Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Samantha Fitts.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Samantha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am from Enterprise, AL. I have been married to Elroy for eight years. We are the proud parents of a four year old daughter and live just outside Atlanta. I am an Autism Specialist, author, and motivational speaker. I am a member of the Church of Christ, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc., and I am on the steering committee for The Plus Strut 5K, the first 5K for plus size women in North America.
I graduated with top honors from Alabama State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education. I earned my Master’s Degree in Special Education from Georgia State University in Atlanta. I went on to earn my Education Specialist in Education Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, and my Doctorate of Education from the Atlanta campus of Argosy University. I am extremely passionate about helping others reach their professional and personal goals in life. Over the past few years, I have been motivating others through the messages my book: Journey of Hope: Love, Marriage, and Overcoming Infertility at 40.
When I was in my mid-thirties, I began to self-reflect and I asked myself the following questions: Am I living the life I envisioned? I also reflected on the following childhood questions: What do I want to be when I grow up? What are my goals in life? By the time I was 35 years old, I had already checked off many of my answers: Earn a college degree? Check. Become a teacher? Check. Live in a big city? Check. Drive a nice car? Check. Live in a two-story house? Check. Marriage? Well, not yet. Have children? Okay, there was definitely no check for this question. It’s funny, but I guess you can say I wanted the fairy tale, the one in which everything falls into place at exactly the right time.
There are some women who don’t have a desire to get married and have children and that is okay. However, I was not one of them. Many women in their late 30s and early 40s postpone marriage or childbearing to obtain their education, establish their careers, and become financially secure. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to difficulties in finding Mr. Right or conceiving (or both). This can be an arduous and heartbreaking time of life when it seems lifelong hopes and dreams of family may not be possible.
I delayed marriage after pursuing advanced degrees and establishing my career—not entirely by choice since my mate hadn’t entered my life sooner. At times I wondered if it would ever happen.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Yes, I wanted a fairy tale, the one in which everything falls into place at exactly the right time. However, fairy tales can sometimes be frightening, too, with gremlins, monsters, and evil witches. The dating scene in Atlanta was challenging, however I was blessed to meet my husband online at the age of 34 and we married at the age of 36. Once married, we wanted kids right away, only to suffer a miscarriage and the devastating diagnosis of unexplained infertility. I know in life there are going to be some bumps in the road. Thank God, the good has outweighed the bad.
Please tell us about Journey of Hope: Love, Marriage, and Overcoming Infertility at 40.
My mission is to support and inspire others through my personal journey of going from singlehood to married and infertile to motherhood. In Journey of Hope, I share my extraordinary journey of hope. You will discover how my faith in God and perseverance led me to the right husband and overcoming infertility to have our first baby at 40.
What sets me apart from others is I developed the courage to speak out and motivate others that have experienced miscarriage and infertility. I am also helping break the silence of African American women suffering through infertility alone. Unfortunately, for some there is a stigma associated with miscarriage and infertility. Former first lady, Michelle Obama recently shared her emotional struggle with infertility, miscarriage and the use in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have her two daughters. We must keep the conversation going and encourage women not to feel guilty or ashamed. Infertility and miscarriage affects more individuals worldwide than any of us could ever know.
In addition to women, Journey of Hope is inspiration for ALL. No matter what you want to “birth” in life you can apply the 4Ps I applied throughout my journey of hope to overcome my obstacles in life.
My 4Ps of Overcoming: Prayer, Plan, Patience, and Persistence
• Prayer. You must pray without ceasing. My husband and I prayed and meditated on the scriptures involving women and men who overcame infertility in the bible.
• Plan. You must have a plan. My plan was to get married and have kids. I followed concrete steps to achieve my goals. You still have time to develop a plan in life.
• Patience. You must be patient. Life is a journey. I didn’t adopt a mindset of defeat. My faith and patience increased through my journey.
• Persistence. You must be persistent. Faith without works is dead. I researched, talked to my doctor, applied things discovered, and made adjustments when needed.
I am proud of the feedback and testimonies that I received since publishing Journey of Hope.
“This book is such an inspiration and showers you with hope, faith, peace, and perseverance. Samantha Fitts, I am so proud of you and this book has given me some hope back that I needed. They always say that our testimony will help someone else. I believe that this book will touch many families and restore hope and faith. Thank you for being transparent and sharing your life with the world!” — TP
“This book gives hope to women everywhere that giving up is never an option. Set, define, and achieve your goals!!”— The Jacksons
“I gifted your book to someone and they are now pregnant. Your book gave the couple hope.” — MP
“I’m currently going through the IVF process for the third time and I can only say I wished I had read this book before now. Thank you and Thank God for putting this on your heart!” — DB
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
My goal is to turn Journey of Hope: Love, Marriage, and Overcoming Infertility at 40 into a screenplay for a stage play and movie so I can spread the message of hope and overcoming to the masses. Atlanta has become Hollywood of the South and it is the perfect place to turn my book into a movie. I would also like to begin a foundation to educate, counsel, and award grants to assist with the financial costs of infertility treatments and alternatives for parenting.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.
Don’t give up on your dreams, whatever they are. You still have time.
Pricing:
- Journey of Hope: Love, Marriage, and Overcoming Infertility at 40……….. $14.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.samanthafitts.com/
- Email: info@samanthafitts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1samanthafitts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1SamanthaFitts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/1SamanthaFitts
- Other: https://www.dogearpublishing.net/wordpress/journey-of-hope-love-marriage-and-overcoming-infertility-at-40-by-samantha-fitts-ed-d/
Image Credit:
Samantha Fitts and Howell Designs
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