It's Time

It's Time

Nearly twenty-nine years ago, bacterial meningitis changed the course of my life. What I didn't realize then was that it also set me on two different journeys. One became my career. The other quietly became my life's work.

For more than twenty years, I had the privilege of serving others through a career in the insurance industry, helping people through some of life's biggest uncertainties. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities, friendships, mentors, and experiences that shaped me along the way because, in hindsight, they were preparing me for this next chapter all along.

At the same time, the other journey was quietly unfolding.

What began as simply telling my story became advocacy. Advocacy led to speaking. Speaking led to writing. Writing became Destiny Is Debatable. From there came Shots 4 Meningitis, partnerships across the world, and opportunities to stand beside survivors, families, healthcare professionals, and organizations committed to making a difference.

Looking back, I realize I wasn't pursuing two separate journeys after all. I was answering one calling.

Somewhere along the way, I had to laugh. I've spent years encouraging other people not to wait. Maybe it was finally time to take my own advice.

So I'm doing exactly that.

For a long time, I thought surviving meningitis was the defining moment of my story. I've come to realize it was actually the introduction. Everything since has been preparing me for this chapter.

Today, those two journeys finally become one.

I'm dedicating my professional life to my life's work.

For years, I thought I was in the insurance business. Today, I think I've always been in the people business. Insurance was simply one way to serve others. This is another.

Throughout my insurance career, I helped people prepare for life's uncertainties and, when the unexpected happened, helped them begin putting the pieces back together. In many ways, that's exactly what I'm still doing.

The circumstances have changed.

The mission hasn't.

My story happens to begin with meningitis, but the lessons don't belong only to meningitis. Life changes all of us in different ways. My goal is to help people move through those changes instead of spending years trying to move around them.

This isn't about leaving one career behind.

It's about finally arriving where I believe I was always headed.

My mission is simple: connect with people, inspire hope after hardship, raise awareness about meningitis, support survivors and families, build meaningful partnerships, and remind people that our circumstances don't have the final say.

I hope that one day, when people hear the word meningitis, they won't think only about a disease. They'll think about courage. They'll think about resilience. They'll think about action. They'll think about what's possible after life changes forever.

The momentum has never been stronger. Destiny Is Debatable is making its way into readers' hands. Shots 4 Meningitis continues to grow. Purple Means More is beginning to take on a life of its own. New speaking opportunities and partnerships are opening doors I could only dream about a few years ago.

For the first time in my professional life, the work I do and the life I've lived are perfectly aligned.

The beautiful thing is that this mission isn't limited by a city, a state, or even a country. Whether it's speaking to a room full of healthcare leaders, partnering with organizations that share this vision, encouraging a survivor who's wondering what comes next, or writing words that help someone see life differently, I'm exactly where I believe I'm supposed to be.

Many of you reading this have been part of this journey for years. Some of you have encouraged me since the very beginning. Others have opened doors, offered advice, shared my story, believed in me when I wasn't sure what the next chapter looked like, or simply reminded me to keep going.

Thank you.

I vow to honor that encouragement the best way I know how: by dreaming bigger, working harder, moving faster, and creating even more possibilities to serve others.

If there's an opportunity for us to work together through speaking, partnerships, advocacy, awareness, or simply sharing this message with someone who needs it, I'd love to continue the conversation.

The best chapters are still ahead and tomorrow isn't promised. That's exactly why I'm so excited.

As I wrote at the end of my meningitis story, I'd like to leave you with these words:

"Destiny is debatable. The filter through which you view your circumstances is most certainly up to you. Whether you wake up in your own bed tomorrow, in a luxury suite at the Ritz-Carlton, or in a hospital, don't wait to start building your life into the one you want. Waiting is like being at the DMV: your future seems to be in the hands of the apathetic (doctors with poor prognoses, bosses or employees who don't value you, and your own nagging self-doubt). Don't wait. Just do the next right thing. Even if you end up taking two steps forward and one step back, that's still progress. In Texas, we even call it dancing."