chanel & muckboots

I was perceived to have it all. From the outside looking in, I had a happy marriage, three loving, happy children, a happy life. I worked when I wanted, spent what I needed and had few true responsibilities. A privileged existence filled with fun and games, parties, and exotic vacations. Silly, shallow and totally carefree.

That season came to a screeching halt the day my sweet son, my middle child, lost control of his car and slammed into a stone wall. My world turned from color into black and white. In that one moment all of our lives were altered, and our paths changed forever.

After intensive surgeries my son was just an unmoving, minimally conscious body, kept alive only with the help of machines, monitors, wires, and loud, piercing bells. What was left according to medical charts and the doctors in their own insensitive words, was a vegetable, was no hope, was a severe case of traumatic brain injury. What was left was not the boy I knew and loved and mothered for 17 years. I still had a warm body, but on that day I lost Damon.

My professional background was certified public accounting. I had no real medical knowledge whatsoever. Yet, I had to make the choice at the very start to either give up hope and listen to the professionals or wrap myself in a cloak of utter denial and begin the fight for my son’s return to life. I had to push away the scared, frivolous girl and find a strength in a woman I never knew I was. I had to stand tall and fight like hell for Damon while also, within the very next few years, fight through a nasty divorce, fight to keep strong relationships with my daughters, and learn how to stand alone after my dad unexpectedly died, followed almost immediately by my mom's death a year later. Somehow, in my darkest moments, I chose hope. I chose the motto, “There is no option.” I chose to believe that Damon would heal. I chose to believe that love does indeed conquer all.

My story is not clinical. Rather, it is one of faith, a mother’s healing love, common sense, gut instinct, blind hope, and miracles. It is the story of an amazing boy who just refused to give up; it is the story of the rippling effects traumatic brain injury has on family and friends. And it is the story of choosing post-traumatic growth over post-traumatic stress.

Please read more of my story on www.kpyros.com or follow me on my facebook page: Karen Pyros.

Brilliance and resilience, best describe this super energetic corporate leader celebrated in the Real Estate industry, for three decades.

A TEDx speaker and recipient of over 35 prestigious awards and accolades. Ananta has spear headed leadership challenges, as the Executive Director -DLF, Chief Executive -Emaar MGF and Country Head (India & Nepal) as Senior Director -Damac. She is presently the Senior Executive Director at Experion Developers, India.

A science graduate from Miranda House , Delhi University. An insatiable hunger for knowledge has equipped her with Masters in English Literature, Education, Computer applications and Management. She is a MRICS, UK and PhD in Marketing Management.

A multifaceted personality and a trained musician, dancer and author. She holds a Sangeet Prabhakar in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, trained in Guitar, Garbha, Shaimak’s contemporary and Bollywood dance. She authors Real Estate research trends and personal life experiences too.

Ananta is passionate about the safety and education of children. She guides women in Realty entrepreneurship.

She is the proud mother of a son who keeps her grounded. Featured amongst the “Most powerful women in Business & Economy 2018“ by Business Today. Her journey and views are covered by Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Mail today, Business today, Realty plus, Outlook, Savvy, Atelier, Khaleej times, Hindi Hindustan,Tribune etc. Also, Harvard business school in their projects on ‘ How star women succeed’ & ‘Managing your own Human capital‘.

She stepped out of the enmeshment of her comfort zone seeking new challenges and is crowned with 6 glamorous titles as an International & National Beauty Pageant Queen.

She aspires. She inspires. A journey of fortitude, attitude, gratitude, solitude and altitude. She is an “ Exclusive. Extraordinary. Savvy Corporate Woman Warrior “.

Gisele Barreto Fetterman is an access and equity advocate, a hugger and the Second Lady of Pennsylvania. She is the founder of Freestore 15104, where surplus and donated goods are received and redistributed to neighbors in need. The Freestore aims to eradicate food and clothing insecurity and has inspired 9 spin off locations and the birth of 412 Food Rescue. Gisele is the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, a community wide effort to end hunger and reduce food waste. 412FR has rescued over 8 million pounds of food.
She is co-founder of For Good PGH, a non-profit that works to advocate inclusion and inspire kindness. Its first initiative, Hello Hijab, has received both national and international praise. Gisele was born in Brazil and emigrated as a child to the US, living as an undocumented immigrant for over a decade. Her work has been featured in the TODAY Show, CNN, NPR and more. Gisele is a Forty under 40 honoree, a Tedx Speaker a Jefferson Awards recipient and a mother of three.

Ms. Pennsylvania America 2019 is Dr. Mahima Singh. She is a Dental Surgeon(DDS, BDS), former Dental Director at Volunteers in Medicine in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. She is also owner and CEO of a brand new all natural skincare line- Pink Monkey USA, Junior Diploma holder in Kathak form of Indian Classical Dance & Junior Diploma in Hindustani Classical Vocal. When she’s not volunteering, she’s running around with her four children and two Irish Wolfhounds. Her platform is Oral Cancer and oral health awareness.

“I fought being labeled ‘beautiful’ all my life considering it a shallow presumption or summing up of my personality until I started ‘losing’ the physical beauty because of age, pregnancies and my own lack of attention to my physicality. I sent in my application for the Ms Pennsylvania pageant just because of the challenge of doing something new and to stay afloat with a distraction during my mom’s sickness. I was happy to be crowned when I had lost so much hair and am 2 dress sizes bigger than my baseline, thereby proving my eternal belief that beauty is always what beauty does, winning the crown for my qualifications, communication abilities and inner qualities set me on a path of finally not fighting the ‘beauty’ label but owning it. It validated me at age 44, as a strong, independent career woman, wife, mother, leader. Most importantly, I was good enough just as I am, with all of my life’s battle scars.”

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Spokesperson and volunteer dentist at the Mission Of Mercy in PA event where we provided free dental treatment to about 2000 people in 2days, doing about a million dollars worth of dentistry, Supported local soup kitchens as the main organizer & chairperson holding a cultural event that raised $4000, Many hours of dentistry every week as a volunteer dentist and as former Dental Director at Volunteers in Medicine, Ran free oral screening event in the community, Creating awareness about Oral cancer and oral health through online platform Mundaii (published article)

SPECIAL AWARDS / RECOGNITION / ACHIEVEMENTS: Outstanding Volunteer Dentist award 2016, published article on Oral Cancer Risks for Generation Z on Mundaii, Distinction in 1st year and graduated at the top of the class in Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Miss Fresher, 1st yr Bachelor of Arts- Philosophy Honors, Miranda House, Won many awards in school for extemporaneous speeches.

Born in 1994, Rose Daniels lived a suburban life in Long Island, NY after facing some hardships in her early childhood. Despite the circumstances, she is a caring, honest, humanist bringing wisdom, humour and creative inspiration. Her mission is to break barriers of race, status, and class by promoting peace and creativity; encouraging her fellow generation of artists to be everything that they can be. Hoping to invite in the era of art and love to the spotlight while shedding light on the darkness of today’s coldness, and reality. Looking for solutions and medicine through music and poetry, She loves children and art simultaneously and aims to eventually open a center of arts for children, teens and adults.
Website & Facebook
Lwsoc.org/yas
Facebook.com/youthadvocacysquad
Email
Art and poetry [email protected]
Advocacy and youth engagement [email protected]