Cover Photography by Jennifer Powell
Jeanné Freeman
February-March 2023 Cover Woman
Guest Editor: Paula DeBoles Johnson
My WHY just recently had a major impact on me. Edwin and I found out we were pregnant in 2020 with our first (and only) daughter. It was the start of the pandemic and I was terrified. Being pregnant and working in healthcare gave me information overload. Thankfully, our new daughter Brooklyn was great and we worked through the pandemic.
I went in for my post-natal check-up with my OB/GYN and asked about scheduling my mammogram. I breastfed Brooklyn so I was informed hat I would have to wait 6 months after I stopped nursing her in order to get the mammogram. So, I waited, and fast forward to early 2022. I went for my mammogram and I heard those awful words… “we found something and we need to do an ultrasound.” I was so scared sitting in that back room waiting for an ultrasound. Every bad thing that I could imagine was in my head. I was trying to calm myself down because this is what we tell our patients, “Be calm and try and be as patient as possible.”
I finally made it to the ultrasound and after the images were taken, the radiologist came in and said I was ok, and to repeat the mammogram in 6 months. Nobody could beat me to scheduling my 6 month follow up in September 2022. I got an appointment and this time, I heard those words again…
Cover Photography by Jennifer Powell
Adrian Cooksey
February-March 2023 Cover Woman
Guest Editor: Paula DeBoles Johnson
My name is Adrian Cooksey, wife, birth mother of two girls (ages 5 and 22) and stepmom to my bonus son (23). I am from Lafayette “Cajun Country” Louisiana. My mom was a teacher and my dad worked for the oil industry. I had a great childhood, filled with family, friends, and sports.
I fell into public health unexpectedly. I was attending Dillard University in New Orleans, LA. In my pursuit of a physical therapy degree, the University required a community health minor. I had completed all my required coursework and decided I would complete two community health internships in my last year. I remember walking into some of the public high schools in New Orleans to offer health education and screenings to young adults and their parents through a grant offered through LSU medical center in my first internship. In my second experience I worked with the New Orleans city government and community members to create a taskforce to address Healthy People 2000 objectives. My introversion was less prominent in these settings. I loved what I was doing, so when I graduated I opted out of going to physical therapy school for my master’s and moved from Louisiana to Tallahassee to pursue my master’s in public health. My parents thought I was crazy as I didn’t know anyone in Florida and would be nearly 500 miles away from my family. Besides, what is public health?
Interestingly, my independent journey to self-discovery turned into a more aggressive journey into motherhood…
Cover Photography by Jennifer Powell
Brandi Knight
February-March 2023 Cover Woman
Guest Editor: Paula DeBoles Johnson
I was raised by a single mother with a high school education and a grandmother with an eighth grade education. They both always empowered me to reach my full potential in all that I do. Growing up in the “hood” I remember always being seen as less because of my zip code. I watched my grandmother and mother argue with physicians when they would go to appointments because their symptoms were often dismissed. Women in healthcare, especially black women, is important because of what I just described. We need to see those who look like us and may understand us better to be successful in our health journey. I was led to public health by chance. While I’ve always wanted to help individuals, especially those underserved, I started out wanting to be a doctor. As I worked more with the community during my undergrad years at Tuskegee University and through my MPH program at the Florida A & M University, I realized community work was more my passion.
The health department has a strong relationship with the larger healthcare community. The last few years helped to strengthen that relationship, allowing us to continue to work together to address health issues impacting our local community…
To learn more about these lovely ladies and their journey, you can access the full article by clicking on the magazine above.
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