I am a native of San Antonio and graduated high school here from San Antonio Christian Schools. I went on to complete my undergraduate studies at U.T.S.A. After graduating in 1989, I started teaching freshman English at Clark High School. A few months after I began teaching, I developed some health issues that took me out of the classroom. While I was disappointed to leave the front lines of education, I was fortunate to be able to continue working with children when the San Antonio Spurs hired me to develop and work with several programs that the organization took into our area schools. In this capacity, I developed curriculum and materials that teachers could use in the classroom, wrote a performance program for children that encouraged character development and a healthy lifestyle, and worked with other Spurs community programs for businesses and the non-profits in San Antonio.
During this time, I began to work as on-air talent for Spurs media and other media venues both locally and regionally. In 1993, I won the title of Mrs. Texas, U.S.I. In this capacity, I traveled across the state of Texas speaking with both children and adult audiences about the importance of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
After eight years with the Spurs organization, I left my full-time position to start a family with my husband, Tim. I continued to work part-time with the Spurs Media and other media while raising two children. During this time, I hosted a show produced by City Public Service called THE HOME AND LIFESTYLE SHOW. The program aired five years on local network affiliates. As the children grew, my work with THE HOME AND LIFESTYLE SHOW allowed me to be able to spend a good bit of time at the school.
Ironically, it was again some major health issues in my family that forced me to "accelerate" another career shift. In 2003, my husband, Tim, suffered a stroke which took him out of the position he had held for 21 years as the Spurs Coyote. While Tim was able to recover many of his abilities, we decided that life is too short not to pursue dreams. After fifteen years of deferring my teaching dream, this was the time for me to return to the classroom.
Just four months into my first year of teaching, however, my family was struck by another health crisis. On December 5, 2005, while getting ready for work, I suffered a cardiac arrest in my home. Fortunately, I lived three blocks from the fire station and responders were at the house in time to save my life. I was taken to the hospital where I remained unconscious for three days. When I woke up, there seemed to be no permanent damage, but doctors could not explain why the event had occurred. A defibrillator was implanted to correct any further lethal rhythms, but to date, there is neither a cure nor an identifiable cause of the condition. You can bet that I have spent a ton of time thinking about the reason I stayed alive … MY PURPOSE! I have continued to teach and speak as often as I have the opportunity about the importance of supporting heart research, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and staying informed about your own medical condition.
It has been quite a journey, but I am so excited about where this journey has brought me today ... right here ... a proud member of the CAST Med Family!