Quinetta Ashford on Reinventing Her Creative Journey, Fighting for Better Healthcare Advocacy, and Finding Healing Through Art and Voice

After building an early career in radio before transitioning into acting and voice work, Quinetta Ashford’s journey has become one defined by resilience, reinvention, and advocacy born from deeply personal experience. Following years of navigating serious health challenges, medical dismissal, and a difficult path toward finally receiving an autoimmune diagnosis, she found herself channeling that experience into speaking up for others facing similar battles while continuing to pursue creative outlets that brought healing and purpose. Through voice acting, patient advocacy, and discovering crochet as an unexpected source of restoration and confidence, Quinetta’s story reflects the power of persistence, trusting your instincts, and continuing to evolve even through life’s most difficult chapters.

Quinetta, you’ve had experience both in radio and now voice acting. How has your journey behind the microphone evolved over the years?
Like life, this particular journey has been anything but linear. I began as an intern at URBAN Radio Broadcasting, now Singing River Media Group, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, where I served as an overnight on-air personality and local news reporter. Immersing myself in scriptwriting and soundboard operation, I eventually expanded into producing commercial spots, interviewing touring talent, and producing local high school football broadcasts.

After moving to Atlanta in 2016, I pivoted back to acting when immediate radio opportunities didn’t materialize. I took classes and landed roles in web series and short films that reached the festival circuit. However, my career was interrupted by medical issues that significantly impacted my mobility. In 2023, I returned to my passion for vocal expression by exploring voice acting. Since then, I have contributed to radio spots for local organizations, podcast series, and simulation stories. While I am still navigating this new chapter, I am eager to expand into commercial work, animation, transportation, anywhere you may hear a voice!

You went through a long and difficult path to getting diagnosed. How did that experience shape your perspective on healthcare and advocacy?
So at the end of 2019, an unfortunate experience made my nervous system take a hard shift to the point I slowly started to lose my strength, mobility, and my body was going through multiple symptoms at once. I was under the care of Emory Hospital for almost four years and during that time I was dismissed, told I needed a therapist while I can barely walk without falling, now need assistance by cane and losing weight quickly. Tests were always coming back negative, but I was given medication that made me just exist in this life. I would ask for physical therapy and I was denied time and time again. I was so tired of being dismissed that I started to report the doctors. For over a year, I was calling the patient advocate line, sending emails, and sending messages through Twitter with false replies that someone would reach out to me or no one did not reach out at all. When I finally did get someone with the patient advocates, the story became, “We side with the doctor. There is nothing we can do about it.” No one asked me what happened. No one told me they looked at my files to check. Nothing. I started to be under the care of Piedmont Hospital and even though they were trying to figure it out, I felt a weight off of me all in just being heard and FINALLY getting physical therapy in 2024. Resources led me to reach out to the Mayo Clinic and I was finally diagnosed in April 2025 with muscular myositis which is an autoimmune disease when the antibodies turn and fight the body, in this case, my muscles. When I could put a name to what was going on with me, I was relieved and angry. I was relieved to know that after all this time, I was not “crazy” and this was not just a “mental” thing. I was being seen. I was angry because I found out that Emory is one of the rare places in Georgia that specializes in this and they could not see it in me. I was not seen, tested, or heard thoroughly as I should have been. You hear the stories of how black women are denied daily in healthcare and mistreated, on the verge of death or in the ground. At a point, I thought it would be me which is scary to even fathom, but that was reality. It is always a story of how a medical professional is not listening and comprehending when a black woman tells them that something is wrong. It needs to stop.

What inspired you to start speaking up not just for yourself, but for others navigating similar medical challenges?
One day I was at a doctor’s appointment, and there was loud noise coming from the room next to me. Upon just taking the noise in, I realized that there was a nonverbal patient in there to later see that the patient was of unique needs as well. Did not think anything else about it. Once the appointment was over, I had to head to the labs for blood work. One of the lab techs was very vocal on trying to figure out what the noise was coming from as she seemed annoyed by it. As I was wrapping up, she came in and told the other tech, “They are leaving. Oh, wait. Here comes another one of them” in a very disgusting way. That made my skin hot because as I was leaving, the kid and his mom were getting help out and another non verbal kid came in with their parent. How dare you as someone in healthcare have poor mannerism in front of another patient? And about someone that can not help themselves, let alone speak up. I started heading out the door; I turned right back to reception and asked for the manager. She was so thankful that I said something as she had her own family member that has unique needs so it hit home with her and she was going to deal with it. Once I got in the car, I just cried. Our system is just so broken that some of the people that work in it do not have heart or compassion and we, as patients, are putting our lives in these people’s hands every single day. At some point, I even gave it a thought and decided to try Emory one more time after two years since again, the particular specialists I need are under them and circumstances changed to where I could not get to the Mayo clinic at this time. Giving them another chance, I wanted them to KNOW what happened prior before I step foot on their property to make sure they are going to correct their wrong and assure me that I will be taken care of. I have not heard one word from their Neurology department. I have to go to Augusta now, but honestly, I would not have it any other way. I do not know how to get on the right track of advocacy, but I know I can start with my testament of what I went through and warn others to always get second, third, or fourth opinions if you can and never be afraid to leave a doctor or hospital if you are not being treated well.

Crochet became a creative outlet during a tough time. What role has it played in your healing and personal growth?
CROCHET! That’s my girl! It has really been my saving grace in this. I started because once I was diagnosed, I had to start steroid infusion treatments so I was going to be hooked up for at most two hours once a week for a few months. As someone that hates IVs, I knew I needed to do something with my hands to keep my nerves down and to help in regulating my nervous system. Went to Walmart, bought a crochet bear kit, and I failed so badly at it! That led me to taking crochet classes at the library and I have not looked back. At some point in this artistic journey in my life, I felt stifled. I was itching to be creative and freeform and know the depth of who I am through that by the art placed in front of me whether it is the stage, airwaves, painting, cooking or crochet. After three classes, I took off from there. My teacher will definitely tell you. She tells newcomers that I took off and she just leaves me alone to create and do what I do which I slowly have. From hats, clutches, a jacket, cakes, chokers, bag charms, blankets, tapestry items, flower bouquet blankets, I feel like I’ve done a lot, but barely scratched the surface of what I’m capable of. As that hook and yarn glides through my fingers, I can tell when my brain is overwhelmed and my system is shaken because my tension gets tight. That’s when I know I have to take a deep breath, center myself and try again and everything flows. Each piece/idea heals me and brings more confidence in me and it is definitely showing because others are acknowledging. I’m being asked to do exhibits! Me! I am going to do them and I will let you know when they happen because why not!

As you balance voice acting, advocacy, and building your own platform, what message do you hope people take away from your story?
I took my nieces to see the Disney movie HOPPER when it came out. It is about a college student that fights for the local glade to protect the animals and not be turned into a freeway. After it was over, the six-year-old asked me, “Quin, you ever had to fight for something?” I quickly responded, “Yes, I fight every day of my life.” In her terms, I gave examples of fighting for better grades in school and that learning does not stop just because she’s out of school. This pops up in my mind at least five times a week. I fight for this perfectly imperfect life I’ve made for myself. All that happened to my body was because of stress. More and more, there are videos coming out of women in their 20s and 30s saying how things are happening in their bodies and it is all due to stress. I had shingles in my 20s! Breathe. Be disciplined. Do what makes you happy. Do not be scared to get other medical opinions. Make sure you have your doctors notate everything even if they deny you of something you need. You speak up when you need to and not bottle things in. In my Olivia Pope voice, “Your gut is rarely wrong.” Stay true to you and do not let anyone or anything get in your beautiful mind and steer you away from what you are building. Make those mistakes as long as it is not being disruptive in anyone else’s life. Your community will find you. If you allow yourself to evolve every day, you will continue until you take that last breath on this planet. It may be uncomfortable at first, but exercise it and it will be one hell of an amazing ride if you let it. You can do it. I believe you can do it.

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