Yolanda Washington still lives in the house in which she grew up, the house she came home to when she was faced with illness and after she separated from her husband. Now she lives here with her mother and two daughters, aged 18 and 11, while she recovers from multiple surgeries and looks for employment. Medicaid helped with her medical and surgical expenses. Yolanda has another daughter who lives with her father.
Yolanda dropped out of high school to work and help her family through hard times. Family has always taken priority with her. Caring for elderly sick people is the kind of work Yolanda prefers. She does not worry that she won’t find work because she says she “has always been blessed with a job” when she is healthy. Life revolves around her family and her church, and Yolanda’s biggest challenge is to provide for her girls. Her dreams are simple: to have her own home, where she and her children can have their own space, and to be able to work independently. “I have always said,” Yolanda states, “no matter what comes your way, just keep a smile on your face. You just have to lift your head up and keep going.”
