Aug. 24, 2023

A blind Diagnosis is Not the End Of The World Inspired By Gina And Carol

A blind Diagnosis is Not the End Of The World Inspired By Gina And Carol

Lean into the lives of Gina and Carol. two independent ladies making their mark on the world and inspiring others to do the same.

About the Host:

Introducing Saylor Cooper, an accomplished author and a true inspiration. Despite facing the challenges of living with a disability, Saylor has fearlessly pursued his dreams and emerged as a beacon of motivation for others. His journey in entrepreneurship, alongside his trusted ally Tyler, has propelled him to extraordinary heights.

 At the core of Saylor's mission lies an unwavering belief in the power of hard work and determination. As the creator and host of Real Variety Radio, Saylor has established a remarkable internet radio station that offers a diverse range of programming spanning every genre of music and shows. 

 Additionally, he has taken the helm of the Hope Without Sight Podcast, where he engages in thought-provoking interviews with individuals who have triumphed over adversity, becoming a source of inspiration to people around the globe.

Saylor's ambitions extend far beyond his current accomplishments. He actively seeks opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs and share their remarkable journeys at renowned networking events like Podapolooza and Speakers Playhouse. Through collaboration with speaking coaches, he is honing his skills to grace different stages and deliver his empowering message to diverse audiences.

But that is just the beginning of Saylor's extraordinary aspirations. With plans to monetize his internet radio station and organize life coaching events, he aims to empower others in their pursuit of dreams. Furthermore, Saylor envisions a future filled with numerous literary works, including a captivating autobiography chronicling his own life and a collaborative masterpiece featuring the remarkable stories of his podcast guests.

Above all, Saylor's ultimate goal is simple yet profound: he strives to demonstrate to individuals facing challenges that anything is possible when dreams are fueled by unwavering dedication and hard work. With Saylor blazing a trail of possibility, the potential for each and every one of us is boundless.

 Join Saylor Cooper on this remarkable journey of empowerment and achievement, and discover that the power to transform lives resides within us all.

To connect with Saylor and learn more about his inspiring work, please visit his E-business card here: https://ovou.me/livefasetiyacehe

About the Co-host:

Tyler Evans is an integral part of the entrepreneurial journey of his best friend and business partner, Saylor Cooper. Despite facing his own unique challenges, Tyler is determined to make a difference in the world through his hard work and unwavering dedication.

As an active participant in the day-to-day operations of Real Variety Radio, Tyler plays a crucial role in the success of the internet radio station that offers diverse programming from all genres of music and shows. He's also a key contributor to the Hope Without Sight Podcast, where he helps to bring inspiring guests who have overcome adversity to the forefront.

Tyler's passion for entrepreneurship is matched only by his love of networking. He enjoys attending events like Podapolooza and Speakers Playhouse, where he can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and learn from their experiences. While Tyler may not have founded or created anything on his own just yet, he's an important member of the team and his contributions to the venture are invaluable.

Looking to the future, Tyler shares Saylor's vision of making a difference in people's lives and inspiring others to pursue their dreams despite any challenges they may face. He's excited about the possibility of monetizing the internet radio station and hosting life coaching events alongside Saylor to help others reach their full potential.

Tyler's ultimate goal is to collaborate with Saylor on writing books that share their individual and joint experiences, including an autobiography about his own life. Together, they hope to demonstrate to the world that anything is possible if one has the courage to chase their dreams and put in the hard work necessary to achieve them. With Tyler's unwavering determination and entrepreneurial spirit, there's no doubt he'll continue to make a positive impact on the world around him.

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript
Marie Cortes:

hi friends welcome to shine with Medina Cortez and

Marie Cortes:

Mark Sedgwick. We are gathered here in Houston, Texas at the

Marie Cortes:

Georgia brown Convention Centre. Mark, tell us a little bit about

Marie Cortes:

what we're doing here today.

Mark Sedgwick:

Yeah, we're here at the NFB conference, the

Mark Sedgwick:

National Federation of the Blind conference. It's really special

Mark Sedgwick:

occasion this time around. It's our second year here with Sean

Mark Sedgwick:

podcast. First time we were in Louisiana. Some of you guys

Mark Sedgwick:

remember that first video, we're gathering some more podcasts,

Mark Sedgwick:

sharing some more light, trying to figure out what it takes to

Mark Sedgwick:

live a life with hope. Even if you have no sight.

Saylor Cooper:

Exactly. And this is sales. Were actually will

Saylor Cooper:

cope. Recording. Yeah, I'm part of the how I host for help with

Saylor Cooper:

outside podcasts and virtual people who've overcome

Saylor Cooper:

challenges in life. And now live a life of abundance full of

Saylor Cooper:

bliss, and I want to teach you the same so welcome. Welcome.

Marie Cortes:

Welcome. Let's let's welcome our guest, would

Marie Cortes:

you introduce yourself Gina and this? You love where your

Mark Sedgwick:

cares, Carol? Gina?

Carol:

Yes. Yeah, this is Carol on the way. I'm actually here

Carol:

visually from Houston. Born and raised in Louisiana, I have a

Carol:

stroke syndrome type two. I have a dual sensory loss of being

Carol:

deaf blind.

Mark Sedgwick:

And Miss Gina, can you introduce yourself?

Gina Tamburello:

i Yes. Hi, I'm Gina Tamburello. And I live in

Gina Tamburello:

Dallas now. And I was also born with Usher syndrome type two A.

Gina Tamburello:

So I have a dual disability among some other stuff, too. But

Gina Tamburello:

anyway, we're here to talk about the deaf blind. So thank you for

Gina Tamburello:

having me. Yeah,

Mark Sedgwick:

that's a unique population. You know, that's a

Mark Sedgwick:

really unique thing to have both sensory situation. So tell us a

Mark Sedgwick:

little bit about maybe your origin story. Let's start with

Mark Sedgwick:

Aegina. What was Where did? Where did your story start? And

Mark Sedgwick:

how have you come to where you are now?

Gina Tamburello:

Oh, gosh, well, I remember when I was about five

Gina Tamburello:

years old, and I was at my cousin's wedding. And my mother

Gina Tamburello:

was like, Come on, we gotta go catch the flower. You know, the

Gina Tamburello:

bouquet, right? So I'm like, Well, Mom, I don't want to catch

Gina Tamburello:

a fly. So I kept saying, you know, no, we're gonna go catch

Gina Tamburello:

the flower. And I kept thinking, okay, she said, Why are we gonna

Gina Tamburello:

go catch a fly, I don't want to go catch up. So I discovered

Gina Tamburello:

that I must have had an issue with hearing. So that's how we

Gina Tamburello:

found out about my hearing loss when I was 16, and my sweet 16

Gina Tamburello:

birthday party. So no, nobody else can do this. But some of my

Gina Tamburello:

friends and my brother, we decided to go wrap a house, I

Gina Tamburello:

was living in Houston. And so anyway, there was a car that was

Gina Tamburello:

following us, it was kind of you know, like, you know, in the, in

Gina Tamburello:

the evening when eight, nine o'clock. And so my friends and

Gina Tamburello:

my brother, they started to run once they saw this car following

Gina Tamburello:

us. I mean, we were in a safe, good neighbourhood. And then all

Gina Tamburello:

of a sudden, the car turns the corner, but I couldn't see

Gina Tamburello:

anything but a light. So I ran up to a house on the porch.

Gina Tamburello:

Where a light was because that's what I was able to see. So when

Gina Tamburello:

that car turned the corner, you know, my heart was racing and

Gina Tamburello:

everything. I was like, Oh my gosh, what's going on? It was my

Gina Tamburello:

mother. She was following us. So when she noticed, you know, you

Gina Tamburello:

know how mothers aren't protected. So when I, when she

Gina Tamburello:

saw me on the porch, and everybody else left me, she was

Gina Tamburello:

like, huh, light went off and like, Okay, let's go check her

Gina Tamburello:

eyes out. And that's when I was diagnosed with retinitis

Gina Tamburello:

pigmentosa. And then they said, I wouldn't be able to drive at

Gina Tamburello:

night. Nobody ever told me it was progressive until I was 29.

Gina Tamburello:

I was diagnosed legally blind. And because I kept missing steps

Gina Tamburello:

and cars were kind of sneaking up on me while I was driving.

Gina Tamburello:

And I was like, What is going on? So the doctor told me that

Gina Tamburello:

I'm legally blind, and I had to hang up my keys on May 17 1994.

Gina Tamburello:

I think it was. And I had a four year old.

Mark Sedgwick:

Wow, so So before we continue with your story I

Mark Sedgwick:

want to talk about Miss Carol's story. So tell us about your

Mark Sedgwick:

origin story.

Saylor Cooper:

Yeah, kiddo. Please go ahead. Yeah,

Carol:

I was I was born in Sulphur, Louisiana. And I was to

Carol:

when they discovered I couldn't hear because they will call my

Carol:

name out. And I wouldn't turn around. So of course, no, I had

Carol:

to go through the hearing test. And then I discovered that I was

Carol:

hard of hearing. But I did not learn until that I was losing my

Carol:

vision until I was 34. I was driving I had really, I didn't

Carol:

think I had any issue. But one time I was out at a like a

Carol:

barbecue with something at night, and I couldn't get

Carol:

around. All of a sudden I was hanging on to my friend. I

Carol:

thought okay, something's wrong here. Why can I no longer see it

Carol:

at night? though but it was not until 1995. I was like I said

Carol:

with 34 When I found out that I had the RFP had an Usher

Carol:

Syndrome. So on I kept driving fortunately for me, I kept

Carol:

driving until out of 50.

Marie Cortes:

Wow. Yeah. You look so I know how we did

Marie Cortes:

things, but at least the importance of having parents

Marie Cortes:

that pay attention to to us as children. Yeah, it's so

Marie Cortes:

important to pay attention to the little details. And that's

Marie Cortes:

why it's so checkups are so important, you know, the annual

Marie Cortes:

checkups and wow, that just brings so many memories of a lot

Marie Cortes:

of my students who were not diagnosed with different things

Marie Cortes:

until maybe fourth, fifth or sixth grade or when I was in

Marie Cortes:

eighth grade, you know, teaching eighth graders,

Mark Sedgwick:

sometimes it's not a teacher. That'll notice,

Mark Sedgwick:

sometimes it's not apparent, though, notice, but you know, we

Mark Sedgwick:

need somebody to notice. Exactly, you know, and maybe

Mark Sedgwick:

it's not even us crying out for help, because we think it's

Mark Sedgwick:

normal. Seems like you guys didn't even realise at first

Mark Sedgwick:

that y'all had y'all are different, right? And so for

Mark Sedgwick:

somebody to notice, you know, for somebody to step up and say

Mark Sedgwick:

something that, hey, you know, maybe you need to get checked

Mark Sedgwick:

up.

Saylor Cooper:

And see, I know, it's hard to accept your

Saylor Cooper:

differences. But once you do a diagnosis, it's not an end. It's

Saylor Cooper:

only like, a destination. Well, it's only a chapter it is.

Marie Cortes:

Yeah, and once you open that chapter, you never

Marie Cortes:

know where it's gonna take. You are the shine conference. So

Marie Cortes:

what brought you ladies at the conference this time? We're

Marie Cortes:

having we're live on a podcast.

Mark Sedgwick:

Muslim? No, not here, though. Um, so so? That's

Mark Sedgwick:

okay. I think you're getting close, though. It might be the

Mark Sedgwick:

next room over six. I'm not sure which one it might be be the

Mark Sedgwick:

next one over. That's okay. It came on, we're gonna editor's no

Mark Sedgwick:

worries, okay.

Marie Cortes:

So yes. Oh, saying what? It's amazing that once you

Marie Cortes:

discovered, now you're here at the blind conference? And what

Marie Cortes:

brings you to the blind conference? What are you sharing

Marie Cortes:

this year? Or what are you learning?

Gina Tamburello:

Well, for me, when I finally moved to Dallas,

Gina Tamburello:

and I had the opportunity to join many different low vision

Gina Tamburello:

blind organisations, because Birmingham just didn't have that

Gina Tamburello:

NFB was one of the ones that I have been familiar with for many

Gina Tamburello:

years. And I just decided, you know, it would be nice to come

Gina Tamburello:

here to learn the different technologies, what they have to

Gina Tamburello:

offer us now because, you know, the things that I have right now

Gina Tamburello:

is truly amazing with the hearing aids and the hearing

Gina Tamburello:

aids that are associated with the app, and the Comdex that are

Gina Tamburello:

aware, you know, and then the visual aids, everything that's

Gina Tamburello:

out there is remarkable. So, what else is out here besides

Gina Tamburello:

people and some of the technologies and just learning a

Gina Tamburello:

lot more about what is offered to us?

Mark Sedgwick:

How can we find solutions? Right? That's a big

Mark Sedgwick:

thing, right? Like that. Okay. Oh, or is that what it's called?

Mark Sedgwick:

Say? Like,

Saylor Cooper:

oh, call you have a stoplight? Yeah. Yeah, that's

Saylor Cooper:

interview

Mark Sedgwick:

them just yesterday. So we're already

Mark Sedgwick:

starting to highlight some of these technologies. It's amazing

Mark Sedgwick:

what people are making, how people are willing to use what

Mark Sedgwick:

we have this new tech age, and incorporate into the populations

Mark Sedgwick:

who need help. So we really appreciate that. Yeah.

Marie Cortes:

And I just find it fascinating. Last year, when we

Marie Cortes:

went we had so many challenges in in New Orleans. Mark and I

Marie Cortes:

were helping people cross the street. You know, we went there

Marie Cortes:

to visit with his friends and one thing led to another and

Marie Cortes:

then we were helping people cross the street because New

Marie Cortes:

Orleans was not prepared. No one lives even for just people could

Marie Cortes:

see also it was for

Saylor Cooper:

at least 10 people or so got hit there and I

Saylor Cooper:

was I was I was going I'm glad it wasn't there to shoot and

Saylor Cooper:

I'll never go back to New Orleans again. It's

Marie Cortes:

yeah, they said they're gonna prepare. So I

Marie Cortes:

don't know how many years is gonna take I know this year.

Marie Cortes:

They're still not prepared. But we welcome you to Houston,

Marie Cortes:

Texas. And I noticed that you live in more preparation. Yes

Marie Cortes:

here and I really love that. I love that the fact that they

Marie Cortes:

closed some streets, they made things a little bit more to be

Marie Cortes:

more accessible, you know, for people that need to to have the

Marie Cortes:

extra sound or the extra visuals that they can see all the lights

Marie Cortes:

at yellow lights too.

Carol:

I actually was there. That was my first conference and

Carol:

I almost did not come to this year's conference because of the

Carol:

bad experience of I want to know, oh, wow, I don't want to

Carol:

go through this again. And this is been a wonderful conference

Carol:

here in Texas. I'm really enjoying it. I just definitely,

Carol:

definitely much more accessible. And I'm really enjoying it.

Carol:

Yeah.

Mark Sedgwick:

And, you know, I'm so glad that you didn't let

Mark Sedgwick:

that fear and that bad experience overcome. You know,

Mark Sedgwick:

I'm so glad you made it. You're here on the shine podcast, we

Mark Sedgwick:

get to share the lives of some people. So let's go ahead and

Mark Sedgwick:

transition to that next part of your story. What do you guys do?

Mark Sedgwick:

And now how did you guys overcome your blind

Mark Sedgwick:

circumstance? The death circumstances that you were

Mark Sedgwick:

faced with? And who, who helped you guys to have a positive

Mark Sedgwick:

attitude? Because there's somebody who planted seeds, you

Mark Sedgwick:

know, maybe many people, but yeah, let's start with Gina.

Gina Tamburello:

Well, even though, you know, I refused to

Gina Tamburello:

catch a fly at my cousin's wedding. You know, my mom really

Gina Tamburello:

tried to push the hearing aids on me at that time, and I would

Gina Tamburello:

not wear them. Okay, she tried and tried, but I refused. And it

Gina Tamburello:

really wasn't until I was 17. And so I'm like, Oh, my gosh, I

Gina Tamburello:

can hear the leaves rustling I can hear the birds singing, you

Gina Tamburello:

know, almost for the first time. And so now I can't live without

Gina Tamburello:

them. And, you know, the technology has changed with the

Gina Tamburello:

hearing aids. And every time I think I have good hearing aids

Gina Tamburello:

at the time, you know, I have to get new ones. And I'm like, Oh,

Gina Tamburello:

my gosh, these are so much better. So yes, I am I'm very

Gina Tamburello:

pleased with the hearing aids that I have now and how it has

Gina Tamburello:

the app that I can change in certain environments that I'm in

Gina Tamburello:

and my Comdex because I can answer my phone through my

Gina Tamburello:

Comdex that I wear around my neck, I can mute out sounds if I

Gina Tamburello:

need to, in order to hear the phone. So I mean, technology has

Gina Tamburello:

been really good for me. Okay, and so as far as the visual

Gina Tamburello:

impairment when I did find out I was legally blind and had to put

Gina Tamburello:

up the case. That was a very depressing moment. And I take

Gina Tamburello:

that back it was 1996 1994 and I'm thinking, you know, laying

Gina Tamburello:

on the couch being depressed. I have a four year old How am I

Gina Tamburello:

going to get him to school he hasn't even started school yet.

Gina Tamburello:

soccer fans birthday parties, you know, but you know what? You

Gina Tamburello:

adapt any circumstances that come in your life? So it took me

Gina Tamburello:

a little while and I'm like you know what, I am not going to let

Gina Tamburello:

this hold me down. Yo so I I'm just like, You know what, I

Gina Tamburello:

don't need depression medicine. I got DoD in my life to lead me

Gina Tamburello:

in the way that I need to go so I picked up you know, I dusted

Gina Tamburello:

myself I picked myself up and we had to move back to to

Gina Tamburello:

Birmingham with the birth with my son's father and learn you

Gina Tamburello:

know, hey, I'm gonna need help with rides and and and then

Gina Tamburello:

that's where life started right there for me and it's been on

Gina Tamburello:

the upsets wow, you know, the visual has been progressive. But

Gina Tamburello:

there is still hope. And I just I just keep the faith and I keep

Gina Tamburello:

my fingers crossed and I know something's gonna say Amen. Let

Gina Tamburello:

life stop me. I'm all about fun. I'm all about sociology. We're

Gina Tamburello:

looking for people and friends and being social. My friends

Gina Tamburello:

call me the social butterfly. And I want to go my before the

Gina Tamburello:

vision loss my my dad used to call me Gina long legs. Well, it

Gina Tamburello:

stands to this day. I'm always on the go.

Mark Sedgwick:

Yeah. Like my mom was like you my mom could be

Mark Sedgwick:

good friends.

Saylor Cooper:

So, of course before we've learned how to

Saylor Cooper:

podcast someone ask a final question my customer anymore

Saylor Cooper:

before your dude y'all have more? Yeah, we need to

Mark Sedgwick:

ask Ms. Carroll first her story. Yeah.

Carol:

Mine is not very fascinating. Well, for me when

Carol:

my mother and my father discovered that I was hard of

Carol:

hearing they had refused to send me to Baton Rouge just back in

Carol:

the early 60s. So they refused to send me to Baton Rouge to the

Carol:

School for the Deaf. So they had a bunch of I think people that

Carol:

got together in fall for and where they had I guess went to

Carol:

the found a centre in Whitehall. Well, they were able to send a

Carol:

few of us to go and learn language and speech and, you

Carol:

know, it's just gonna get a head start on education that we can

Carol:

started speaking because we were not speaking because we couldn't

Carol:

hear. Right. So, um, so since then, you know, I had been

Carol:

pretty much mainstreamed. And so and so throughout my life, you

Carol:

know, I guess, you know, for my mother, my father had passed

Carol:

away when I was very young. So it's been the influence on my

Carol:

mother who's really motivated me and really pushed me to keep

Carol:

going on with my life and to live life. But again, you know,

Carol:

I didn't discover until I was losing my vision until later in

Carol:

life. But I've always had a positive attitude in which you

Carol:

would just Just live your life and enjoy it. And just, you

Carol:

know, you have to just face the challenges that come your way,

Carol:

but you just continue to live alone, you know, that come?

Carol:

Yeah.

Marie Cortes:

I'd like to tell people or myself when I'm, when

Marie Cortes:

I'm dealing with any kind of challenges, like I tackle it, I

Marie Cortes:

want to tackle it, I want to go get help or find the solutions,

Marie Cortes:

but I'm not going to just sit there. You know, I love the way

Marie Cortes:

you actually got put the right people and the right equipment

Marie Cortes:

and the right tools that you need to continue to shine your

Marie Cortes:

light, you know, yeah, so many things bring you down or stop

Marie Cortes:

you from living life and continue to enjoy life.

Marie Cortes:

Especially you have a little one, you know, how old is your

Marie Cortes:

your son now?

Gina Tamburello:

31. And I have a 10 year old granddaughter?

Marie Cortes:

So you did you did it for that little guy, you know

Marie Cortes:

that? That you said, Oh my four year old, I had a four year old?

Marie Cortes:

And I think our kids motivate us? What do you think if you

Marie Cortes:

don't have a son or a daughter, you know, you have family,

Marie Cortes:

friends, a mom or dad that you need to continue to live in,

Marie Cortes:

shine your light and allow, you know, a guy to guide you. And

Marie Cortes:

he'll always show you the solutions. He'll show you the

Marie Cortes:

way. But we can't just sit at home Wait, you gotta walk out

Marie Cortes:

there and get

Saylor Cooper:

out. And I'm and I'm doing that now with my

Saylor Cooper:

venture. They are my I'm shining my light like guy helped me

Saylor Cooper:

leave away and believes that trust God, why your speeches,

Saylor Cooper:

and I'm gonna give a speech one day, you know, I enjoy in your

Saylor Cooper:

in your speech at Euston Christian university.

Marie Cortes:

You have an amazing story too. And you've

Marie Cortes:

tackled your challenge. Also your podcast and yeah, I love

Marie Cortes:

it. And I love that you're in our lives because you inspire us

Marie Cortes:

to. Yeah,

Carol:

that's right. And with employment, you know, you just

Carol:

have to find the adaptive technology and the tools to get

Carol:

you, you know, continue to be employed. And

Saylor Cooper:

also employers, they need to understand that we

Saylor Cooper:

can perform job functions and

Mark Sedgwick:

give them a chance, let them show up and

Mark Sedgwick:

prove themselves. Yeah, you know, we can find a way for them

Mark Sedgwick:

to contribute, you know, we can all we all have a gift, we all

Mark Sedgwick:

have a light to shine. So, you know whether you get employed to

Mark Sedgwick:

like to share your light and share your gift and help provide

Mark Sedgwick:

some value, or like St. Louis doing and he's going to be in

Mark Sedgwick:

he's become an entrepreneur and business owner. Yes. And he's

Mark Sedgwick:

trying to make it happen. So he keeps sharing his light. And we

Mark Sedgwick:

will too. Yeah, any final words? I got a really powerful question

Mark Sedgwick:

that that came to me that I think we should share. We'll

Mark Sedgwick:

start with Gina, what do you want to tell to maybe the

Mark Sedgwick:

younger you like the kid you or you know, the kids of today, the

Mark Sedgwick:

youth? What do they need to know so they can keep marching

Mark Sedgwick:

forward and not get stuck by fear? or anger or depression?

Mark Sedgwick:

What do you have for them?

Gina Tamburello:

For me, I would have to say, go through what you

Gina Tamburello:

have to go through, but make it short lived. And keep the faith

Gina Tamburello:

instead of fear always replaced by over fear. And reach out,

Gina Tamburello:

reach out for help. There's people out there, there's

Gina Tamburello:

support groups. And that in that way, you're gonna make friends,

Gina Tamburello:

you're gonna you're gonna understand what technology is

Gina Tamburello:

out there for you and did not give up. And

Mark Sedgwick:

you'd add on to that statement.

Saylor Cooper:

I want to add on well, just I'm gonna ask a

Saylor Cooper:

similar question. We've got to wait till you're responding

Saylor Cooper:

down. Gina, you are responding. I'll

Mark Sedgwick:

ask Carol's story. Yeah. Gina.

Carol:

Yeah, it's just, it's just it's a world of

Carol:

opportunities. You know, it's just can't let anything hold you

Carol:

back. You know, you will discover that there's so many

Carol:

other people like you who are going through what you're going

Carol:

through and you have to find that people like Gina mentioned,

Carol:

the support person and they are there. Nothing should stop you

Carol:

there should be no obstacles that cannot overcome They just

Carol:

have to just keep pushing through and have a positive

Carol:

outlook and have faith in God. And you know, that just a world

Carol:

filled filled with opportunity. Yeah,

Mark Sedgwick:

don't give up. Stay on the search. Yeah,

Mark Sedgwick:

sailor, what do you got? Brother? So

Saylor Cooper:

I'm out my customer and I ask us, what

Saylor Cooper:

advice would you give anybody that struggling in life? I guess

Saylor Cooper:

it may be very similar to the question your only answer, but

Saylor Cooper:

give it a shot. What advice could you give to anybody who's

Saylor Cooper:

struggling in life, doesn't see where it goes.

Carol:

Just can't give up and there, it's like I said, it's

Carol:

just so many opportunities out there. You're gonna go through

Carol:

the Depression, there's always faith that you will go through.

Carol:

Yeah. But once you get out and discover that there is a support

Carol:

group, and there's help out there. And also, I do want to

Carol:

make a comment that I wish I'd learned. I wish I'd gone to

Carol:

conferences years ago, and learned all the things that I'm

Carol:

learning here. I'm an older adult. So I just wish I did it

Carol:

when I'm 30 years ago. Yeah. That was here for you. That's

Carol:

great. And, you know, I wish I learned braille. I wished I

Carol:

learned sign language, so I can communicate with the deaf blind

Carol:

people. I'm still having to rely on, you know, interpreter, but

Carol:

if I could join the group, I'm learning fine language and

Carol:

Braille and everything I could be having more of a direct

Carol:

connection with them. Yeah, well, it's

Marie Cortes:

never too late. Don't forget that. You know, I

Marie Cortes:

just had a friend who saved her 60s and just graduated from

Marie Cortes:

college. Wow. So I She's like, she reminded me of, hey, it's

Marie Cortes:

never too late. And I think if you really want to start, like

Marie Cortes:

baby steps, start with 111 of the two assignments. And just go

Marie Cortes:

ahead and give it a try. And before you know it, you'll be

Marie Cortes:

done with one and then you start the next one, you know, yeah, no

Marie Cortes:

matter how old you are, and I know you can you can, we can

Marie Cortes:

learn. You know, I'm learning right now, I'm gonna learn

Marie Cortes:

French because I did it in high school. But now I'm getting

Marie Cortes:

ready to travel. And I'm like, Okay, I need to go and take some

Marie Cortes:

French classes. So when I go to France, I didn't communicate,

Marie Cortes:

and I speak Spanish. So it should be a lot easier, right?

Marie Cortes:

Like now that I have that foundation, so it's not too

Marie Cortes:

late. I think we should never give up. And always remember

Marie Cortes:

that no matter how old we are, we can still learn something

Marie Cortes:

new. Right?

Gina Tamburello:

Right, right. And don't be scared. Do not

Gina Tamburello:

shelter yourself. Do not let anybody tell you that you cannot

Gina Tamburello:

do it. Just make sure you stay with people have the like and

Gina Tamburello:

can overcome anything.

Mark Sedgwick:

Yeah, yeah. So you guys keep on sharing your

Mark Sedgwick:

light. Keep on showing up to the conferences. Wherever God is

Mark Sedgwick:

calling you listen to that voice. Yeah, show up. You might

Mark Sedgwick:

just save someone's life. I have already been used by God. When I

Mark Sedgwick:

showed up. I talked to a man who needed some prayer and, and we

Mark Sedgwick:

had a great conversation. And I really think that he shared some

Mark Sedgwick:

good words with me that can change my life. And I think I

Mark Sedgwick:

really shared some words with him about God that can change

Mark Sedgwick:

his life. So don't underestimate the power of what a little love

Mark Sedgwick:

can do. A little conversation can do a little prayer can do.

Mark Sedgwick:

Don't underestimate that y'all keep on shining your light.

Mark Sedgwick:

Thank you, Gina. Thank you, Carol. Thank you sailor my year.

Marie Cortes:

Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Hopefully

Marie Cortes:

we'll see you guys next year. Remember, continue to shine your

Marie Cortes:

light, no matter the class on life. Remember, God will show

Marie Cortes:

you the way and also

Saylor Cooper:

remember, never give up hope you can truly live

Saylor Cooper:

a life. My motto is transcend transcend challenges, embrace

Saylor Cooper:

bliss. Bliss is a road I use my vocabulary. The sound of a world