Dorothy Owens

Dorothy Owens (Original photograph ())

Dorothy Owens overcame many obstacles in her life. No matter what, she always pushed herself to make it through things. She inspires me in many ways, she is my hero, and not just because she is my grandma but also a lot more.

As a young girl she lived a very abusive life. Things never seemed to get any better. At age ten she almost lost all of her fingers due to angel hair that people used to decorate Christmas trees. It got under her nails, but thankfully the doctor only had to pull the nails off and scrape the bones. It left her in the hospital for about a month, to recover.

 At age fifteen she met a man named James Owens that treated her very well and told her he loved her.  It showed her that she should be treated better and pushed her to get married at a young age to get away from the abuse. She had her first child at age sixteen.

When she was seventeen she was in a devastating car accident. She had a fractured skull, dislocated hip, many broken bones, and half of her foot was torn off. She had to go through many surgery on her foot. They used 6 inch nails to nail it back together; she spent six months in the hospital before being released. She was immobile for many months and put in a wheelchair. She was determined to walk again. She went through therapy and was soon on crunches. During this time she had to take care of a small child. Eventually she was able to walk again.

  At age thirty her husband was diagnosed with life-threatening health problems. They chose to move from their home in Chicago to Alabama where their family was to spend time with them before he passed away. He turned very ill and she became homebound to take care of him and the children all the time. Within the next couple of weeks, she herself was diagnosed with type two diabetes.

  During all of her struggle, she was always there to help others out. She gave a hundred percent of her time to her ill husband and now seven children. She did volunteer work with American Red Cross, health rooms at local schools, and diabetes awareness. She worked some part time jobs as a nursing assistance, an aid in the nursing home, and a cook at a family restaurant.  My grandma would sacrifice her career in order to take care of her family for many years. After her husband, James, passed, she went back to college to get her GED. Then she went and got her driver license. Soon after that the income got really bad again. There were many days that she didn't eat so her kids had enough food. She always stood strong.

  Today, she helps many people. She now donates to the American Red Cross to help find a cure for diabetes. She is now back into the wheelchair, and still determined to walk without anything to help her. She inspires me by everything! She is my hero! She sticks by my side though all the ups and downs. She never gave up and that shows me to never give up on anything i do. I'll always count  her as my number one hero. When I get older I would like to be just like her!