Someday StorySM entry
Danny Gibbons
Provo, Utah
A Second Chance at Life
As my compact-size sedan spun wildly out of control on that lonely Arizona highway, every memory, dream, and regret of my life flashed before my young eyes. At 23 years of age, my expectations of becoming an accountant were diminished to simply surviving the crumpled heap of metal that was my car, drenched in cold rain and blood. Time would reveal a new agenda for me through this important tragedy in my life. A broken pelvis and femur bone stranded me in an unfamiliar hospital environment among doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. Throughout the coming months, I would experience more pain, discomfort, and sense of achievement than I had ever felt before.
Learning to walk again strengthened me more spiritually than it did physically. My experience in physical therapy as a patient has led me to pursue a new dream: to serve others in recovery as a physical therapist. Starting down this new path in college has been an intimidating and exciting adventure! It has sculpted me into an absolutely different person than who I was that night, fighting for survival in that dark Arizona desert. Now, as a financially struggling undergraduate student, young husband, and soon-to-be father, the pressure is on to reach out, past the obstacles and barriers of life, and seize my dreams! Someday, I will fulfill my dreams by using my challenging life experiences to strengthen my patients and make a difference in this world, as a physical therapist.
Erin Sullivan
Prescott, AZ
Sneeze the Day
I closed the book and a cloud of dust filled the air. I sneezed, but it did not bother me because the book and the books surrounding it are my dream, and the dream of my friends. I know the musky smell and how the delicate pages feel against my fingertips, but I also know how much more books have to offer. Books activate the imagination and make the reader question their world. This is what we want to offer our community. We want a bookstore where adventure can be traded for philosophy, philosophy for romance, and romance for history. Though our bookstore does not exist, our ideas, love of books, and ambition will bring it to fruition.
We know the day will come when Bill and Clay will be working twelve hour days at the store and the only guaranteed income will be Amanda’s and my teachers’ salaries. We know that the first months will be difficult, but we know that our success is a success for the community. We believe that it is too important for a community to go without a place that promotes literacy among all its residents. The books have been piling up in storage. Plans for bookshelves have been made. Costs have been evaluated. Budgets have been tweaked. Business plans have been written and rewritten. It is only a matter of time before our dream becomes a reality, and when it happens, I will triumphantly sneeze the day away.
Evelyn Krieger
Sharon, MA
Dream Girl
When my daughter was born 17 years ago, I never thought I'd be raising a gifted entrepreneur. At age 13, EmilyLeah, started her own magazine for girls. With little help, she raised start-up funds, created a website, wrote press releases, solicited content, designed the cover, graphics and layout, and found a printer. During the past four years her business has grown and become part of our family life. Yaldah (Hebrew for girl) has subscribers worldwide, an editorial board of talented girls, and two paid employees. Yaldah has been featured in the Boston Globe, Jerusalem Post, American Girl, Inspiremetoday.com, IdeaCafe, Dream Girl and several other publications.
Yaldah magazine’s mission is to empower girls to follow their passion and dreams, to inspire creativity and leadership, and to celebrate Jewish values. Yaldah is at a turning point. It is growing faster than its budget. Subscriptions don’t cover the cost of professional color printing. My daughter has yet to pay herself. Everyday she receives fan mail from girls who have been inspired by Yaldah. For now, this is her greatest reward. But my daughter dreams big. My someday dream is to invest in her vision. This will allow her to increase advertising, hire staff (she does way too much!), and launch her newest project: Yaldah books for girls. As editor and publisher, my daughter has exchanged a typical teen life for one of purpose, determination, and hard work. I hope Wells Fargo will invest in this promising young woman.
Mary Parrott
Rye, CO
Angel House
My mother, Linda Batts, a dedicated and gifted hospice nurse for more than 20 years, has a dream of starting her own hospice. In September of 2006, her oldest daughter Michelle, my sister, died from breast cancer. My mother took care of her at home, because my sister could not work, much less, afford any health benefits. Through her devastation, she found not only a new purpose in life, but a financial opportunity. She just couldn’t let someone, who is terminally ill, die without proper care, just because they didn’t have health benefits. So she and her best friend Pam Bomar, also a hospice nurse, have decided to open a hospice of their own.
They have recently purchased an old home, that will need renovations, located in rural Greenhorn Valley, Colorado. It will be called “The Angel House”, providing hospice care for low-income individuals on Medicaid. The closest hospice is 40 miles away. The cost of the renovations was estimated, by a contractor, to be between $95,000-$100,000. The home will need four additional rooms built on, as well as specialized bathing equipment. They are doing this on their nurses’ salaries and donations, and are determined to turn this “someday dream” into a reality. Not only will this hospice be a service to the community, but it would secure my mother financially in her retiring years. This really is my mom’s “Big Dream” and your help would make it happen! Thank You, Mary Parrott.
Tiffany Tatum
Reno, NV
Someday I will attend Medical School
It could be said that 35 is too old for medical school. More and more, however, “non-traditional” students are being sought by medical schools across the nation. I began my university pre-medical education right after high school, but soon after took a worthy change of course into the Air National Guard. Serving as a military Clinical Laboratory Technician and treating soldiers who were critically injured in Iraq strengthened my resolve to become as educated and effective as possible. I’m one quarter away from finishing my Bachelors Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science as a Dean’s List student.
Wells Fargo student loans have made many of my dreams possible during the last 15 years, and now I’m preparing for the biggest dream of my life: medical school. It’s not an exaggeration to say a week hasn’t gone by since I was 16 that I haven’t cultivated this aspiration. I’ve been an EMT, worked for numerous physicians in various fields, currently teach yoga and have eagerly soaked up any and all facets of health and medicine possible. If there’s such as thing as a “calling,” medicine is it for me. There are many great and large causes in the world. Investing in one individual, however, can make a surprisingly exponential and deep impact. My “someday” is looming, and I’m ready to apply my experience, love of learning and serve.
