News — mom

When two lives are at stake and it involves a baby and a mother, the tendency is for the mother to want her baby saved over her life. Monique Jones took that bittersweet decision in early September when she was intubated, and her baby girl’s life hung in the balance. The nurse who walked her through the process is now a godmother to her patient’s child.

Jones was brought in when she reported having shortness of breath and some chills. She did not link it to the novel coronavirus because she is one person who adheres to all the safety protocols.

She washes her hands regularly, uses a face mask and stays indoors except when she needs to pick up groceries from the supermarket. Sadly, according to Good Morning America (GMA), the mother of two tested positive for COVID-19 while she was pregnant.

An adamant Jones did not want to be placed on a ventilator, neither did she want to have a C-section performed on her. “It was possible that I wouldn’t live — that’s all I was thinking,” said Jones. “They asked me if it was possible to take my baby out. At first, I told them no, but I wasn’t getting any better.”

Jones was scared but her nurse, Caitlyn Obrock, gave her the assurance that all will be well with them especially her baby if she gives them the go-ahead. “She was scared,” nurse Obrock recalled to GMA. “I was very invested in her, hoping and praying for a good outcome.”

Doctors at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis had to perform the early C-section to save her daughter, Zamyrah Prewitt’s life. Baby Prewitt arrived on September 28, weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces at 29 weeks and was immediately rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit where she spent the first two months of her life, WVLT reported.

The new mother was moved in October after she woke up from her intubation to a rehab clinic to work on her occupational, speech and physical therapy. As Jones was working hard to get better for the much-awaited reunion with her baby before Christmas, Obrock raised $2000 in gifts for the family and organized a baby shower for her because she empathized with her.

“The way she started out motherhood with this baby was unfair and we wanted her to know how special and loved she is,” Obrock said. “She’s a miracle,” she added. “Her and her baby.”

A Christmas miracle did happen and Jones and Zamyrah were home in time for Christmas. According to Jones, she made it out of the hospital because she felt as though she was fighting for her family and not herself.

She is grateful to her nuclear family for standing by her through it all and even more appreciative of Obrock for the extra love shown her. Right after getting home, Jones asked her nurse to be her baby’s godmother and invited her to join her extended family, People reported.

Lydia Gibson put on her superhero collar as a mom to save her daughter from the clutches of eczema by creating her own natural skin and hairline, Eva Jenae Naturals. Gibson says she believes in the healing powers of nature and so carefully mixed natural ingredients to cure her daughter’s skin irritation.

The eastern North Carolina native’s daughter was diagnosed with eczema in 2006 when she was just a toddler and all the prescribed medications were aggravating her skin irritations.

Although some of the products had “natural” boldly written on the labels, they contained perfumes, parabens, and other chemicals that defeated the purpose of the medication. They did not provide the required nourish and moisturizing effect needed to soothe and protect her delicate skin.

“I wanted to trust what I was putting on my daughter’s sensitive skin, and the best way to do that was to create my own recipes,” Gibson says.

The alternatives that were on the shelves were not cutting it for Gibson, so she began experimenting with centuries-old ingredients known for their healing and soothing properties.

Eva’s skin began clearing up after using her mixture. Gibson then shared some with close friends and relatives who then encouraged her to go make it her business so she can share her formula with the world.

The mother of two and an Air Force veteran holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from the University of West Florida and a Master of Arts in Management from Wayland Baptist University. She says she had always wanted to be an entrepreneur since the 7th grade and in the process of finding a cure for her daughter, she rekindled her passion for entrepreneurship.

The transition from hobby to business happened in 2011 when Gibson, then a newly unemployed mother and wife, found herself in a new city, Ohio, after her husband’s military transfer. The family had to leave Florida with him.  

Her family was very supportive of her desire to venture into the business of creating all-natural skincare and hair products.

Gibson is passionate about her business and her mission is to create vegan, all-natural skin and hair care products while using her platform to promote entrepreneurship, self-empowerment, self-love, and community involvement, especially among the youth. True to her word, Gibson donates portions of her sales to different non-profit organizations in her community that share in her vision.

There are other natural products out there, but Gibson says what sets hers apart from others is the fact that she uses simple and yet effective all-natural and or organic products sourced from responsible suppliers.

Her products are made in small batches in a clean and sterile environment, so they maintain their freshness. They do not contain any parabens, synthetic fragrances, petroleum, or fillers, and there is no animal testing involved in her production.

Meet 51-year old Lashawn Flowers and her 35-year old daughter, Shanita Vickers, the new owners of the only Black-owned gas station in Hollywood, Florida, and possibly the only Black-owned gas station in all of South Florida. As Shell franchisees, they are making history as women entrepreneurs and causing quite a stir on social media.

Lashawn and her daughter, who both grew up in Deerfield Beach, Florida, began their roots in entrepreneurship as the owners of a local hair and nail salon called Girlz Collectionz and later a local bar and nightclub called Groove City Bar & Lounge, which is currently closed because of the pandemic. Having to pivot sparked the idea of purchasing a gas station.

“We actually purchased two Shell gas stations,” says Lashawn. “We were able to negotiate a two-for-one deal.”

She says the process of purchasing two franchises was not hard, but it was a fairly tedious process. After completing a credit application, she had to prove that financially she really did have the capital to complete the purchase. The whole process, however, took just three weeks.

Keeping it in the family

Lashawn says that she and her daughter are partners in this business, and are partners in their other businesses as well.

“I really value having a family-owned business because family is who you can trust,” she says. “My daughter, Shanita, is a wonderful mom of two beautiful children and also a phenomenal entrepreneur who is awesome to work with. We work well together because we understand each other.”