TJ's Story

By Cheryl Fennell-Blakes

GOD said, "Tell his story." This is a true story of a young man named Tony Blakes, Jr. we call him TJ. A story of a mother's fight for her son. It tells of how satan tried to take his life from the womb, as an infant, and then as a toddler, but God saved him each time. The story of the struggles and fights for his life, well-being, and education. The times mother had to tune out those closest to her and listen only to God. Sometimes feeling she was walking alone, but finding the strength to stand and not waiver, no matter what anybody said or thought. The story of a family's test and having to learn to stand on faith and God's Word remembering the scriptures "the battle is not yours, but God's." How they went through the test and came out with an amazing Testimony, "TJ's Story."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645692492

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TJ's Story

Cheryl Fennell-Blakes

Copyright © 2019 by Cheryl Fennell-Blakes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Foreword

The testimony of Cheryl Fennell-Blakes about her son TJ (Tony Jr. after her husband) is a must read not only by anyone facing a challenge but also by anyone who will have any impact on children and especially those with special needs. This includes the family circle of a child, teachers, caregivers, coaches, and spiritual supporters. You never know how God will use you to have a positive influence on someone because this book crossed your path.

Faith, knowledge, and perseverance are key elements in overcoming challenges faced by Cheryl and TJ. In fact, God dropped a seed in her spirit well before her marriage about the challenges a parent might face with a special needs child. Her own experiences as a child unknowingly prepared her for her ministry to TJ.

The solid foundation of Evangel Cathedral has been anchored in teaching the Word of God and in praise and worship. When I am preparing a message, I am led by the Spirit to feed those who are hungry not just to understand the logos word of the Bible but to receive a Rhema (Quickening) word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word. But now while facing trial after trial with TJ, she was praying for and finally received a Rhema word while hearing my message from 1 Samuel 30.

In addition, Cheryl got a word in a dream about her grandfather who said to her, Everything is going to be all right. We can be assured that when our Heavenly Father gives us a word and we trust Him, everything is going to be all right because He is not a man that He can lie and He will cause everything to work together for our good. Then we will have no choice but to give Him all the praise, glory, and honor which He alone deserves as you can see Cheryl doing repeatedly.

As parents of three sons, my wife and I, as any parent, have had to face challenges in providing opportunities to help them embrace the destiny God has called them to, knowing that no two destinies are identical. After reading TJ’s story, you will be encouraged and have faith increased as you witness the unrelenting steadfastness of Cheryl, the growth, of TJ, from birth to adulthood, and the impact on his dad and those who are on this journey of destiny with them.

Bishop Don D. Meares, Senior Pastor

Evangel Cathedral, Upper Marlboro, MD

Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank God for telling me to tell his story. I thank Him for giving me the faith and belief in myself that I could write this book. I thank my husband, Tony Blakes, Sr., for being by my side through the battles, though he didn’t always know if I was going off the deep end or if I really heard from God.

I thank my sister Kathy Noble for taking the time to edit the very first draft, for the hours we spent going through the pages, her candid advice and recommendations.

I want to give special thanks to my mother, Vivian T. Gunter, for her support, her push, and her belief in me. Also, I thank her for providing her great editing skills, which I did not know she had until she edited my second draft.

I would like to thank my aunt Mary Ann Townsend for her quick thinking and wisdom when she told me to make sure I documented everything, as those documents played an important role later in TJ’s life.

I thank the Evangel Cathedral Choir members who prayed for TJ and myself during our trials throughout the years.

Thanks to Ivy Mount School for accepting TJ in their program. A special thanks to Ms. Klinger, Ms. Ingram, and the other teachers who worked with him throughout his eleven years at Ivy Mount. I thank them for the hard work and effort they put in to helping change the lives of these Special Individuals. For helping them learn that they CAN DO and THEY COUNT TOO!

Preface

Years ago, before I got married, I was talking to a friend and coworker about children. I don’t recall the exact details of the conversation, but I remember asking her, What would you do if you had a child born with some form of disability or mental retardation? (Now the correct term is Developmental Intellectual Disability) Without hesitation, she said she would raise that child like any other child because they need love and care too. I am not sure why that question even came to mind. At the time, the thought never occurred to me that I would ever be faced with having a special-needs child. But when we found that TJ had sustained brain damage after a surgery when he was two and a half months old, Tony and I were forced into that very situation. We suspected he had actually sustained brain damage, but the neurologist told us we would not know for sure until he was four to five years old.

When we began to see signs of the possibility he may have brain damage, I did not give it a second thought. He was our miracle baby, as my mother called him. I just went with the flow. You just do what you have to do. You don’t think about it. You just do. People without challenges or who do not have children with challenges don’t understand. This is a 24/7, lifetime challenge for the individuals and their parents or caregivers. There are times I get tired, but God has given me the strength and love I didn’t even know existed. I found that God prepared me for TJ when I was a child. There are times I have found myself wondering, what would TJ be doing if he did not have his challenges? But then I say it doesn’t matter to me. He is who he is, and I wouldn’t change that for anything in this world. I have a special love for TJ that only could have come from God. You see, it’s a humbling thing. I did not realize how much we had taken for granted until I had TJ It makes you look at life from a different perspective. Things that used to seem so important are not as important as we make them out to be. I don’t know what God has planned for TJ, but I do recognize some of the gifts God has given him.

There is a joy these individuals give you that no one can understand unless you walk in our (the parents’) shoes. I will forever be TJ’s protector and advocate for as long as I live. There is truly a strength that God gives Mama that is beyond understanding. Throughout all these years, I have grown to trust and love God for his mercy and grace. I have found his word to be true… He’ll never leave or forsake us. He’s there even though sometimes it may not seem like it. It’s like the poem Footprints in the Sand. I know without a doubt that he has carried me many times throughout my life. Because there is no way I could have made it through some of life’s challenges, fears, and situations without Him. I have said all this to say trust God in every situation! Though you may have people in your ear telling you what you should or should not do, learn to hear God’s voice and listen to Him only. Circumstances and situations may get hard at times, but that’s all a part of living. Don’t go by what your circumstance looks like. Just pray and believe. If you don’t know Him yet, I dare you to try Him and see if what I am telling you is not true!

Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your path. To God be the glory!

Chapter One

God Prepared Me

In order to tell this story, I have to start from my childhood during my elementary school days. Then you will better understand how God used my childhood to prepare me for my child, Tony Andre Blakes, Jr., nickname TJ.

In my early life, I considered myself as what some call an army brat. My father was in the army, and our family relocated several times throughout my younger years. As soon as my siblings and I made friends, we were uprooted again. We moved from one place to another. It was very hard on me because it took me longer than my siblings to adjust to the new schools and the people.

When I was in kindergarten, my father was stationed in France. We were there for approximately three years. During our stay, I would frequently get terrible earaches. I would hold my ears and just cry for what seemed like hours. I do not remember seeing a doctor, or even knowing what caused them to hurt so much.

We moved from France to Fort Lee, Virginia. I remember I did not like the school. I did not understand why my teacher treated me differently from the other children. She was very cruel me. I did not understand why the children would look at me, then turn to each other to whisper and laugh. The teacher would give us a spelling test, but it was not until much later in my life that I realized they were actually spelling tests. I now know that there should have been spelling words written on the blank sheets of paper I passed on to the teacher. The same list of words the teacher had just erased from the blackboard. She would call out words, and we were supposed to write them down and then pass our papers for her to check. I did not know why she erased the words on the board or what she wanted me to do. I did not know what to do because I could not hear. And what was even worse, I did not know I could not hear. I must have become so accustomed to the earaches that I did not realize I was losing my hearing. As long as my ears did not hurt, I felt good. I now believe that we can become so used to something, whether good or bad, that it actually seems normal. Because I did not know I could not hear, life seemed normal to me.

I did not understand why this teacher did not like me. There were times when I would ask permission to go to the bathroom, and she would say, No. I would strain to hold my bladder, but ended up urinating on myself as I sat at my desk. I did not understand why she felt the need to humiliate me. Once, during reading time, my mother was there. My classmates and I