From addiction and despair to a new life
Written by Joanna Holbert “I’m a junkie. This is my life.” That’s what Mary Hirsch thought she was destined to be after spending years in and out of jail, a nine-month stay in prison, and losing everything in her life that she held dear. How could she turn her life around? There was no hope for…
“We are in the community treating the people who live here”
Written by Joanna Holbert In rural South Mississippi a patient enters his primary care clinic. He is turning yellow, but he feels fine. He was sent to see his nurse practitioner from the hospital. Winnette Denmark sees the patient and immediately calls a specialist. The patient is airlifted to Jackson and within hours is placed on…
A new life after addiction and prison
Written by Joanna Holbert “I was a functioning addict.” That’s how Julie Crutcher describes herself during the early years of her struggles with addiction. “I had an addiction problem for a long time. I had my kids. I had my house. I worked and was in school, but I still used,” she said. It was in…
Barrier to entry. Barrier to healthcare.
Written by Joanna Holbert As a young girl entering college, Sarah Catherine Morrow had a picture of what her life would look like. She wanted to major in business and open a coffee shop. “I think I had watched too many episodes of ‘Friends’ and I wanted the ‘Central Perk’ coffee shop,” she laughed. She quickly…
My nurse practitioner saved my life. Twice.
Written by Empower Mississippi In 2016, I walked cautiously into my local nurse practitioner’s office. I was unable to walk back out unassisted. This is the first time that my nurse practitioner saved my life. She begged the hospital to admit me. When the hospital couldn’t diagnose me and tried to discharge me – despite the…
Coffee and Conversation: Grant Callen with New Orleans Saints LB Demario Davis
Written by Joanna Holbert Say the name Demario Davis, and people rightfully think of one of the greatest athletes in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints linebacker is a leader on and off the field who has received countless awards including being named captain of his NFL team; the Saints’ nominee for the 2020 Walter Payton…
Kristie Rushing
Written by Empower Mississippi What do you think of when you think of Mississippi? Most people think about Elvis Presley, the birthplace of the Blues, and good food. Some may think of negative things like inequality, poor access to health care, and the fact that we were voted 50th by Becker’s Hospital Review in ‘50 States…
Two life sentences for seven boxes of Sudafed
Written by Joanna Holbert Three strikes and he’s out. But does the punishment fit the crime? James Vardaman is serving two life sentences under Mississippi’s habitual offender law, for seven empty boxes of Sudafed. He’s an offender convicted of a crime not ordinarily considered a crime of violence but is included in the state’s habitual offender…
Released after a decade, and time is quickly running out for Lori Griffin
Written by Joanna Holbert “It goes against the very essence of what you want to reform. There’s no way that someone leaving prison can get a job and improve their lives if they can’t get an ID.” The clock is ticking – 60 days. With each tick, Lori Griffin is closer to the deadline for…
Save Our ESA: ‘Families depend on it.’
Written by Joanna Holbert “I don’t want to think of what Landon’s life might look like without (the ESA).” A small rural town in Northern Mississippi has much to offer the Morrow family. Unfortunately, Pope, Mississippi, is not able to offer a public education that meets the needs of their middle son Landon. Struggles in…
Save Our ESA: ‘If the ESA went away it would be a blow to the gut’
Written by Joanna Holbert “People want to say, ‘You’re choosing private school.’ No, I’m not choosing private school. I’m choosing to educate my son in the way that he needs to be educated.” Whatever it takes. That’s how Kristi and Yancey Nolan of Madison explain the lengths to which they will go to provide for…
Save Our ESA: “Some of us just can’t put our kids in public school. We have to have a choice.”
Written by Joanna Holbert “The ESA is a blessing. It’s very, very scary to think that it could be taken away. I have major worries and fears that something is going to happen, and we won’t be able to send him to his school anymore.” A parent’s love knows no sacrifice, and that is evidenced…
Save Our ESA: “We will do what we have to do for our daughter”
Written by Joanna Holbert “About 85 percent of parents of kids with special needs end up in divorce. It’s a constant stress on a family, and they don’t need the additional financial stress. They need this ESA so they can sleep at night, work their jobs, and not worry about how they are going to provide…