Growing up on the East Side of Chicago, the streets were home These are the stories of my life, my struggles with loss In 2010, I caught the Coxsackievirus, after that meningitis followed This left me to learn walking, talking, and reading again Through these years, I have had fifteen surgeries In September 2016, I was diagnosed with first -stage dementia That is when I started writing and have not stopped since My goal one day is donating my time and money for all mental health All with a poetic twist, I hope you have an open mind