaker 1:You know she had a broviac, she had swan, she had central line, she had pick lines. I mean she had a Broviac, she had swan, she had central line, she had PICC lines. I mean she had IVs. You know there was. There was constantly changing some medication around the clock because one would finish and the other would start, and I counted over 50 at one point. It was nonstop.
Speaker 2:So you know, don't tell me as a parent, oh, it's easy to give up on your child. So you know, don't tell me as a parent, oh, it's easy to give up on your child. It's not. There's no way I could have Right.
Speaker 1:But I mean.
Speaker 2:I mean they told us let her go in peace.
Speaker 1:Right, but I mean, how do you? What do you say to the people who couldn't even reach out when she went through this, or celebrate her coming through?
Speaker 2:OK. So Looking at that, you expect us to come running to you now, when your old ass is in the hospital, because it's coming. You're pushing 80. Or our 80.
Speaker 1:Not just one side.
Speaker 2:Right, so are we going to be there for you? Do you expect us to? Do you expect us to pick up the phone? Call the phone. Oh, anyway, that's why my wife and my daughter and my two dogs and I, we like to have a what do you call it? No drama trauma no drama trauma right Home of the nose.
Speaker 2:So so we like, we like to be somewhat introverts. You know, we have our podcasting, we get out, we go out to eat. Uh, we, we meet hundreds of people, um, we do events, you know, and and whatnot. But you know, we just like to keep it simple. Just us right, our christ dinner, y'all.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's fabulous. We got a Waffle House.
Speaker 2:Waffle House.
Speaker 1:Christmas dinner at Waffle House, but Christmas Eve we make dinner here as a family, that's right.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's what we do. But you know, what's just ironic is that I took Faith to nice and so sweet and so thankful, and you guys are just amazing, and they were, you know, just people that I've interviewed on podcasts, people that I have helped, you know, in different situations that I have become friendly with, they reached out and said happy birthday, or how is faith? When all this was going on, we had people that I helped in situations of abuse, that were bringing us food that we had never met in person and they were like how can we help? What can we do? Can we, you know, go mow your lawn, can we? What? What do you need?
Speaker 1:Right, and I mean those are the things that really show you a person's true colors of who they are. You know, I mean, that's just what it is. You don't tell them that you love them out of convenience and then you don't need them again until you do, and then you have nothing to say to them until that time comes back around again. You don't do that to people you love. You just don't that's right.
Speaker 2:So our dog, stucco, is currently sleeping on my foot, on my wife's foot okay, that's my baby speaking of stucco. If y'all have not seen or know what Stucco Squad is, you can go to our website. A contagious smilecom.
Speaker 1:Click on the direct link on the top right menu banner Yep, or go directly to the Academy at a contagious smile. M N dot C? O and Stucco Squad is just fabulous and I've had people take some of the classes from Stucco Squad. They love it because, like the subtraction class is called, take it away and stucco. You know the beginning of it is stucco is searching for his cookies and how did some of his cookies, you know, disappeared?
Speaker 1:It's a totally different way of teaching kids. Um, when faith was in public school, for the very short time that she was, I went into the special needs classrooms and I would teach a grade beneath her and the teachers were outrageous, like she had a teacher that was like, what are you doing? Well, I would bring in gifts like stickers or pencils or fun things, because you don't know if there's allergies or whatever. And I was teaching math, so I was going to do fractions, and so I brought the board which they don't know if there's allergies or whatever. And I was teaching math, so I was going to do fractions, and so I brought the board which they don't even do chalkboard anymore, and they brought the whiteboard with the stinky, smelly markers that are awful, which I don't know how, these kids don't have chronic headaches.
Speaker 1:And I drew a pizza right, and in the special needs classroom that we were in they had all the grade levels and they were separated in different sections of the room. So I had four kids in there in the grade I was working with and so I drew a piece of pizza and I drew four slices and so I was like all right, this one goes to this one. This right teacher walks up to me and says why are you wasting your time?
Speaker 2:They're never going to get it, oh hell no to me and says why are you wasting your time?
Speaker 1:they're never gonna get it. Oh, hell, no, and it was just. Are you shitting me like? But the kids? The county gives the schools money based on the ieps of these kids and you know the teacher would get up when class was done and say, get out of my face, I'm tired of looking at you and I was like, no, no.
Speaker 1:So the courses have been written where there's so much fun. A lot of the fact that I've had some moms say my kids love them because they didn't realize they were learning Like, so that frustration wasn't there from the jump. So the kids are going in there thinking, oh, I'm going to play, I'm not trying to learn, because a lot of times it's very frustrating for them that they can't grasp a concept that's developed in a certain way. So you do it a different way, you find a way that works for them right and then you apply it. And that's what we've done here and I've had so many parents reach out and say these are great, because our kids think they're playing and having fun and they don't really realize that they're learning these fundamental. You know tactics that are needed in education, if you will. So it's so much fun and it's stucco. Hello, it's stucco. And how do you go wrong with stucco? He's just the sweetest, cutest thing ever he is, he is.
Speaker 2:He is our, our my wife's surface dog and he is our family pet. But I swear he thinks he's a human because when it's time for bed he lays right down on my pillow and snuggles up with my wife yes, but it's hilarious.
Speaker 1:No, you gotta tell him what he does if you try to come near me.
Speaker 2:If I try to give my wife a hug or kiss, he gets in between us, pushes us away, pushes me away he doesn't push me.
Speaker 1:No, and then, if my husband reaches over to try to hold my hand, stucco takes his paw and shoves my husband's hand away from me anybody looking for a golden fever shut your mouth. He's trying to get rid of the boys don't call her he's trying to get rid of the boys did?
Speaker 1:she just said the hell, he won't you're asking the deaf person what she said. Stucco is the best and rusty is the best. They we have been very blessed with two phenomenal, phenomenal dogs. They're just, they're members of the family. She said no, the hell, he won't. That just came across as a text and if you do, I will cover up my tattoo. Ooh.
Speaker 2:That's just wrong.
Speaker 1:That's wrong. It's accurate. Good for her. That's what I'm saying. These are, I mean they're family members. They're the best. They are the. I'm saying these are, I mean they're family members. They're the best they are the best.
Speaker 1:They're amazing and they're so sweet and cuddly and so what they think, he does think he's five pounds. So if I'm sitting in one of the recliners he will run up and jump in my lap like he's five pounds and he's 88 pounds. So he's not a tiny little tot, but he just thinks he is and that's what he does and it's just the sweetest thing and they make your life so much better. You know, it's medically proven that people with dogs live longer and they're happier the dogs live longer and the people if the dogs are treated right now.
Speaker 1:If you're some jackass who hurts animals, you know I have to tell you, not that I wouldn't give would say my left arm because I don't have it but Keanu Reeves, right, who is just a stellar stand up human being, right, he has publicly come out and said why is it that you can? You know child abuse and people who kill kids can go to jail and go to death row, but if you kill an animal, you know and he was like people who hurt animals should be put down. And when Keanu publicly made that statement I was like there he is like just another gold star for Keanu Reeves, right, because he was just like nobody should hurt an animal. I mean it's just not right and they're right, it's not. I mean I'm telling you what somebody ever hurt stucco or rusty um and keanu's welcome on the show anytime would do a recording at any time, 4 am on Sunday morning.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't care if I could get him on, just saying Remind him again that I will cover the tattoo. Okay, there it is.
Speaker 2:Wow, thank you, faith, so real quickly. Y'all keep writing in your stories to Dear Silence.
Speaker 1:The cutoff is this week, because I'm overwhelmed with it.
Speaker 2:My wife has the email to send it to Phoenix. Go ahead.
Speaker 1:At acontagioussmilecom.
Speaker 2:Phoenix at acontagioussmilecom. Correct, she's read something from our daughter. Uh, I believe you read something else before, right?
Speaker 1:not.
Speaker 2:That was the first reading well, I've heard some of them and they're just, they're eye-opening, heartbreaking, touching.
Speaker 1:Uh, it pisses you off but it's also from a survivor point of view. It should be very uplifting to make you realize that to be therapeutic that many people have gone through this and it's different when you're reading their words, where you could say you know what I can get out to right. I can do this. It gives you that little boost of energy that you might feel you need, Cause I mean you literally lose all of who you are.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:So absolutely.
Speaker 2:So y'all look forward to this upcoming book dear silence.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it will be released for domestic violence awareness month.
Speaker 2:Speaking of books, y'all do remember that the wife is an author of 41 books at the at this moment. Okay, and you can find them on Amazon. They're not all out there. You can find them on amazon.
Speaker 1:uh, they're not cool out there you can find them through our website right, and I've also made some of them like ebooks into the academy oh yeah like the unmasking of the puppeteer is one of them and it's free in the academy. Once you join it's in the research resource library.
Speaker 2:Yeah and uh, yeah, so we appreciate any and all reviews that y'all give us.
Speaker 1:Uh, actually, if they're five star.
Speaker 2:We don't. We don't get enough reviews about our show, about our podcast. A contagious smile unstoppable unstoppable.
Speaker 1:That's us, you and I, and what else did you ever remember what you wanted to talk about?
Speaker 2:I did not.
Speaker 1:I'm old you're not old. I'm over 29 that's not really old.
Speaker 2:I'm 51.
Speaker 1:I know I've known you for like your 20s, 30, 30s, 40s and now 50s.
Speaker 2:Crazy.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That is crazy. How about a tip for a good, successful marriage?
Speaker 2:A tip Laugh.
Speaker 1:Come on now.
Speaker 2:We laugh all the dang time. I mean, there was there's times I remember laying in bed I couldn't breathe, we could, we were laughing so hard, and that that's, that's good, you know, for us you know they say that if you fart in front of your spouse, that you're going to be together forever. Okay, there's a good tip Don't give your wife apple juice prior to going to sleep.
Speaker 1:No, but hold on. When we dated a very long time ago and you would spend the night with me, first of all I slept wearing socks and you would say to me take the socks off. I said no, I hate feet, except baby feet, right. And you're like no, and then you would fart in bed with me and it was raunchy and you would say, babe, how does it you never fart? Why is it you never fart? And you said to me one day you're going to fart around me and I'll know you really love me.
Speaker 1:And I was like what? And I mean I would get up in the middle of the night and run to the bathroom if I had to, because I was not going to fart in the bed. I wasn't going to do it. Yes, but now she's a dork. Now I go to sleep without socks on and my husband gives me apple juice and Faith I don't know the competition was between my husband and Faith, I think, I don't know, because they could clear a room like a Savannah after every meal and Faith will run over and she'll blow a kiss out of her butt and she goes oh, my butt blew a kiss, which is hysterical and she runs over and farts on him.
Speaker 2:Are you saying she has a butt kiss? Yeah, you have a butt bazooka.
Speaker 1:Uh-uh, Hers is just as potent as no, we're both. You're just as bad. You are nasty raunchy because you eat some nasty shit and it comes out and it's gross On that note.
Speaker 1:And what's worse. Here's my tip for a good marriage Don't take a dump if you're about to have your wife go take her bath, because my husband loves to do that. He goes to the bathroom and he's scrolling on TikTok for half an hour and then he's like babe, I'm going to set your bath for you, because not a lot of men would do that for their wife. It's overcompensating for the fact that it smells so disgusting and raunchy in that bathroom. And he's trying to be sweet, because if we waited for it to air out, not only would none of us have any hot water, it would be in the morning. So he thinks that's a sweet way to do it. But men either plug it up and wait for the wife to take her bath or shower first, or go in another bathroom, and then you don't have to worry about it. Because why would you do that to your spouse? That's just not okay. It's just gross.
Speaker 2:Family who farts together, stays together.
Speaker 1:Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. I don't need that relief when I'm taking a bath. I don't need that aroma, and you know what? Coffee grounds do amazing things for smells in a bathroom, because I have a cute little container and it's full of coffee grounds and it makes the bathroom smell so much better after he has dropped the kids off in the pool.
Speaker 2:You can't say that, yes, I can.
Speaker 1:Why. That's like a millennial or 80s or 90s thing that everybody says why are you laughing? I didn't say in the pool, I said at the pool.
Speaker 2:Oh Lord, All right. Thank you for listening to Contagious Smile.
Speaker 1:Cindy, here we are. I don't know why you're laughing at me.
Speaker 2:I believe we're not sued.
Speaker 1:Sued. You said you're dropping kids off at the pool.
Speaker 2:Fine Good night y'all.
