#DamagedButNOTDead: Just because you have a (ribbon) doesn't mean you're not a beautiful polka dot...YOURE perfect in His eyes

By Dominique E Jones

I've been through so much at a young age that most probably would've given up on a long time ago. I want to encourage those who deal with medical challenges that there's still a future for you. You're circumstance doesn't make you, it creates you. Walk in confidence...it looks good on you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: DamagedButNotDead
• Release date: Jan 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781087859255

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 Dominique Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Contents

#ButWhyTho?!

#Genesis

#SecondOpinion

#PauseForTheCause

…To Be Continued

#YouThoughtItWasOver

#SurgeryTime

#Unidentified

#ThoughtIt’dBeDifferent

#FiveFiveFive

#ChoppedItUp

#TruthMoment

…To Be Continued

#When2Became1

#EnoughIsEnough

#TruthMoment

…To Be Continued

#TruthMoment

…To Be Continued

#Accessory

#TruthMoment

#TappedOut

#BehindTheScene

#WhatChuUpTo

#DidIDoThat

#AlmostDoesn’tCount

#Testimony8/29/2019

#We’reGoingHome

#ButWhyTho?!

Let’s see, where do I begin? We’ll just start from the beginning and work our way through shall we?! It all started with my grandpa. He’s my why. Every time I would spend a few days with he and the self proclaimed Grandmother of Montclair as she calls herself (lol), he’d stop whatever he was doing and would say, You started writing your book?. Grandpa you’re mowing a whole lawn! How did you even think of that right now?! Uhh nah not yet grandpa as I’m trying to hurry and get OUT of his way! In all honesty, I couldn’t fathom why he was so adamant about me writing this gospel book. Everyone knows my story, so what good does a book do? I had surgery! I have a brain tumor! I use a walker! Wow. What a great novel! Naw, I’m good. I’ll just stick to answering questions ONLY when people ask. I’d given them exactly what they needed to hear and kept it pushing. I guess you can tell my insecurities ran wild because I just knew for a fact people didn’t want to hear my story…again. It’s getting old now. After my grandpa passed, I realized the story I would tell were my views, my truth...but no feeling. People wanted to know the how’s, why’s, and when’s…not just the what. I will admit, I can be very vague at times and it really took my grandpa to tell me how much people needed my whole story and not just what I wanted to tell them. What brought my faith to where it is today? Why do I smile? Why am I so mentally strong? Where did it all stem from? What makes you, you? These are questions people asked but I’ve never answered. I’ll never forget the last words my grandpa said to me, Finish your book, Domo. So grandpa, because of your push, I can say I did it. Thank you for propelling me beyond what I could see for myself. I love you and I hope I’ve made you proud. Now, to settle this ongoing debate once and for all between all my cousins, #BeClear I am and will forever be thee favorite grandchild. Not up for discussion!

#Genesis

The one question that always follows me is, Do you have cancer?. I’m glad you asked. The answer is NO. Surprise, surprise. I DID NOT AND DO NOT have cancer! Don’t be tryna put that diagnosis on me shoot, lol. I have a benign slow growing brain tumor on my neck spine called a gangliogliomia. So in laments terms, it’s a rare tumors that controls everything structural and neurological in my central nervous system. I know, mind boggling right?! Imma catch you up tho, you gotta stay with me. Growing up, I felt like I came out the womb knowing for certain the hospital would be my first home. It seemed like I was there all the dawg on time. No, like always! For starters, I was born premature at almost seven months, so there’s proof itself. Being born early doesn’t always end in full development, but look mama I got all my fingers and toes! From the beginning, God was there. Ok Sir, I see you doing your thing! That was the easy part, tho. This is where it gets good. At three years old, I developed a condition called bell’s palsy. Basically the muscles and nerves on the right side of my face decided they wanted to just take a leave of absence. The entire right side of my face? Straight paralyzed. I couldn’t feel a thing. It was almost as if I’d had a stroke. There I was, three years old and I can only feel one side of my face? I don’t know about you but to me, that’s a tad bit extreme so early on in life. My mom and I were in the kitchen eating breakfast and as I’m drinking, she noticed water falling from my mouth. Dominique what’s wrong?. Nothing to my knowledge. I was just drinking. She touched my face. Can you feel that?. Yeah mom, well kinda. Now I’m nervous. I can feel a little but not enough to say everything was fine. In a pant, she immediately called her job as she’s getting me ready to go. I need to take my daughter to the Emergency Room. I don’t know what’s wrong but it looks like she had a stroke. By this time, the Right side of my face totally dropped, lifeless,, disfigured. My right eye was completely closed. What’s happening here? I was just tryna eat my hearty oatmeal and drink my orange juice. Face disfigured? What is that about? It’s too early in the day for all this. But let me tell you how God showed up yet again for me. (Get used to that line throughout this entire book!) So, of course we head straight to emergency totally oblivious to what is happening with my face. Once in the room, the doctor came in stone faced. He said, not only would my face be permanently deformed, I’ll never get the feeling back either because my nerves were damaged. Oh and don’t expect her face to come back to its original form. Uhh sir, who was this diagnosis for?! Cuz I’m three, so what chu’ mean my face will forever be this way?. My mom shut that prognosis down so quick! Uhh naw Doc, my daughter’s face will NOT stay like this. Her muscles WILL start working again. I’m not accepting that (that’s my mom for you!) Every night before I went to bed, my mom would touch the right side of my face and pray the muscles and nerves would work properly. She would find exercises and stretches to build that muscle back, oh she wasn’t playing…AT all! #FaithIntoAction! Clearly this doctor didn’t know who he was talkin’ to because soon after, with NO medication or treatment, the feeling in my face began to resurface and my face started shifting back to what THAT doctor said it would never do. If he ain’t seen a miracle before, I sure showed him when I walked in his office for my follow up. How am I a child of God to believe it’s