Conversations with Sadria Strong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadria Strong.

Hi Sadria, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
September 18th, 1992 A beautiful, healthy baby girl weighing 8lbs 6 oz. delivered after 13 hours of labor and pain. My firstborn, my only daughter, Briana Brooks. At the age of five, she was so impressed by her pediatrician, Dr. Flowers and from the day forward all she wanted to become in life was a pediatrician. She wanted to save the lives of babies. In her 21 years on this earth, she was determined to do just that. I had the honor to be with her when she gave birth to her son Eric and daughter, Kylie and in 2014 was anxiously waiting for the arrival of my second granddaughter, due the day before my birthday. On 08/29/2014 I spent time with my daughter Briana and her fiancé just allowing her to share with me her fears and her joy. She was feeling that she was not strong like me to raise three children and she feared that she would not be as great of a mother as me. I looked her in her beautiful eyes, placed my hands on her shoulders and let her know that with each generation of women in our family, we inherit the strength that they have, and she is stronger than I am. She has a dedicated support system and a man who loves her unconditionally.

At that moment, she had the biggest & brightest smile. She also told me she had a name for baby girl! Her name would be Kaylie. I leaned down to kiss her belly and tell baby girl that she is officially Kaylie and Grandma Kiki loves her very much. I hugged my daughter & her fiancé tight & told them I loved them both. I gave Briana an extra hug and kiss and she said, “Mom, I love you very much. Thank you for always being there for me.” She waved goodbye leaning out of a low sitting turquoise Chevy pickup and blew me a kiss and I caught it and blew her one back. I did not know that moment would be the last time I would hear her tell me she loved me. In less than 6 hours Briana and her fiancé were kidnapped coming back from getting her a late-night craving meal at Wendy’s. Four hours after that, I was told to go to Grady hospital where her father and I met a doctor and social worker that brought us to a private room and we listened to the doctor as he told us her baby was delivered by emergency C-section, and Briana had a severe gunshot wound to the back of her head. She had less than 24 hours and the baby would more than likely not survive, and we needed to prepare and have loved ones say goodbye. On the13th floor, room number 7, my daughter lay in a bed hooked up to a ventilator. The Pain of seeing your child, unresponsive, laying in an ICU bed with her head wrapped. The physical pain almost made me sick but at that moment, I realized that she showed me how STRONG she was. They found her in the middle of a dark road on her knees, crawling, hands handcuffed behind her back gasping for air, breathing. She was breathing for the life she was carrying. As a woman of strong faith, I began to pray nonstop asking for a miracle. For three days, Briana was on a ventilator: still with us. I was running on fumes could not sleep, could not eat. I just never wanted to leave her side. All her friends and family spent those three days saying their last goodbyes to Briana.

September 3rd, 2014, at 6:16 pm Briana’s doctor declared brain death. At that moment, Briana had the opportunity to save lives and I jumped at the opportunity because my child’s life was not going to be remembered for the brutal way she died but for the wonderful gifts she was able to share with four special people. Briana was a registered organ donor and because she always wanted to save lives; what better way to honor her wishes than to agree to organ donation. She not only fulfilled her dream to save lives, but she saved four families from experiencing what her family has had to go through. One kidney to a man married with children who now enjoy fishing again. The other kidney to a man with two children who enjoy outdoor sports. Her liver to a man who has a daughter who was seven years old at the time and she just celebrated birthday #15! Finally, her heart went to a young woman who happened to be a cardiovascular nurse! Imagine the smile Briana has knowing her heart was beating inside someone who cares for patients with sick hearts. The lives that Briana saved and the lives of their friends and families are personally affected by Briana’s selfless act. The second chance at life to live with a purpose to be better than they were before. This defining moment in my life has given me second chance at life and the miracle I prayed for, I got it!! Kaylie survived and will be celebrating birthday number eight this year! I started volunteering a year after Briana’s passing with the state of Georgia’s organ procurement organization, Lifelink of Georgia educating and sharing Briana’s gift of life story with hospital staffs, advisory boards, health fairs, colleges, and a multitude of other events. Every year her children and I watch the Rose Bowl parade as they honor their mother, my daughter with a single Rose with her name on it placed on the Donate Life parade float. In 2019 her daughter’s, my son and I were able to travel to California to see Briana honored with a floragraph on the Donate Life Float and the theme was Rhythm of the Heart! The girls enjoyed all the festivities especially seeing mommy’s face on the float.

Last year I put into action what I wrote down in my journal on Thanksgiving 2014, just a couple of months after Briana’s death. I pledged to create a foundation to honor her legacy, raise funds for a scholarship in her name to a student who is attending the School of Health Science and Research at her alma mater, participating in local events giving the foundation an opportunity to share her gift of life story and so much more. I officially created Briana’s Heart of Gold, Inc, a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a board of directors who have committed to honoring the legacy of Briana Brooks, sharing the donor family experience & community education and awareness. This foundation is a legacy for her children to celebrate and honor their mother. I also have a weekly podcast where I spend 2-3 minutes sharing an uplifting affirmations and words of encouragement called ” Heart of Gold Inspiration.

When I think of how my pain has turned into my purpose, I think of the acronym of PAIN.

My pain was Powerful because it made me stronger than I never could have imagined. It did not weaken me.

My Pain Activated my purpose it pressed on me, transforming me and nourishing me to be better each day.

My Pain INTENSIFIED my purpose. It allowed me to experience the joy of knowing my true purpose.

My Pain NAVIGATED me towards my purpose. It placed me on the path that I ran away from because of fear.

Never allow your pain to render you powerless, use that pain to grow stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
During this turning point in my life; I faced a lot of challenges and struggles. I was going through a separation for divorce, going to court to petition guardianship of my granddaughters, spent years going to court hearings about the investigation and death penalty case for the murders of my daughter and her fiancé. I was going to therapy almost everyday working through my grief. I had returned to work early probably a little too early but it was necessary in order to keep my job and not be replaced. I had to navigate my way through understanding my new way of life with grandchildren who were completely relying on me for support and love, balancing work along with finding ways to keep Briana’s legacy alive. I also was constantly making sure my son; Briana’s little brother made it through his first year of college while dealing with his own grief. So much responsibility weighed on me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My voice became a powerful beacon of light when my daughter’s murder happened. I was never a person to speak up but that transformational experience help me realize the power of what I had to say and how say it. I saw firsthand the impact of what I had to say and how it affected change in people’s lives along with them creating their own change. I have done so many speaking engagements and I have been a keynote speaker for helping others find their voice, empowering women to share their voice; turning their pain to purpose, helping donor families connect and engage the community to be advocates for organ donation. I created Briana’s foundation to make sure that her legacy would continue but also to increase the number of registrations especially in the minority community.

I took the necessary steps to make sure her foundation was created the right way and when it was time to find board members for the foundation, I made sure the board was diverse and that they had a strong belief and desire to help build a strong foundation honoring Briana’s legacy.

I am so proud of the many opportunities for her story to be shared; her legacy to be recognized not just locally but nationally. I remember whispering in my daughter’s ear when she was laying in her ICU bed; that her children will always know that she loves them and the world would never forget her name and how she has changed the world. To see her recognized on the Donate Life Rose Parade float was a proud moment for me but the greatest moment was meeting her liver recipient and connecting with her heart recipient. To hear their words of how Briana has changed their lives and how much they wanted to be worthy of the gift she gave. I told her liver recipient Andrew that he was always worthy of the gift because it was meant for him, It was his destiny,

What sets me apart from others is the recognition of Briana’s story on several shows like the First 48, ATL Homicide and ID channel show: The night that never ends. These shows shared extensively about her murder and the criminals who were found, charged and sentenced to life. What the stories did not fully share was the life Briana gave and how her light still shines. I am often asked about her children and did her baby survive. I want her foundation to create a movement among high school and college students to share the importance of organ donation but also become Heart of Gold advocates in their school and community. My story is unique and I know it and the only one that can truly share it in its entirety is me. I have the voice and will continue to use it until the day I die. My purpose is to use it to my fullest potential.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have had a village of mentors, supporters from my friends, a few colleagues and especially my family. The foundation’s board of directors have each had an impact in my life before, during and after Briana’s death. Several individuals have been a huge part of helping me get to this point of forming the foundation. My former supervisor/mentor Anita Ware- Johnson; who was the Controller at my current job, encouraged me to create Briana’s foundation. We had discussed over the years my goals for the foundation and what I wanted to accomplish with the foundation. After she left, she remained in communication with me and also provided me information and articles about forming nonprofits as well as other pertinent information about what is needed to create a nonprofit. When it came to putting my gifts and talents in action she held me accountable and at the end of last year, I made a promise to myself to buckle down and put my words into action and get Briana’s foundation started. Anita helped me when I was deciding on who to invite to be a part of the board of directors and how many board members I would need. Whenever I had a question, I could call her at anytime day or night. She also helped keep me calm when I felt overwhelmed with the process. With Anita’s guidance, I have accomplished so much and I am excited about the future of this foundation and the beautiful legacy.

Contact Info:

• Email: brianasheartofgold@gmail.com
• Website: www.brianasheartofgold.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsadria/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadria.strong
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadriaStrong