Today we’d like to introduce you to Twylia Reid.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Twylia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Columbus, Mississippi, also known as “Possum Town”. I am the oldest of three children born to my parents Arthur & Vera Flournoy. I was very shy growing up until I reached high school. During that time I became active in sports and was a member of the varsity track team, as well as a member of the school’s newspaper staff. I was always active in church and began singing at a very young age. I guess you could say life for me was pretty normal. I had a few best friends, whom I shared my deepest secrets with of one day becoming famous and moving away from our small hometown.
Well, that all came to an end when I became pregnant with my daughter during my junior year. Although she was a delight, life for me changed drastically. I had to grow up quickly and become the adult I really wasn’t ready to become. After graduating from high school, I attended Mississippi State University during the first semester of my freshman year as a Pre-law Major. It became difficult traveling back and forth every weekend to see my daughter who lived with my parents while I was in school.
So I transferred to the local university in my hometown, moved out on my own, and continued pursuing my degree in Criminal Justice. During my sophomore year, I became pregnant with my son. Oh boy, telling my parents was harder this time around for some strange reason. Life became a tad bit harder as a single mom, so I decided to do something different, and joined the military! Yes, I joined the army and proudly served my country until I retired 20 years later. During my tour of duty, a life-changing event occurred that totally changed the trajectory of my destiny!
For my family and I, it was the most unimaginable thing that could have happened. June 18th, 2001 my life was changed forever! My son and I were involved in a horrific MVA.
This accident left him in a coma and partially paralyzed. U pon awakening from the coma, it was discovered he has sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. After months of rehabilitation to learn how to do the basic things in life all over again, life for us both became something we’d never look at the same again. Learning how to walk again, talk, dress himself, feed himself, and even bathe himself became a daily routine for us. All the things we take for granted would always be there, he lost in the blink of an eye.
Dealing with the strain of being thrust into bleak circumstances and uncertain outcomes, I began traveling a heart-wrenching journey from gloom and despair to hope and healing. This eventually led me on a path to victory through faith, prayer and commitment to optimism. After retiring from the military, I began writing. I knew it was time to tell others about our journey. I decided to answer the call to be the ONE! The one to inspire others who have survived traumatic events by teaching them how to replace fear with F.A.I.T.H., by Forwarding All Issues To Him…. as they navigate through their untimely tragedies.
Empowering and educating survivors by teaching them how to create the life they desire in spite of the health or wealth challenges they face after a traumatic event, by providing nuggets to show them how to become the strategist of their own destiny by turning their tragedies into empowering moments as they travel their own journey from tragedy is not only my passion but also my calling! I become a published author in 2017 and haven’t stopped writing since. My first book “Broken Wings” is a true story of my son’s and my journey through his recovery of his traumatic brain injury.
Opening up and allowing our lives to become the blueprint for others to see that traumatic events are not the end-all, and you can have a life after surviving one. Having to deal with the hopelessness and helplessness that accompanies the devastation of a tragedy can take you to dark places you may never return from if you don’t know how to push through. In this book, I demonstrate to others the importance of perseverance, persistence, and prayer as we travel this ongoing journey.
A year later, I published my second book, “Affirmations For the Mind, Body & Soul”, A Guide for Survivors of Traumatic Events. This book teaches you the power of your words.
Deciding to make a commitment to have a better life in spite of the challenges that accompany tragedies is critical to you having a positive, productive life. Once the commitment is made, the blinders will fall off, enabling you to see the opportunities that have been before you all along. Yes, that’s right: commitment changes you by changing your self-identity and the way you see yourself.
Once you begin to see yourself the way God sees you you’ve reached the point of no return! Once this shift occurs, your entire world will change. My third and fourth books are both about goal setting. “MY JOURNEY” Goal Setting Journal & “A Survivor’s Goal Planning Journal” A Brain Injury Survivors Guide to Goal Setting were created to help you see the things you want to achieve in life, as you go after them. Writing down your goals with a set date to accomplish them gives you something to plan for, work for, and look forward to.
Goals you actually write down become an outward illustration of the things you desire within. They serve as constant reminders of the things in life you want and need to accomplish. There is so much to do and experience in life, but many of the things we want to achieve and experience won’t be given to us… we need to work for it. But, without a clear sense of what you want to do, where you want to go, and who you want to be, you’ll never be able to live life to the fullest.
My 5th book, “The WORD The Truth & The Light” Bible Study Notebook, The Bible has 66 books, more than 1, 000 chapters, and written by various authors. Whether you have no Bible experience or have studied the Bible for years, this handy Bible Study Notebook provides an excellent introduction to personal Bible study. One key difference between reading and studying is writing down what you hear and absorb. This isn’t just so you’ll remember it later. The very act of writing requires you to formulate your thoughts clearly.
Writing forces you to identify vague thinking for what it is and push past it. Write down what you’re learning because it helps you understand it better. For individuals, Bible teachers, group leaders, and even preachers, this notebook of preceding studies will become valued, and appreciated as it develops into your “go to” tool, if you will, in providing an even deeper revelation of the WORD.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! And, I didn’t expect it to be. Many of the struggles faced are tied to the lack of education as it relates to this invisible disability. So many people know absolutely nothing about traumatic brain injury. Due to this my son has been mistreated and mishandled in so many instances.
I had to do something. I had to ensure that his quality of life be as fulfilling for him as it could be. So, I went to work….researching, reading, and learning as much as I could about brain injury. I became more than his mom. I became his best friend, his biggest fan, his caregiver, his advocate! I made sure that others did not belittle him or make him feel less than simply because of their own ignorance and lack of education.
I made sure the education system never put him on the back burner by making him feel as though he wasn’t capable of being all that he could be…and some. I made sure his employers knew he was entitled to reasonable accommodations, to assist in being the best employee he could be for them and himself.
I taught him that the world was cruel and there would be people who just didn’t care about his brain injury and therefore, he had to ensure his circle was small and consisted of those who loved him for him and wanted to genuinely see him succeed in life. I told him to pick his friends wisely because there would be some who would try to take advantage of the fact his social skills were lacking and his insight into the severity of his deficits ran deep.
I taught him to love himself in spite of his differences, and when the thought of suicide enters into his head he dismisses it immediately! Yes, he has talked about it before but I know he knows that God loves him more than this world could ever love him, and no matter how hard it gets he is a TRUE SURVIVOR!
Struggles like these occur on a consistent basis. Conversations are normally deep and always begin with him telling me, “Mom, you know God talks to me”. I smile and simply say, “Yes, I do”.
Watching him deal with the world is probably the most challenging bc as stated earlier the lack of knowledge concerning this beast called “brain injury” is a worldwide problem that really needs to be addressed. Who knows…. maybe this just may be a start to something big.
Broken Wings, Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
BROKEN WING, INC. is a small 501(c)3 non-profit faith-based organization founded after our lives were drastically impacted after my son sustained his severe traumatic brain injury at the age of 11 from a motor vehicle accident. In addition to that, my daughter sustained a concussion a few years afterwards, which was followed by a medical diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri.
We are devoted to sharing hope with others affected by brain injury through education and connection to community resources. We consist of brain injury survivors, caregivers, and health care professionals committed to the advancement of brain injury recovery. Trying to rebuild lives after such a traumatic event can cause helplessness and hopelessness that is unimaginable.
Brain injury leads to long-term and oftentimes permanent, physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities for which innumerable medical programs exist to provide rehabilitative assistance. However, it’s just as important for a survivor to return to a social life that they consider as normal, as well as activities, and events that take place outside the ordinary medical or institutional environment.
Unfortunately, there is normally little to nothing offered to address this issue as part of their usual recovery and rehabilitation process.
BROKEN WINGS, INC., provides empowerment, resources and education about the life-changing symptoms of head injuries and what to do to get better. We teach other survivors of traumatic events how to turn their tragedies around by providing real-time strategies to get results in life in spite of health and wealth challenges.
Offering a safe place for others to express their highs and lows that accompany brain injury is our mission. Our dream is for them to have a place to learn and grow as they learn new strategies to help them deal with the life changes they are experiencing, and share their thoughts about the challenges of brain injury.
Whether they are a survivor, caregiver, family member, advocate, or health care professional, they are all welcome. NO ONE is alone as they travel this journey of brain injury. As fellow travelers, we can encourage each other as we all press forward and work together to make a difference in the field of brain injury.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My personal definition of success is knowing that what I am doing to help inspire and empower others is truly helping them become happier in life, truly helping them become content with their life, witnessing them experience joy in spite of the challenges they face daily ignites my soul. Helping them understand that no matter what others say or do, they have to power to lead the life they want and achieve success as they see it.
I believe in always delivering more than is expected of me. Motivating others by demonstrating how I walk in my true purpose is success. Having a positive impact on the lives of people by uplifting them and inspiring them to think, act, react and do things in ways that they may not have ever thought of before is success. Watching others glow in anticipation knowing the transformation they are going through is going to produce a new them is success.
When others can hear my testimony of hope and healing and walk away from me knowing if I made it out victorious they can as well, and feeling like they can conqueror the world… that to me is TRUE SUCCESS!
Pricing:
- Empowering/Mentoring Sessions are $397 for a five-week period
- All autographed books are $15.00
- Book Coaching $250
- Author’s Media Kit $125
- Conqueror’s Cafe Spotlight Feature Segment $39
Contact Info:
- Website: www.twyliareid.com / www.brokenwingsinc.org / www.conquerorscafe.com
- Phone: 912-335-3799
- Email: info@twyliareid.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/twyliareid02
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortwyliareid
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/tgreid02
- Other: linkedin.com/in/twyliareid
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
