Folia's Week of Giving Thanks: A Community Spotlight on Latoya

In continuing with our week of giving thanks, we want to feature one of our core users. We are incredibly grateful for our user community, as they are patient and kind while we work to make Folia as useful as possible. Without further ado, allow us to introduce Latoya.

Latoya grew up in Alabama as the youngest child in her family. She loves working with her hands and creating projects that will help the community, as she has a desire to understand the needs of those around her. She has a love for music, and played the flute in middle and high school, where she was the second chair. A majority of Latoya's inspiration and drive comes from her mom, dad, and sister, as they have helped her to blossom into the confident woman she is today.

Latoya’s medical journey began when she contracted toxoplasmosis, a rare infection from a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii as a junior in high school. It's believed she contracted this from eating undercooked meat from a hamburger at McDonald's during an away game with the school band. After contracting the parasite, she went blind in her left eye for three years. She was able to continue studying throughout high school by using oversized books provided to her by the Tuskegee school of the blind. 

 Despite this illness, Latoya continued to follow her dream, which was to attend the University of Montevallo. She chose to major in social work so she could help families in crisis. While in school, she continued to realize she wanted to take a more hands on approach to helping families during difficult times. During her fourth year of college, with one semester to go, Latoya decided she wanted to become a chef and open a restaurant. She envisioned employing at-risk youth to help them reenter society with life skills and confidence. Her proudest moment was completing a two-year bachelors at Culinard in Culinary Arts and Baking science. 

 Latoya worked her way up in the culinary world by working various jobs in the food industry. She became the store owner of a waffle house in Birmingham, AL and eventually became the head pastry chef at a Pappadeaux Seafood. During this period of her life, Latoya recognized that cooking for others is what brings her the most joy. 

 In her own words: “as most marvelous stories go, when you are at your highest point is when it all comes crashing down”. This couldn’t be more true, as life threw Latoya another curve ball when her doctor informed her that she had massive tumors growing in her body. This propelled her into a long journey of healing, which involved countless rounds of injections and a seemingly infinite number of medications. This is when her podcast, Butterfly Chats, was born. 

 Butterfly Chats aims to spread awareness, compassion, and hope with every episode. Latoya shares things that matter most to her: chronic pain management techniques that work, self-care tips and tricks, coping skills, and stories from other people who manage chronic conditions. The goal for starting this podcast was to give a voice to those who suffer from invisible illnesses, and to help people see past their illnesses and recognize the love and respect they deserve from those around them. Through interviewing others, Latoya hopes to  spread love to others in the chronic pain community.

 While navigating the treatment for her tumors, Latoya was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She tried to make a concrete treatment plan, but found a severe lack of resources for both her doctors, and for herself. Over time, she has come to recognize that individuals with crossover conditions encounter a variety of interactions with their care providers. She has experienced doctors who refused to see her because they assumed she was drug-seeking, and has been prescribed antidepressants as a bandaid for symptom management. She’s also been dismissed and told her pain is all in her head. 

 Over the course of her health journey, Latoya has shifted from giving to others in the form of food, to giving in the form of being a listening ear. She knows how isolating it can be to be diagnosed with a pain condition and has now dedicated her life's work to educating people about living with chronic conditions. Latoya shares the good and the bad with others through poems, interviews, and other artistic works.

Here at Folia, we are so grateful for Latoya’s generous feedback and enthusiasm to participate in the core community. Latoya, thank you for sharing your story with the Folia community! You can find more information about Latoya at butterflychats.com