For the entire month of March we are celebrating Women’s History Month. Us as women have overcome and endured so much over the years. I would like to take this moment to honor a woman who has exemplified the meaning of strength, wisdom, honor, and power. This is the story of a strong woman.

Elzie was born and raised in a small, poor town in Haiti. She lived a tiny residential unit with her mother and 4 of her siblings. Some days, Elzie would come home after a long day at school and only have a piece of sugarcane to eat. Most nights, young Elzie went to sleep hungry. As she grew older her father had big dreams for her. He wanted her to go to medical school and become a doctor. However, due to corruption in the education system, there would no way to be accepted into medical school without a bribe or high connections. They just didn’t have those means.

This did not stop the dreams and aspirations Elzie had for herself. She wanted more. A better life even if it wouldn’t be in Haiti. Her family encouraged her to seek a better life in the United States- the land of opportunity! She pulled a few scraps together and decided she would make her way to the land of promise. However, she had found love in Haiti. A young man named Daniel who she found both smart and handsome. They became engaged with plans for a wedding. But she knew she could not start a family where they were- in poverty. So she went on to the U.S. to study and she knew he would meet her there soon.

Elzie made it to U.S. with nothing but the clothes on her back and a dream. She stayed with distant relatives and cleaned houses for cash. Eventually she was able to get her own small apartment and enrolled in college for nursing. She knew little English and had to take English as a second language (ESL) as part her pre-requisites. Her love joined her in the U.S. with plans for him to pursue medical school. They got married and thought their dreams were finally coming true.

Daniel had his own dreams and aspirations. He wanted to be a doctor and got accepted to a medical school in Mexico. Elzie was pregnant with their first child but encouraged him to go with the hopes of a better life in the near future. When he finished medical school he got an offer to work as a doctor in Haiti. He did not return to live in the United States.

Elzie struggled to work, go to school, and raise a child. Her mother and stepmother would both come from Haiti to visit and provide assistance. Daniel would go back and forth, with hopes of finding an American residency program to accept him. Soon, Elzie became pregnant again. With a second child on the way, she decided to pause nursing school so she can support her growing family.

Elzie could not see herself going back to Haiti and raising an entire family. Her parents did not encourage it due to so much government corruption. “Not a place for children” they told her. She also hadn’t finished her own dreams of earning her degree. She decided she would finish school and keep chasing her goals. By now Elzie had their third child. But she was motivated to make something of herself. People around her told her they couldn’t see how she would ever finish with those three young girls by herself. But she tried anyway.

Elzie pushed through to finish her nursing degree. It was no doubt difficult and at times she wanted to just give up. But she persevered. She prayed and prayed. And the day finally came where she graduated! One of happiest days of her life. She got a nursing job right away, and worked double time to support her three young girls.

People would see Elzie on the street with a double stroller and another child on the side. They would tell her how sorry they feel for her. They would say things like “I don’t know how you do it”. But God knew. And he carried her through. Elzie raised three girls that anyone would be proud of today. Her eldest- a licensed clinical social worker, her second a master’s prepared registered nurse, and her last a physician. Looking at all the corruption around us in the world, it’s a miracle that Elzie and her girls stayed safe and protected. When I ask her today how she did it- she says “God”.

Elzie managed to become a homeowner- something people told her she could never do without a man at her side. She took her girls around the globe and gave them experiences that she never had. She sacrificed every dollar to put those girls in private school so they can have better education. She raised them in the church so they would grow to have good morals and values. Everything she did, she says she did it for them.

This woman is a real life superhero. Living proof that perserverence and prayer can pull you through. I’m so proud to call this woman my mother. I pray for just a piece of that strength to be half the woman she is and has been all these years. She made it- AGAINST ALL ODDS!!! And this is who I will always admire.

I am who I am today because of her. Without her guidance, her persistence, and her inspiring me I would not have accomplished what I have today. When things get rough, I remember what she endured. When I feel like I just can’t anymore- I remember her sleepless nights at the kitchen table studying after she put us to bed. When I feel like others don’t have faith in me, I remember the hurtful words so called ‘friends’ said to her to put her down. She is a constant reminder that you can rise above any situation no matter how impossible it may seem.

Happy Women’s History Month!

Is there someone who inspires or motivates you? Please share below.