For I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13/NLT)
WEB-OHHH, WHAT A COMEBACK!
LANCASTER, Texas — Some 15-plus years ago, Mariah Ross was born a preemie.
At 25 weeks, to put it more precisely.
Upon her early arrival, she weighed just one pound, six ounces, an unlikely discovery that landed her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for approximately three months.
Her mother, LaTambria Johnson, meanwhile, wasn’t sure at the time if her baby daughter would live long enough to witness her first birthday.
“(Doctors) weren’t sure she would be strong enough to make it, being born so early,” Johnson, 39, told Making Headline News this week, recalling the rash of obstacles amid her daughter’s birth.
MORE ON ADHD AWARENESS: https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/
Fortunately for Johnson, though, she unshakeably exemplified the very thing that has helped her to diligently persevere through arguably the most turbulent season of her life: bend-but-don’t-break faith.
“I watched her every day and watched how strong she was,” Johnson said of her daughter’s continuous health progression. “I had no doubt she would make it.”
Indeed, she did, thanks in large part to the fervent prayers of the righteous, a trend that was spearheaded by Johnson, the mother of this vibrant, courageous, animated 15-year-old sophomore who is carrying out one of her notable endeavors as a member of Lancaster High School’s varsity majorette squad.
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For Ross — whose baby brother, Amari Aubre’ Carter, passed away in January 2013 after a month-and-a-half stay in the NICU after being born at 24 weeks — such a life-altering milestone comes a little more than a decade-and-a-half removed from her family witnessing her life hang in the balance.
According to a report by the March of Dimes, a premature baby is one who is born too early, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Each year, about one in 10 babies in the United States is born prematurely. Premature babies may not be fully developed at birth.
Generally, they may have more health problems and may need to stay in the hospital longer than babies born later. However, thanks to advances in medical care, even babies born very prematurely are more likely to survive today than ever before, the report cites.
For what it’s worth, Johnson can attest to the notion that her daughter is a survivor who steadfastly continues to defy arguably the grandest of odds.
“(I knew she would grow to be a healthy child) when I was able to take her home after three months in the NICU,” Johnson, who suitably refers to her daughter as “Itty Bity,” recalls. “And I knew and was reassured when we went to the hospital’s one-year reunion for the babies in the NICU. I watched all the other children and all their conditions and could only say, ‘thank God.’ All Mariah had was bleeding behind her eye that eventually healed itself.”
Today, many would be hard-pressed to notice any signs that Ross had endured a slew of complications during her life’s infancy stages.
Ross, in fact, has become a fixture for disturbing the peace — for all the right reasons, mind you — by way of dancing and singing throughout her Lancaster, Texas residence via her mother’s Alexa music device, a trend that practically sums up why she expressed interest in trying out last spring for her high school’s majorette squad.
TEXAS 3-STEP
That Ross whom, at the time, was a student at the Barack and Michelle Obama Ninth Grade Center, was named a varsity majorette would ultimately catch her by surprise.
“I was surprised and didn’t know I was chosen,” said Ross, referring to the letter she brought home revealing the announcement.
Much to her delight, Ross has been nothing short of impressive since making her majorette debut, having been named Majorette Of The Week following the Tigers’ Week 2 game at South Oak Cliff.
Despite nursing a minor leg injury, she was also on hand when the dancers suited up for last weekend’s State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl between Grambling State versus Prairie View A&M.
When Lancaster (1-4, 0-2 in Region II District 7-5A-1) welcomes Tyler (4-1, 1-1) in a key district matchup Friday night at 7 p.m. CST, Ross will suit up for the sixth time since joining the squad, a monumental feat for this brilliant, self-assertive kid whom, at the tender age of 10, was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
October is recognized annually as National Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month.
Generally, ADHD is a medical condition that affects how the brain works. It can take many forms in that people with ADHD may be challenged with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
According to information compiled by MHN via https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/, the 2023 ADHD Awareness Month theme across the country is “Moving Forward with ADHD.”
‘LIL BIT’ IS LIT
For Ross, it’s safe to assume she has conquered her diagnosis head on, considering this avid TikToker-turned-aspiring-entrepreneur has cleared virtually every hurdle that has come her way in recent years.
That, by her mother’s standards, is a massive sign of things to come.
“In fifth grade, we noticed the struggle in school educational wise and that’s when she was diagnosed ADHD,” Johnson recalls.
Still, amongst the things to which Ross was determined was never allowing her limitations to discourage her, as evidenced by her favorable academics, coupled with her keen ability to find her niche as one of Lancaster’s beloved majorettes — a far cry from entering the world as a preemie.
Or 25 weeks, to put it more precisely.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Said Ross of her mother’s fervent support that includes Johnson being a regular attendee at Lancaster’s football games:
“It gives me the motivation to want to do it even more with her supporting me. (My mom’s support has) boosted my confidence.”
To her credit, such fearlessness figures to linger for years to come for this carefree miracle child, one who continues to defy arguably the most insurmountable odds.
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to makingheadlinenews@gmail.com or to memphisgraduate@yahoo.com. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.