A Unique Journey

Life is a journey and the journey is not a straight line from start to finish. There will be unexpected bumps and challenges that arise; but it is how you handle the situation and discover your inner strength to overcome the challenges and become stronger as a person. In the process, you discover who you are; you start to appreciate the simple things in life and are grateful for those.

The last decade of my life was quite interesting. I am still surprised that I am alive at this point, but I take every day as a gift and I try to end the day better than when it started. Looking over my medical claims the last several years, costs of hospitalizations, surgeries, medicine and tests is over $1.75 million. Daily injections are $135 for a 2 day supply until my deductible has been met. It is part of life, but I do not hold any ill will or anything towards what has happened. Somehow, someway, I was able to end up in Nashville, TN in a job that I truly am passionate about and one in which I can grow and develop myself for years to come.

Since I moved to Nashville to work for the State, it changed my mindset completely. The work that I do impacts so many other people. You forget about a paycheck, but you think about how the work that you are doing impacts the 1.4 million lives on Medicaid in the State of Tennessee.

I truly love all my coworkers at TennCare and I love my team. I am blessed where I am at and I am thankful for everyone that I have met at TennCare. Everyone on the Pharmacy team is so humble, has a great team spirit and the entire Chief Medical office is such a great place to work. The leadership and guidance from Victor Wu and Renee Williams-Clark is simply amazing. They make you feel like you are a valued employee. That is the feeling you want when you go to work every day. That your contributions and presence matter. It feels like one big happy family and we all are specialized in our skill sets and we work together to contribute to a greater cause. And on a lighter note, there are a lot of great cooks in the Chief Medical Office and their skills are on display during potlucks. There is also great talent in the CMO as discovered during our recent 12 days of COVID Challenge. Our Pharmacy team came up short, but even though we thought we won, kudos to the other team for winning the competition.

You can see our presentation here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3P-6

I also have been reading a lot of books and doing self discovery. I consulted with 2 awesome experts - Erin Moody and Michelle Arguello who helped provide great strategies for improving my life and to continue on that path of self discovery. Their podcast is truly great and I recommend anyone to listen to their podcast. It will truly impact your life.

I have been in contact with Dr. Astera Brylka and she and I are in the process of working on a podcast that we plan to share with our LinkedIn family about the struggles that we both have faced in life with our health conditions. Be sure to listen to that when it is published soon.

I had the pleasure of connecting with another data enthusiast in Udit Garg and he had setup a data webinar. Unfortunately, my internet connection was spotty that day and I missed it, but his passion for data is amazing.

I have been in various business discussions with people on LinkedIn and just seeing other ways to generate income. Taking my time and seeing what is out there. I had a great conversation with Payal and Vinod Nain. They are excellent people and their story is great.

There are so many great people and connections on LinkedIn and their stories are fantastic. Just to name a few - check out the profiles of Larry "Legend" Li, Sumit Malhotra, Shashikant Jain, Aaron Ryder, Michael Ray, Stephanie Middleton, Marlena Christopherson and Erin Mooney Each of these people offer a great take on life and are valuable connections. Michael Ray's Project SMILE is amazing and it truly is revolutionizing lives in the Greater Louisville area. He is such a swell guy.

And in conclusion, I never knew about writing articles or publishing a long post without the guidance of Kylie Francis. She is an established star in the social media world and her following and presence is amazing. She truly is passionate about her work and that championship mentality separates her from the rest. Just watch her YouTube videos and you'll see that passion and it will inspire you to do something.

Each of us has our own story - I am a multiple stroke survivor, an open heart surgery survivor, and diagnosed with 2 autoimmune diseases that cause blood clots. But all that aside, I would not trade that for anything in this world. I love where I am right now and just continuing my process of self discovery.

Best wishes to everyone in their journey and keep connecting and learning about each other. Support everyone and encourage them. Let's keep this world a beautiful place to live for years to come.