#WCW DR. WELCH-CHARLES

I am so excited to share these weeks #WCW! Dr. Welch-Charles is an amazing woman and being around her makes you feel happy!?She radiates happiness and joy!?She is an OBGYN, mother of two girls, wife, and 2-time breast cancer survivor!?Every interview I have done so far, and Dr. Welch-Charles was no exception, for #WCW has included God stories.?From this point on, I will list all God stories!?

Dr. Welch-Charles is the oldest of four girls.?Her mom was a single mother.?Dr. Welch-Charles was very responsible even as a young girl.?She helped a lot with her younger sisters when her mom was working.?Dr. Welch-Charles grew up in Nashville.?

Dr. Welch-Charles attended Tennessee State University in Nashville, completed medical school and residency at Meharry Medical College in?Nashville.?She thought that she would always live in Nashville.?

God Story #1:?Dr. Welch-Charles' father was not involved in her life until recently.?It all happened by chance one evening when she opened her laptop and performed a random google search on his name.?Dr. Welch-Charles was able to find her father on LinkedIn.?She sent him a message and he responded right away.?They now have a relationship, and it is like he was always there.?She and her girls adore him.?Dr. Welch-Charles feels that God led her to search for her father in that moment.?

Dr. Welch-Charles knew from the time that she was a young girl that she wanted to be a doctor.?Her family has always been her biggest supporters and ?encouraged her to be a pediatrician.??Her calling, however, was Women’s Health which led her to pursue Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Welch- Charles prides herself in being able to explain in simple terms to her patients so that they are able to understand what is going on with their body.?

She met her husband Lance in Nashville out of a bit of serendipity.???They were engaged in 2009 and married in 2010.??????

Lance wanted Dr. Welch-Charles to experience life outside of Nashville.?They accepted jobs in Virginia; Lance- Richmond, and Dr. Welch-Charles Fredericksburg, where?they lived there for four years. ??

Dr. Welch-Charles was diagnosed with breast cancer after completing residency and before her move to Virginia. ?was the first in her family to have breast cancer.?Dr. Welch-Charles had mastectomy and was cancer free after the procedure.??Dr. Welch-Charles grew in her faith and released worries to God through prayer.?

Dr. Welch-Charles and Lance welcomed their first child, Daenerys, after her first diagnosis of breast cancer, however at a routine visit learned of its recurrence only 6 months postpartum.?For all the moms and future moms, pregnancy causes good and bad cells to grow in your body.?Unfortunately for Dr. Welch-Charles, her pregnancy caused the cancer cells to grow. This time Dr. Welch-Charles would go through chemo, radiation, and surgery.?Her cancer treatments were a two-hour drive from her home.?She did not share the diagnosis with anyone outside of immediate family.?She continued to work, wore a wig, and hid her cancer treatments from patients and colleagues.?She did not want to be a victim.?She did not want people to look at her differently because of the breast cancer.?Dr. Welch-Charles and Lance did not have family in Fredericksburg.?They did have a nanny that was God sent for their family.?She would stay overnight and go above and beyond to help Dr. Welch-Charles and the family during treatments.?Lance was always a great nurse and her biggest cheerleader.?

After going through chemo, and losing her hair, when her hair began to grow back, one day Dr. Welch-Charles went to the grocery store without a wig.?Her hair was a short buzz at the time.?On that trip to the store a woman approached her and told her, “You have such confidence with that hair style.”?Dr. Welch-Charles went home and told Lance.?He told her that she doesn’t need the wig.?She is beautiful without it.?That is when she stopped wearing the wig at work.?

God Story #2:?One day Dr. Welch-Charles saw a patient that had been referred to her from their mutual oncologist.?The lady had just been diagnosed with cancer.?During the visit the lady was extremely angry.?She vented to Dr. Welch-Charles, endlessly about her anger.?How they had plans and now she would be sick and getting treatment.?In that moment God spoke to Shenika’s spirit.?She listened to the woman vent and at the end, Dr. Welch-Charles shared her story.?She told her that bad things happen to all of us, and we can’t control it but we can control our response.?She told her she just needs to get through this and then live her life.?The woman came to see Dr. Welch-Charles after every treatment.?She thanked Dr. Welch-Charles for her message to her.?This woman became a spokesperson for cancer charities.?She is doing work to help others deal with cancer.?

God Story #3:?Shortly after Dr. Welch-Charles' battle with breast cancer for the second time, her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.?Her sister’s tumor was more aggressive and required chemo for longer and a heavier dose.?During this time she told her sister that if she was going to be a victim, she could not be the person to have the pity party with her.?Although this may seem harsh to some, her strength helped her sister to get through her treatments.?

God Story #4:?After living in Fredericksburg for 4 years, Lance and Dr. Welch-Charles decided they wanted to be closer to family.?Dr. Welch-Charles wanted to move back to Nashville.?Shenika looked at OBGYN job postings in Nashville leading up to their decision and the list was pages long.?The a few months before her contract was up, there no available job postings in Nashville and the closest job was at UT in Knoxville.?Dr. Welch-Charles applied to UT and accepted the job.?A few months after accepting the job there were pages of OBGYN jobs available in Nashville.?God guided the Charles family to Knoxville.???When she started seeing patients, they would say to her, “I am so glad you are here!”?That is when Dr. Welch-Charles realized that she was the first black, female, OBGYN in Knoxville.?There was a male black OBGYN that started a few months before she did.?Dr. Welch-Charles feels that she was guided to Knoxville to help black women that have higher risk pregnancies.?Statistically black women have more issues in pregnancy and birth.?Women would come to see her that knew this and would say, “please don’t let me die in childbirth.”

God Story #5:?Lance wanted to have another child.?Dr. Welch-Charles felt it would not be possible due to her cancer treatments and the impact of the chemo on her ovaries.?Dr. Welch-Charles being an OBGYN, researched and knew her chances of conceiving were slim.?She did meet with an oncologist in Knoxville, and the doctor told her that she was pro-family.?If Dr. Welch-Charles wanted to try to get pregnant, she should.?Dr. Welch-Charles told Lance she would try.?Dr. Welch-Charles had an IUD.?After taking out the IUD, she was pregnant within one month.?They welcomed their daughter, Briseis, into the world!

Dr. Welch-Charles also gives back to Knoxville through her volunteer work.?She is involved in the following:

1)??????Girl Talk

2)?????Jack and Jill of America – Knox Chapter

3)?????Farragut Ladies Society

4)?????Sister Circle

Dr. Welch-Charles hopes that her daughters will be true to themselves, be who they want to be, and be comfortable with that person.?

For the working moms Dr. Welch-Charles' advice is that you are doing a great job!?Take a deep breath before responding, your kids will always remember your first response.?

It is very easy to see why Dr. Dr. Welch-Charles is who I am crushing on this Wednesday.?She is a Knoxville treasure!