My Bio for First People's Bio Contest

Something about me to share with you

My name is Lisa/Sariah.  My Cherokee name, given to me by my father's father, is Snowypaw.  My life has been lived solely on Murphy's Law, lol.  I cannot complain though.  I believe what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.  I was a child of many kinds of abuse.  As I grew into an adult and became pregnant with my son, I vowed to not repeat this, to break the cycle.  Little did I know what would lie ahead in the years to come.  At the age of 13, my son began a spiral into the abyss of bi-polar disorder.  This chaos would last for many years to come.  But it was because of his mental illness that I was see my own.  I suffer from severe depression, acute social anxiety, and a mood disorder.  This illnesses would put me in the hospital for days at a time.  When I was fired for missing so many days because of these illnesses, I was then told by my primary doctor that I had Fibromyalgia and could no longer work.  My world collapsed around me.  What was I going to do now?  I had been working since I was 18 years old.  Not working anymore left a huge hole in me and I began to slip once again into my mental abyss.  In the months to come, I would be further diagnosed with RSD (a type of neuropathy), Barrett's Esophagus (caused by severe acid reflux), lactose intolerance, and asthma.  I eventually had to let go of my apartment and move in with my boyfriend on his 35 acres of land.  With me, I brought my 5 cats, a cockatiel, and two winter white hamsters.  This was a start of a small "zoo".  I now have 11 chickens, a pomeranian, 5 cats, 2 guinea pigs, a panda hamster, and a cockatiel.  Needless to say, this keeps my days busy.  I also have created bird/butterfly sanctuarys, a place where deer, turkeys, groundhogs, rabbits, foxes and coyotes can safely venture on the land and still be observed in their day to day lives.  I greatly treasure this land that I live on.  A life long dream that has come true.

I have always been aware of my Native American ancestry but, not having someone to lead me, I floundered on my own for many years trying to find my place.  I seemed to always look at my surroundings differently than others.  Nature was my best friend and still is.  I could sit for hours in the woods just listening to the sounds around me.  As I grew older, I would search out any material I could find about my Cherokee ancestry, only to be disappointed by the misinformation I would find.  I have a vague history of my ancestry from my father.  His father was a shaman of his tribe but would not pass on the old ways to my father, who had turned his back on father and tribe.  This left me without guidance, without the answers I looked for around me.  But regardless of the obstacles against me, I held firm to my Cherokee blood.  I came to hold it higher than the white blood running through my veins.  I always believed that it is not just the blood of my ancestors that makes me a part of the Native American bloodline but also the firm resolve that I have to the ones before me and the beliefs they would die for.  I would rally against the injustices pressed against my ancestors.  Even now, with little to base my feelings on, I still hold my Native American bloodline in high regard. 

I came to WDC not long after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and several other debilitating physical maladies compounded by severe depression, acute social anxiety, and a mood disorder.  I met my Cherokee mother, Cissy Whitewolf, when I became administrator of New Horizons Writing Academy.  Little did I know at the time how much she would change my life and my heart.  Cissy took me under her wing and became the mentor I needed.  I proudly call her my mother in spirit.  She has been my guiding light on my journey to find my past and a beacon for my future.  She welcomed me with open arms into the Native American group.  Something I will never forget.  Now I look forward to sharing with others what she has generously given me.  I finally found my home, my place, in this group.  Something I will never take for granted.


Sariah (Snowypaw)

Word count:  766