Uncommon Lives: Darlene Victoria

Friends and Uncommoners,

Today we have special treat and little break from our examination of The Seven Principles: Darlene Victoria, entrepreneur, student, and kidney transplant survivor is here to share with us her uncommon life!  Her story is truly motivational, and her last piece of advice – I won’t spoil it! – is something we all should read over several times and internalize.  So without further adieu, here is the Uncommon Life of Darlene Victoria, told in her own words:

I was born on an autumn day in 1976. I was premature and because of this I was born with several birth defects. I was only a few hours old when I underwent my very first surgery. For the first six years of my life; the hospital was my home away from home. The doctors and nurses were my friends, the other patients my playmates and my mother was by my side every single step of the way.  While other children my age were playing kick ball in the playground, I was participating in wheel chair races up and down the hallway of the 2^nd floor pediatric unit. Although my days were spent in the hospital, I was always a happy child and it showed.

After the age of 6, my hospital visits became less and less. Soon, I was going to school and playing kick ball with my neighborhood friends. My adolescence and teenage years were pretty much uneventful.  I loved to dance and sing and even write stories. I wanted to become a nurse, a writer, an actress and a business owner.

Throughout the years, I kept up with my doctor appointments, my health was monitored constantly. I was doing well. Then at the age of 15, I ended up back in the hospital because I contracted Endocarditis, an infection around the heart. After a month of IV treatment, I was back to living life as a regular teenage girl.  I graduated high school and went on to college because that was what everyone did after high school, right? I hated every single minute of college! So, I withdrew and went to school to become a Medical Assistant. I graduated from medical assisting school and went on to work as a Nursing Assistant at a geriatric hospital. The hours were long, the work not always pleasant, but I LOVED helping out, talking to and caring for the patients. I recall one time, a very sweet women whispered to me “I love you, you remind me of my granddaughter,” This was after I had finished helping her with her dinner.  I was only 19 years old at the time.

At the age of 21, I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure. Simply put, my kidneys were failing and without dialysis or a kidney transplant, I would die. My brother volunteered to be tested to see if he could be a living kidney donor. Great news! He was match and we both underwent kidney transplant surgery.  The surgery was a success and only five months later I was back on my feet looking for employment.

I ended up working part-time as a data entry operator. For quite some time, I enjoyed every single minute of it – 3 years to be exact. Then I started to get antsy and decided it was time to go back to school. I enrolled in a technical school to learn web design. I would go to my part-time job in the morning (by that time I was already promoted to Quality Control Assistant) and I would rush to school for the second half of the afternoon. I was a busy girl! I graduated with Honors and went on to work for a therapy dog organization.

After working only six months at the therapy dog organization, I was promoted to Office Manager.  My days were busy, I spent a lot of time talking with the organization’s members, as well as, training and managing the office staff. I liked my job, but it was just that, it was a job. When I did have a moment to myself during the day, I was often found thinking about forming my own business. Having my own business was a lifelong dream of mine. Every other day, I would arrive at work with a new business idea in my mind or sometimes at the end of the day, I would pop open my cell phone as I left the office in order to phone my mother to run yet another business idea past year.  This was a pattern I developed and I needed to break this pattern!

In the summer of 2006, only a few short months before I was to turn 30 years old, I stopped and took a look at my life.  There I was about to turn 30 and what did I have to show for it? On top of all of that, my brother donated his kidney to me; I was given a second chance at life.  I certainly had a purpose in life, while I enjoyed my job; it was not my life’s purpose. So, I set out to find my purpose. In 2006, I enrolled in college (this time by choice), found a new job, began volunteering for an animal shelter, as well as, for a state organ procurement agency. I was slowly starting to develop the life I always dreamed of. A life that would make a difference not only for me, but for others as well.

In 2007, I finally found my entrepreneurial calling. I knew what type of business I wanted to start! Using my office management, web design and business skills, I was going to become a Virtual Assistant. I was going to help other businesses grow andbuild their dreams. My business D. Victoria Virtual Assistance launched in February 2008. In May 2008, I decided to start my own podcast. I never recorded my voice before, except for when my best friend andI had a pretend radio show as children, of course. I had an idea for a podcast and by that time, I knew, if I had an idea or a dream…I had to follow it and trust in myself. So, trust in myself I did. My podcast for Virtual Assistants is still online and I am producing new podcasts consistently.  You know what? Because I followed this idea for podcasting, I found something new I am truly passionate about! I have now started a new podcast called Your Blooming. It is meant to inspire and motivate people to do whatever it is they truly want to do.

We all have dreams, we all have desires, and we all have paths we want to lead in our lives.  It is up to up to formulate a plan, stick to it and make that dream into a reality. Stay on course; be true to yourself and you too can lead a truly fulfilling life. The life you were always meant to lead.

Darlene, thank you so much for sharing this story with us!  Your determination and revelations are truly inspiring!

Do you live an uncommon life, or know someone who does? We want to hear about it! Send your information and a brief description to nacie@thelifeuncommon.netand share your motivational story with your fellow Uncommoners!

Tagged as: darlene victoria, entrepreneur, motivational, Seven Principles, student, uncommon lives