Rising Stars: Meet Jameshia Menifee of Smyrna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jameshia Menifee.

Hi Jameshia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up, I always believed I wanted to be a doctor or surgeon that specialized in pediatrics. That desire led me to a number of jobs throughout college and my young adulthood working with small children. It was always a joy. The course of that dream changed when I realized that I wanted to work on a happier side of caring for small children rather than relatively sick children. As an empath, I started to see how that route could weigh on my mental adversely. Instead, I found myself more interested in Occupational Therapy towards the end of my college career. I graduated from the University of Alabama, Birmingham in the fall of 2014. Life only sped up after that and depression into the newest season of life took a toll. Fast forward to summer of 2018 I found out I was pregnant. I felt something I would describe as unusual during the duration of my pregnancy, but I believed it was just prolonged “morning sickness.” My daughter, Jayna, was born in March of 2019 prematurely. At about 6 weeks after birth, I became suspicious with my daughter’s newborn behavior and development; and at four months I had grown extremely tired of hearing “all babies move at their own pace.” Jayna hadn’t reached a single milestone and that just didn’t sit well with me. so I began making demands for further medical attention to get to the bottom of what could be going on. In late January of 2020 I learned of my daughter’s abnormal brain scans. In the summer of that same year Jayna was diagnosed with a rare genetic brain disorder under the umbrella for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation or CDG. Jayna’s specific gene mutation and condition is now known as PMM2. I was the mom of a child so exceptional that she was just 1 of about 900 people in the entire world. Shocked, scared and an overcast of sadness is an understatement. Still life had to go on. I think at that time I began operating on autopilot for a very long time. Jayna is now thriving at 6 years old. I’m still learning my way around being a special needs mother, but the days are more rewarding than they are any other feelings.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to 6 years old has not at all been smooth, nor easy. I was met with the challenges of becoming a single mother when Jayna was still very small. I was unable to find stable work without the proper childcare given her extraordinary circumstance. It was a struggle. In February of 2021, Jayna suffered a seizure that lasted more than 15 minutes. She went on to become further delayed in all areas of growth- global developmental delay. Jayna’s care required a large amount of my time and attention. There were countless appointments two to three times a week to establish care with therapists and specialists. Not very many people in Alabama (where we lived a the time) were familiar with her condition. Most doctors had no knowledge about the condition at all. It took a few years to find some grounding. At 6 years old and attending kindergarten, days and times are still tough. It is a challenge accessing everything that Jayna needs to lead a full life. Attempts to balance my mental health, her physical health, and academic growth whilst also worrying about her mental health can sometimes get the best of me. Jayna’s willingness and determination to be her best independent self keeps me going. Despite so many setbacks with illnesses, limited resources, and development she wakes up every day with a smile. She bounces back stronger each and every time. She gives me the strength I need to continue fighting for every accessibility rightful to her and to never stop being her voice of her biggest advocate. I do believe that everything I went through in life with the changes in career desires, the tons of different jobs, and people in life I met were never by chance. God intentionally set everything and everyone along my path to prepare me just for where I am today. God created me for this very exceptional child.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am currently unemployed as a direct result of caring for my daughter. I previously worked in healthcare for Cigna’s specialty pharmacy, Accredo/ Express-Scripts. In the past year, my daughter has met a lot of obstacles that took me away from work more than the time that was permitted. Once that time had exhausted, job security had become a topic of discussion with my superior often. It had to come a crossroads, and the decision was made to separate from the company. Since then, I have been trying to align things to work in Jayna’s favor to receive all the help she needs and my dedication to a career has taken a back seat. My daughter is more important to me than any job or career. If I’m being honest, I think that I am most presently known for being Gigi’s (Jayna’s nickname) mom. I try to bring awareness to her condition in hopes that it helps some families who may not have the answers get some answers as it pertains to medical mysteries surrounding their child(ren). I’m most proud of my resilience. I’ve battled bipolar disorder with generalized anxiety amongst other chronic conditions since before I can remember. Then to pile on the obligation of the single, sole provider to an extraordinary needs child was more than I sometimes I think I can handle. However, I don’t give up and I keep going for the both of us because who better for either of us than me? That type of strength and transparency about my personal struggles outside of Jayna’s care sets me apart from others.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My advice to any exceptional parents is to find your people. Don’t be ashamed to ask questions. Protect your child and your mental first but know that you are not alone. I operated in the dark for so long until I couldn’t bear it any longer. I was completely lost; and while I am still learning who I can since becoming Gigi’s mom it is okay to care for you too. We cannot pour from empty cups. The happiest child needs happy, whole and healthy us, so don’t forget about you on this journey. There are people out there to help us.

Image Credits
Kendall Jackson Photography