Importance of Having a Coach and
Mentor
Throughout my life, I have meet a lot of kind and caring people; however,
there are only a select few who took it upon themselves to take a sincere
interest in me and my life. The first was Kathy Fagan. I meet Kathy when I was
11 years old. She moved down from Pennsylvania to live with my family, she was
going to date my mom. At the time, it was strange to have two mommies but I
grew to love and accept her, despite the fact she made my life a living hell.
Kathy, although gay, is transitional, meaning that she does not allow you to
eat with your hands or use more than one towel during a week. If I was caught
eating with my hands, I was literally stabbed with a fork. If I randomly decided
to use a different towel, other than the one I was assigned for the week, I lost
my privileges to use a towel for the week. Drastic, I know, but her methods really
worked. I learned to be a young respectful individual. I never stole, got into
drugs and I never snuck out. I knew that if I did what I was told, I would be
able to do what I wanted, within reason. Kathy by far was the best coach/mentor
I could have ever asked for at such a young age. She did what my mother couldn't do, she gave me discipline.
The second person that took a sincere interest in me and my life was
Wally Eshelman. Wally and I meet my senior year of high school when I was
working as a care companion for his mother. Wally’s mother Kay was near and
dear to my heart, I took care of her every day for almost a year. I cooked her
meals, gave her a bath, did her laundry, extra. Many people would say that we
were family, due to the type of relationship we had. Kay though very highly of
me and wasn't hesitant on showing it. She is the main reason why Wally invested
so much time and effort of me. At the time, I lacked very little know-how I
made little money and I did not have a bank; and, on top of that my car was out
of commission. To say that Wally was my savior does not do him justice. Wally taught
me responsibility! He bought me a new
motor for my car, helped me install it and allowed me to pay him $25 payments on
the motor each week until it was paid off. He gave me money and helped me open
my own bank account. He pushed me to finish my AA degree. He tough me about
boys and gave me valuable life lessons. To this day, I cannot thank him enough.
I just wish I could show him how much he means to me and to let him know his
efforts were not for nothing.
Without Kathy and Wally, I would not be the person I am today. I wouldn't be perusing my master’s degree or starting my own business. To both I am
forever grateful.
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