January 16, 2012
A Former Preemie Gets a Well-Deserved Break
There are stories that make you cheer and Samantha Garvey’s is one of them. Her light is just beginning to shine but I’m certain in a few more years its intensity will become much brighter. She entered the world prematurely, raring to begin her human experience. At only 2 pounds and 14 ounces at birth, we might have easily have lost her. In her 17 brief years, she has had her share of adversity. Her mother’s automobile accident caused injuries that left her unemployed for almost 8 months. Her father’s income as a taxi driver was not enough to sustain them. The eviction from their rented home on New Year’s Eve came at the most inopportune time. Her father moved the family into a hotel temporarily but they eventually ended up in a homeless shelter, something that has happened more than once during Samantha’s childhood. Samantha immersed herself in school and for the past 2 years, was involved in a research project in marine biology. Ironically, her research project involved looking at the response of mussels when they are in the midst of adversity. What did Samantha discover? The greater the danger encountered by the mussels, the thicker their shells became. A lesson we can all apply to life.
Samantha submitted her research project to the national Intel science competition and made the competitive semi-finals. She is now one of 300 students nationwide who have a chance of winning the top prize of $100,000. And it gets even better. The county social service department found a home for Samantha’s family at a subsidized rent and a private corporation is donating furniture. Hopefully, she will also hear good news from Brown and Yale Universities where she has submitted her applications for freshman admission.
When Olga and Leo Garvey bought their 2 pound 14 ounce daughter into the world, they gave us a gift. Let Samantha’s resilience and determination be an inspiration to us all, especially to parents of premature babies. Somewhere on the other side of the rainbow, the angels are smiling, and we are too. Congratulations, Samantha. I’m sure we’ll hear about you again in the near future.
Elle (@Cleverlychangin) said,
January 16, 2012 at 11:56 am
Beautiful story! Congratulations to Samantha and her family.
drlindagalloway said,
January 16, 2012 at 3:02 pm
I agree. Thanks for your comments, Elle.
Dorice said,
January 16, 2012 at 2:02 pm
The story is surely inspirational, Samantha and her family should be very proud.
However, the financial loss suffered through an auto accident raises the issue of medical costs and related loss of income due to illness or disability.
Time and again the story of foreclosures related to medical related expenses is a sad reality that speaks to a system that is broken.
While we celebrate the bright spot of Samantha’s perseverance and high achievements one must wonder when this nation’s priorities of profit over basic human needs will diminish. How many other young people are missing the glow of the spotlight because of family, financial adversity?
drlindagalloway said,
January 16, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Dorice, once again you have hit the mark. We need to start connecting the dots between medical expenses and home foreclosures. I’m going to bring up this topic with my advocacy group, Doctors for America and with your permission, I’d like to share your quote.
Dorice said,
January 17, 2012 at 4:55 pm
All in life is not fair and it is Samantha’s ability to rise above adversity that we celebrate. The great frustration is in seeing the enormous corporate bailouts on the backs of so many hardworking families who in their time of need get thrown to the street.
Please feel free to share.
db said,
January 18, 2012 at 2:28 am
Most of these 10 year plans are all a scam. If you look at their founding documents they all contain the same language which is “appropriate and affordable.” The largest portion of the homeless population are single men who need immediate permanent employment. If they had that employment then they could get market rate housing and not even need this 10 year plan.
The catch is that none of this 10 year plan housing is free at all. So if you are a homeless male and cannot find a job you’ll never qualify for the 10 year plan housing because in order to get this housing you have to pay. If you’re homeless without a job tell me how exactly can you pay? It’s not possible. That’s why I call BS on all of these 10 year plans. In fact many cities have ignored the plans and have no intention of seeing them through. It’s all BS.
These 10 year plans do not intend to replace homeless shelters with some type of “housing first” intake system. The shelters will always exist with all of their crime, diseases, harsh atmosphere and prison mentality. I have sat on some of these 10 year plan councils and investigated them very carefully and I can say with almost 100% accuracy they are a total fraud.
This girl’s story is just a puff piece.
drlindagalloway said,
January 20, 2012 at 1:40 am
That’s the beauty of living in America. We can say what’s on our mind. Thanks for your comment.
Belinda Pauls Anderson said,
January 18, 2012 at 11:23 am
This was truly an inspiration in the midst of some many stories that don’t turn out positively. I pray that Samantha will continue to rise above any circumstance in life and reach her fullest potential.