In December I nearly died due to complications from my pregnancy. I suffered a series of seizures (eclampsia), and was found underwater in the bathtub by my husband. My baby girl was brought into the world 7 weeks early. I remained on a ventilator for 8 days, with doctors unsure whether I would live or die…

This is the face of a survivor and a fighter. Every crease and wrinkle is there because I have experienced happiness, laughter, fear, and pain. This face is beautiful because I have lived through trauma and fear, but came through (with God’s grace) smiling on the other side.

I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, and I am beautiful.