Threads Between Us
Threads Between Us is a podcast by University Medical Center of El Paso, inspired by the stories of our healthcare workers, patients, and families, and by the threads woven throughout these experiences that connect us all.
Join us as we follow these threads and discover where they lead.
Threads Between Us
Overcoming Traumatic Brain Injury with Jaclyn Pellicotte
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In our debut episode, we welcome Jaclyn Pellicotte, a University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) traumatic brain injury survivor whose story is nothing short of extraordinary. After suffering devastating injuries in a car accident in 2018, Jaclyn's medical team described her case as one of the most severe traumas they had ever encountered. Yet, against all odds, she persevered.
Today, at 27 years old, Jaclyn is preparing to graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso with a degree in Psychology and is pursuing her dream of becoming a neuropsychologist. She hopes to help other traumatic brain injury patients who find themselves where she once was.
Join us as Jaclyn shares her remarkable story of resilience and faith and how her family never stopped believing in her and fighting for her every step of the way.
Welcome to Threads Between Us, a podcast by University Medical Center of El Paso. We discovered old photo albums in a storage unit at the hospital, and it took us on a journey through decades of stories. Stories of our healthcare workers and patients, families, and the threads woven throughout that connect us in ways we didn't even realize. We're excited to take this journey with you and discover where these threads lead.
SPEAKER_01And today, for our first episode, we are joined by UMC traumatic brain injury patient Jaclyn Pellicott. Jacqueline was in a car accident back in 2018, and those who cared for her at UMC say she was one of the worst traumas they had ever seen. But despite all odds, Jacqueline is here with us today. She is now 27 years old. She is set to graduate from UTEP with her degree in psychology and has dreams of becoming a neuropsychologist to help other traumatic brain injury patients. Jacqueline, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_04So happy to be here.
SPEAKER_01And we are also joined today by Jaclyn's mother, Sherry. Sherry, thank you so much for joining us and helping us tell this story today. Thank you for having us. We appreciate it. We're so excited to just go through this journey with you, Jacqueline. And Sherry, we know that it's been, Jaclyn mentioned to me, almost eight years since the accident happened. So let's start from the beginning. Can we go back to 2018? Can you just tell me 20-year-old Jacqueline Pellicott? Who was she? What was she excited to do? I mean, you're right at the beginning of all of the exciting journeys of life. So can you just take us back to 2018?
SPEAKER_04Yes. So I was a sophomore UTIP at that time and I was modeling. That was my full-time job. I would go to school and I was modeling, and I just loved being with all my friends and family. I always loved to read my Bible, and I loved to be a jokester, which now I still am, praise the Lord for that. So I was just always running around and just being so crazy and just loving life to the fullest, and had no idea that my whole life was about to change on daddy's birthday, October 30th, 2018.
SPEAKER_01And Jacqueline, you walked into the studio today in this gorgeous blue dress with sparkles on it. And I know when I was texting you beforehand, you said, I'm getting my hair done, I'm getting ready to come in. So you have always had an interest in fashion. And can you tell me a little bit why modeling you were really drawn to that at that period of time in your life?
SPEAKER_04I just love the camera, which is you know what I'm saying. I love to people would take pictures of me, and I even got best dressed in the yearbook in high school. So I said, I have to live up to that tea and I have to show everyone how fashionable I am and just take pictures of me, and I'm not gonna say no to you. So I just really enjoyed having pictures taken of me.
SPEAKER_01And Sherry, I don't know if you want to mention a little bit about Jacqueline at that time and just who she who she was as a person.
SPEAKER_06She was, like she said, she was definitely a jokester. She was always having fun, she was a life of the party. She would always make tickets for us when she was little and you know, come see my show. I'm gonna sing for you or dance for you or act for you. Um, so she was always that type of kid, you know, just very outspoken, unlike her brother. Her brother was more reserved and a little bit more quiet, and she was like, we like to say the wild one, but she was, you know, the kindest wild one. She cared for people a lot, even at even before her accident. She cared for others.
SPEAKER_01So that day, October 30th, 2018, it was your dad's birthday. And Jacqueline, I know, of course, those memories of that time period are hard to remember. And Sherry, if you can just help us kind of walk through that time. I know you're riding in that Jeep on Montana. And Sherry, can you just tell us when did you find out about what had happened and when was it that you found out Jacqueline was being taken to UMC? Can you kind of walk us through what you remember from that day?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I remember everything from that day. Um, I was actually principal at Scottsdale Elementary at the time, and we were gonna go to lunch for her dad's birthday. And so I was pulling out of the parking lot and we were all texting each other, where do you want to go? And we said like chilies or something like that, and she texts back like a little throat face, like, I don't want to go there. Well, of course, it's not her birthday, but she had to put in her two cents. So we were kind of laughing, okay, princess, where do you want to go? And she's like, Chick-fil-A. I mean, I remember like it was yesterday. And so I'm pulling out of the parking lot while I texted her, where are you at? And she didn't text me back. And I was like, that's weird because she had her phone attached to her hip. And then I got a phone call. I was backing out of the parking lot, and I got a phone call and it said University Medical Center. And I had declined because I'm like, oh, they're not, I don't know why they're calling me, right? So I didn't answer it. Um, and then they called right back, and I'm like, I better answer that. So I picked up the phone and I'm like, hello, and they said, Do you know a young man named? I'm gonna say John, because that's not his name, but we'll protect him from that. So I said, Yes, I do. And they said, I said, Is everything okay? And they said, No. He was in a terrible car accident, and you need to get to UMC now. And I said, Was there a blonde haired girl with blue eyes with him? Can you tell me that? And she's like, I can't tell you that. All I can tell you is you need to be here now. And so I called my husband, and I I remember speeding to get to her, you know, in in frantic mode, trying to reach her, but I I just it was a blur how I even got there. You know, it's kind of scary to think because I was speeding and I was trying to get there as fast as I could. When I got there, my husband had beat, he was already there, he had beat me there, and and I said, Well, how is she? Can we see her? And they're like, Um, it's not good. You know, she probably will not survive through the night. There's she has a TBI, and I'm like, I don't even know what a TBI was. I'm like, could you explain that? And they're like, it's a traumatic brain injury, and I'm like, okay, but and they're like, no, you need to get your affairs in order because she's probably not gonna live through the night.
SPEAKER_01I can't even imagine that feeling of going to the hospital. And like you said, knowing my heart's bumpy now. And it's hard to put yourself back in that situation and feel those emotions. And I know through talking with people who were there that day, and and Jacqueline, I mean, they remember the nurses who were there, they brought up immediately, you know, she was in an open Jeep, she was hit from the side, right where she was sitting, by an F-150. And when you put that into perspective and you think about what had happened, and then the moments leading up to you finding that out. So we did speak with the nurse who was the first one to go to the ambulance to get Jaclyn that day. Her name is Nancy McGrail. She still works at UMC. And we spoke with her and she walked us through what she remembered. So I'm gonna go ahead and play that for us really quick, just so we can hear from Nancy's perspective what that day was like.
SPEAKER_07It was a really pretty day. It was bright and sunny. Um, and we got the call that she was coming in, and she was probably one of the worst traumas I'd ever worked on. She had really catastrophic head injuries. Um, she had been in an open Jeep and was struck on her side. And we were just, I was really taken aback by her injuries and how incredibly young she was. I think she was 18 at the time. So that was really um difficult to kind of maneuver. And it um it was a very bad situation. I do remember her parents being incredibly calm and having an incredible level of faith. And they kept saying, We're gonna get through this, we're gonna get through this. And they she did, so I'm kind of tearing it. Sorry, it's so emotional. Um because she was in really bad shape.
SPEAKER_01And I know it's hard to hear from Nancy. I was speaking with her and how vividly she remembers that day. And we have so many patients at UMC, but your case in particular stuck with her. And you know, she mentioned that you were not expected to survive through the night. Jaclyn, you had severe swelling in your brain. And neurosurgeons, I know Sherry, you've mentioned, you know, they saw some activity and they did the operations. But can you just tell me, just hearing from Nancy after taking yourself back to that moment, just and hearing that your faith that your family had was immediate, you know, it stuck with her through these years. Just how how is it hearing from from Nancy?
SPEAKER_06Um, I knew how bad it was, but when you hear her, wow, it's like you don't, I guess you don't really realize it. Like you're trying to protect yourself, I think, you know, as a parent. Um it's it's hard to hear, honestly. Um but you we knew she was in trouble. I guess we didn't know the severity of it, you know. Obviously, it was severe because she wasn't supposed to live. But listening to her right now, it's like wow, she was really in bad shape. But we just focused on God and we we honestly just prayed. And my mom's a prayer warrior, and we we just started crawling everyone, and we're like, we need you guys praying that she lives through the night. Like, um, this is serious. Like, you know, there's I think as a parent, you always protect your kids, you know. And when you can't, what do you do, you know? And so we knew we had a a big God, and so we knew that we were gonna give it to him. Was it easy? No, no, but you don't have a choice, right? I mean, that's what it is. You don't have a choice, you are you're in that moment, so you really have to cling on to your faith and trust him 100%, even in the hardest moment of your life.
SPEAKER_01And the surgeon, our trauma surgeon, Dr. Susan McLean, she operated on you when you first arrived to UMC, and she also remembers you, and she remembers you and your husband and how you were in the hospital and the way that you reacted to all of these situations and with her going into surgery and everything. And and she specifically says something that stuck with her was how much you fought for Jaclyn. You said she's not ready to give up. And I I do want to play for you as well. Um, just a message from from Dr. McLean.
SPEAKER_02She was so critical. It it was some time into her hospital stay where um she seemed to be turning the corner. I mean, the very first few weeks, it was minute to minute. Um I remember a time when the neurosurgeons told us um they did not think she was gonna recover. And I remember speaking to the parents. I think that's what really helped her. They were there all the time. And they said, We don't think she's ready to give up and we're not ready to give up. And I said, Okay, we're gonna do everything that we can as a trauma team, if you that's what you think, because as the parents, they know we're better than anybody. And no matter what the patient looks like from the outside, the parents always know them better than anybody in the hospital. So I said, Okay, you know, we'll do everything we possibly can. And but I tell you, uh initially the specialists taking care of her were very were very bleak about their prognosis.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And Cherry, I know I saw Jacqueline looking over at you and smiling while we're listening to that. Obviously, very emotional to hear, I mean, from our surgeon who remembers you and the way that you fought for your daughter. Just Jacqueline, can you tell me what is it about your mom? You know, she had those feelings about you that set made her say, no, we're not done. We're still gonna fight. Just what is it about your mom that just has inspired you to keep fighting as well?
SPEAKER_04Well, my mom is definitely such a blessing to me. And God gave her to me for a reason, and I'm so grateful because she's always fought so hard for me, and she pushes me and encourages me, and daddy, and it's just like, thank you, Father, for giving me such amazing parents that never gave up. And another blessing is when I was in the hospital, I was always crying, I was in so much pain, and mama prayed that I would not remember one thing, and I don't remember anything, and I'm like, thank you, God, that I don't remember that because I can't imagine how much pain I was in. So she's just such a blessing to me, and I'm so grateful for everything that she does for me.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Mama. And Sherry, Jacqueline, you know, your prayers were answered. She doesn't remember that time, but you do. And I know that's something in our ICU that you've mentioned before. You you both have been, you know, back to UMC and visited with those who cared for you. But when you walk into our ICU, we have a sign above. And Sherry, I don't know if you want to take us back to maybe those days in the hospital and what kind of came next, and maybe how that sign carried you through or gave you some strength in those moments.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. Well, I can tell you I was a wreck, obviously. Um, I never knew the meaning of weaken the knees until that day of the accident. Because I remember I literally could not stand up. I was on my knees. I just I was a mess. Um, I wasn't eating, I was praying and trusting God, but I was just a wreck for the first couple of days. The third day in, they'd already taken out the right side of her skull and the swelling was not subsiding. And so by the third day, they they said, We need to see you and your husband, they the ladies at the receptionist. And I told my husband, I can't, I can't go in. I every time I would go into a room and see all the tubes and it didn't look like her, I'm like, I I I just can't I can't stomach it right now. I said, I'm sorry, can you just go? And he walked away. He goes, Yeah, I'll go. And so he went, and um I was in prayer, and I was I said, God, I know that you love my daughter more than I do, which is hard to fathom, but I'm trusting you and I'm giving her to you. So I need you to do what you need to do with her because I can't do this, but you can. And loud as day, he's like, Your daughter will be a hundred percent healed, she'll have a foundation, and she'll bring thousands to me through testimony. I heard it clear as day. And I was like, Okay, well then my husband walks back out and he's like, they want us both. And I'm like, Okay, okay, I can do this. So we grab hands, and when you walk down the ICU room on the very top, it's Faith, you know, the sign. And I'm like, I know he's got us. And right then and there, I was like, from that moment on, I was like, okay, he's got it, you know. It was like a turning point for me. Um, we were walking hand in hand, her room was at the very end of the hall. I mean, I to me it seemed like a forever walk, but I've been back since and it's short. But for me, that day, it seemed like the hall was like forever long. And there was all these doctors standing outside of her room and white coats, all of them. And we had told them, you know, if you have anything to say about her healing, we want it done outside, if it's not positive, only positive things in her room. And so they were all standing outside the room. And one doctor looked devastated, Jessica. I remember, and she looked like she wanted to cry, and she said the swelling's not going down, and we already took out one side of the skull and it's not going away. And she said, The only option we have is to take the other side of her head out, the other side of her skull out. And I remember we look we looked at her and we said, Well, if you think that will help her, where do we sign? Let's do this, you know. We she was devastated and she was sad, she was worried, but we knew, okay, God has said this, you know, has a plan. And Dennis signed the paperwork, and away they took Jaclyn back into surgery. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And Jaclyn had a total of 16 surgeries throughout this entire process that has happened. And to go back to that moment and hear, you have to make that decision, and to know now that that decision, you know, it saved Jaclyn's life. She's here with us today, and you never stopped fighting. And so we talk about the journey to recovery after all of this. You made it through those surgeries, but then it was relearning how to live again. And I know you talked to us about, you know, you played volleyball, you were a model, you had so much life and so much that you wanted to do. So to have to relearn, can you just tell us when do you start remembering those moments? What maybe comes to your mind about after all of this and the recovery process, or or what were those first moments that you remembered, Jacqueline?
SPEAKER_06She she has a hard time remembering. I think, I think for her, you remember Jimmy working with you, right? Um, when we came back to Opasa, we put her in an outpatient rehab center. She calls him her husband. He's married and he has kids. But I did anything for him. She loved him. She did flirt with him, and she was non-verbal. So she wasn't speaking, but she would she would smile at him and Google eyes. I'm like, oh my gosh, she's actually flirting with this man, you know? And we tease him about it now, he knows. So if he hears this, he'll be laughing. Um, but anyway, I think that's when she started like coming back. Now she doesn't remember all of that because she still was. Then we went to UMC outpatient therapy after that. So she's gone through several of them. But I think her her memory really started to come out where she started remembering, might be in 23, 24, something like that.
SPEAKER_01And Jacqueline, when was it through this time? I know you went to Houston, you went to Tier, and your neuropsychologist there inspired you to pursue neuropsychology yourself. You're going to UTEF now, you're gonna graduate in the fall. Yes, ma'am. So that's very exciting. So can you just tell us what was that moment where maybe it really set in that this is what you wanted to do and focus on?
SPEAKER_04Well, I wanted to be a pediatrician before my accident, but afterwards I just found the brain so interesting. And when we would go to Tier to give money away from my foundation, we would be with the neuropsychologist, and she would tell me everything she did, and it just really like sparked my interest. And I thought, I would love to do this because one, I've been through it, and two, I can help other patients and tell them I was just like your loved one. I was laying in the hospital, but I couldn't move anything, and now look at me. So being able to be a neuropsychologist and help others just like really excites me, and I'm just like it would be so cool to tell them I was where your loved one was, I had a traumatic brain injury, and now I'm a doctor, so it's not impossible. So I'm looking forward to that.
SPEAKER_01And you're gonna graduate in the fall? Yes, and I know that you are telling me, you know, you were at UTEP before the accident, and you mentioned to me that this year is eight years, and that you see it as a celebration. So to think about that, you're gonna be graduating this fall around. I mean, I think graduation's December, probably. Yes, but October, I mean, you're gonna be celebrating that eighth birthday, as you say, since the accident. So, can you tell me why do you all see it as a celebration? And I know you were even saying it's your dad's birthday, too. So, can you kind of It's our birthday now?
SPEAKER_04It's like I was born again, but even better than before. The accident. So we celebrate that day because God didn't take me, He saved me, and now He uses me every day to just spread his glory and to spread his honor.
SPEAKER_06His word, yeah. His word. I think it's important to understand Jacqueline did not talk for a year. And now I don't shut up. That's both worlds, if you ask me. So she would hum. You know, we have videos of I would be like, Jacqueline, say hi, and she would literally, uh, that was her way of speaking. She couldn't speak for a year. And so typically, if you're in this kind of predicament and you're thinking you know, she's not talking, but yet we knew she was healed. We're like, we're just waiting. Um, people are like, Don't you give up. Like, wouldn't you give up? She's not talking. It's been a year. She's in a wheelchair, she can't move. And it's like you can't because you're you're fighting this battle with them. She's in there trying to get out. Traumatic brain injuries, if you've seen one, you've seen one. They're very different. There's hundreds and thousands of TBIs every day in this in the United States. We just went to Congress um and fought to have the TBI Act reenacted. We were in DC in March. I mean, it it's a battle not only for us, but for other people coming behind her.
SPEAKER_04I mean, it's crazy because it was like two in the morning, and I had baby monitors in my room, and I was moving around. So mama comes in and she says, Is everything okay? And I go like this. She says, You need anything. I went like this, and she said, Okay, I love you. My very first words after my accident, I said, I love you too. She starts screaming out of control. So daddy runs in, my brother runs in. What's wrong? What's wrong? She's talking. Not a word.
SPEAKER_06I said, Tell him. Tell him what you told me. I said, She said I love you. And and I'm like, Jaclyn, say it. And she just looked at me, and they're like, You're hearing things. I'm like, She's talking. And they're like, uh. Thank God I talked the next day. Yeah, she did.
SPEAKER_01So it was right after that, after that moment that you heard her say, I love you. Then everyone else heard her start talking as well. And do you remember what that first day was like when you were finally able to communicate with one another?
SPEAKER_06It wasn't, I don't remember. It wasn't talking like this by any means. It was very a whisper. You would have to get right by her mouth to hear her push. She would say one to two words at a time. Hi, by love you. It was it wasn't she did not have her full vocabulary yet. She did not, she wasn't not speaking in sentences by.
SPEAKER_04Or I would get the blanket and put it over my head and I would point to the door at like my best friends, and they were hurt. And my parents said it's not her, it's the brain injury. So it was crazy that I would even do that.
SPEAKER_06The recovery was it was long. But I mean, look, I'm you know, you just it's it's an amazing journey, right? It it's something that if someone's listening and they're in, we tell people when we go, we travel the United States and speak, but we tell people everyone has a story. Like our story isn't anything special, but if it gives you that hope and that inspiration and that motivation to never give up sometime in your life when you hit a a bump in the road, then that's what we're here for, you know, that God protects you no matter what. Um it's been it has not been easy on her, on us, but you know, it's very rewarding that we get to help others now with our foundation.
SPEAKER_01And I was going to ask you about the foundation, and you have both made this your mission now in life. And Sherry, I know you wrote a book and you're helping others who are going through similar circumstances. I know today we're going to UMC and we're gonna get to visit with patients, and I'm gonna get to see you in action doing that. But just can you tell me what is it that you want to tell these families? I know through your foundation there's so many little things that people don't even realize, like parking when you go to the hospital or you leave town for a while. Just what do you want people to know about the need to support families who are going through this?
SPEAKER_06You don't know the need until you go through it, you know, and and so you hear of families or tragedies and people starting foundations. And of course, that's why we started Jaclyn Strong. Um, when we got to Houston, it's in the medical center. None of the every parking lot, anywhere you park in Houston, downtown or in the medical center, at that time it was like $15. Every time you go in, you leave, you come back in, it's another 15. It's not for the day, it's like 15, 15, 15. Now it's up to 17 or 18 dollars. Um we were in Houston for almost five months, so it adds up, you know, every time you're parking, and you're just trying to make ends meet. You're trying to figure out where was my next meal coming from. We literally lived in the hospital. Um, we didn't know we were gonna be there that long. We just took a suitcase and Dennis and I ended up having to buy clothes and buy, you know, things that we needed. Um, and it's hard because neither one of us were working. We left our jobs, we left our house, we left our son. He was going to UTEP getting his degree in engineering, and we're like, good luck, buddy, you know, poor guy. Um, he did amazing because he was young himself. Um so we know these families need that support. So it's super important, not just emotional support, not just support of seeing what you can be after a brain injury. I mean, Jacqueline walks in a room, and I'll tell you the families. We have a photo book, and our book shows just all the pictures of our journey, but it shows her, and when they see her, they honestly can't believe it's her because you can't imagine the picture. You're thinking, how did this girl survive? Right. So it gives the families that hope and that inspiration that they can too get through it.
SPEAKER_01So inspiring to hear what both of you have overcome together. And I do have another message, too, that I did want to play. I know that Nancy McGrail, who I mentioned was the nurse who was the first to arrive when Jacqueline was in the ambulance and help her. She met you in 2023. You came back to the hospital and she got to see you for the first time. And she said that a lot of times she doesn't know what happens to her patients. You know, she saw you that day in the emergency department and she didn't know if you were gonna make it. And she got to see you walk into the hospital and come in and speak with her. And she says, Well, I'll just let you, I'll just let you hear what she had to say. I'm gonna play it for you.
SPEAKER_07Well, they inspired me that day. I mean, I mean, I was so impressed by their faith, it actually um impacted me in a positive way, and then to go first full circle and and reunite with her in January 2023, that was a career-defining moment for me because I saw someone who had been broken standing in front of me whole again. And I cannot tell you the joy. I mean, it still impacts me three years later. It's incredible.
SPEAKER_01Wow. And Nancy has gone to your events that you have had, your runs. She just loves getting to be a part of your life still today. So just to hear that impact, and we talk about these threads that are there. I mean, just how does it feel to know that she was the one, you know, who was there with you that first day and you continue to impact her life?
SPEAKER_04I just think it's so cool that God's using me and that I'm able to talk to people now and do things like I wasn't able to do in the past. And I'm just like, thank you, Father, for giving me this chance to be able to do things that I couldn't do seven years ago, eight years ago. Well, impacting her, even. Yeah, and impacting so many people. That's also a blessing. Like when we go up to Houston to tear, and I walk in, they just start bawling, and they're like, You're a light in this room because you just bring us so much hope. And I'm telling them, it's it's God who does all of this, and this helped me tremendously.
SPEAKER_01You are a light, Jacqueline, and everything. I remember even in 2018 when this happened, and I know it was reported on widely. And seeing just your recovery process from them, though. I mean, your whole family, all of you, you just the faith that you had and the way that you all just never stopped fighting. I mean, it sh it showed through through all these years. I mean, and now I know we're eight years later and we're seeing you in the most exciting time with school and everything. But it's really those threads that bring us back together. And I know another one that I was learning about as hearing your story is one of your friends, Yvonne Acosta, who works at UMC, went with you to the hospital that day, Sherry, when when Jacqueline was injured. And her daughter, who was your friend, Jacqueline, Amanda, she said that she was texting you that day that the crash happened and that you stopped answering. And she spoke to us as well about you know that whole experience. But Sherry, what do you remember about those connections and those friends and still having those ties to UMC in that way?
SPEAKER_06Yeah. Yvonne is an angel in disguise for us. I will tell you that right now.
SPEAKER_04Definitely.
SPEAKER_06She's family. Um she she taught us how to advocate for Jaclyn. She's one of them. There's many nurses there that I could name that that really helped us advocate. Because we, for one, had never been in a hospital setting. For two, we didn't know what a TBI was. Um, you get thrown into this, you're one minute working your career and living life, and the next minute you're in a hospital, and we never left. I mean, everyone's like, you need to go home and shower. I'm like, nope, you'll bring me stuff here because I'm not leaving. My husband and I, we stayed there. Um, and when you get thrown into that situation, you have people like Yvonne and family and friends coming to the hospital. And what do you need? What can I give you? But Yvonne taught us ask the doctors this, you know, make sure you you ask why or or get a second opinion, or but she taught us how to, she's been in the medical field her whole life, so she kind of knows we don't know it. So she taught us very quickly like how we need to advocate for Jaclyn.
SPEAKER_01And this is so important. I mean, even what you're saying, the amount of people who will will hear this, and it is so important to advocate for yourself. And and Jaclyn, your mom talks about her relationship with Yvonne. If you can tell me a little bit about your friendship with Amanda, I know you two played volleyball together um in middle school and high school, and then she was in college in Arizona. Yeah, but she had to leave me. What the heck? Yeah, and she's like best friend does that. I agree. Distance, it's too far. But can you just tell me a little bit about your relationship with her then and now too?
SPEAKER_04We were best friends and we were out of control. It was her, not me. I'm the angel here, and and we had so much fun together, and then she would left for college, but we would still text and everything.
SPEAKER_06Their family is our family, yeah.
SPEAKER_04You know, they really are family, yeah. Amanda and Yvonne. Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01And Amanda now also works at UMC. Again, those threads that keep leading us back, and we're gonna get to see Amanda as well. We're gonna go visit the hospital and see her as well. And she left a message for you, Jacqueline, that I do want to play for you.
SPEAKER_03Statement to her strength and her resilience, or there's no words, you know, it this a situation like this would break even the strongest people, you know. So it just is a test a testament to how strong and amazing she is. And yes, she graduates this fall, and you know, even though with the odds stacked against her, she's uh she's crushing them one by one. She's you know, fighting back and not quitting. Um, so we of course still keep in touch and it's it's like it never changed. Jacqueline's never faltered with her faith, let alone with her sense of humor. Whenever we see each other, we hang out. She's still like that spunky girl that I've always known with a heart of gold, you know. So um it's just really beautiful to see her, you know, again, seeing her from the bed to now, you know, walking, and she still has her sense of fashion that has not changed at all. So um, yeah, it's just it's really beautiful, and it's really, if anything, an inspiration to me that there's, you know, no excuses. Like we always have to push ourselves, even when we might not believe in ourselves in some moments, you know. So she's very much a really big inspiration in my life. And I'm just so happy that she's gone this far and she's not even halfway done. You know, she's gonna keep pushing that glass ceiling. So I'm so elated to be able to be one of the people close to her to witness this firsthand.
SPEAKER_01I loved it because she brought up your fashion and your sense of style and everything and and your faith, of course. Those you never faltered in any of those. But just anything else that you two want to share um with us today before we we embark on our journey. We're gonna go to UMC, we're gonna go visit with with some patience, and and I just look forward to seeing everything that you you achieve, Jaclyn.
SPEAKER_04Thank you so much. I'm definitely looking forward to everything God has planned for me. And I know he's just getting started, so I'm like, let me put my seatbelt on. All right, I'm buckled up, let's go. So we'll see everything that God has in store for me, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. And people say you don't see October 30th as like a day that you hate and you can't stand. And I said, no, I love it because God saved me and now He uses me every single day. So it's actually a blessing because of all the amazing things that have come out of it.
SPEAKER_01And hearing your story today and the connection we talk about our threads again that we are making with you again at UMC. I mean, so many years later, we're so happy to be able to sit down with you and see all of the exciting things that are going on in your life, and you are just both your family, everyone, just such a testament of the faith and resilience, and you're an inspiration to others. And we appreciate you so much for coming. We are going to before we end, we right after we're gonna take a picture of you both with a Polaroid. We're gonna start a tradition on the podcast. So, this all began when we found those old photo albums that I mentioned in the beginning. Yes, and we want to start our own photo album. So we're gonna start a photo album with you as our first guest, and we'll continue that on. So we'll take that photo. Thank you so much. Yes, well, thank you both for being here. Well, thank you so much, we appreciate you, and thank you to all of our listeners for joining as well. And we'll see you next time to discover where the threads take us.