Alisha is 29 years old, a mom of two and a wife. Her family has been through trying times in the past few years. Alisha’s husband is an army veteran living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Leading up to and now after the diagnosis, life is quite tumultuous. The family continues to learn how to live with PTSD.
Alisha and her husband owned and managed a lawn care service, while Alicia also worked with the school system. They owned a beautiful home in a lovely neighborhood and were living the American dream. Due to the severe emotional, physical, and financial struggles associated with PTSD, the family could no longer manage their business and they lost their home. When it seemed they had hit bottom, Alisha was then diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). As a working mom of two struggling to keep her family together, she felt she was losing all control—
even over her body.
“At the age of 28 they told me I had MS, that I would have to live with it for the rest of my life, and that I may end up in a wheelchair,” said Alisha. “[Doctors explained] what I have attacks my brain and spinal cord and there is no cure, only treatment. I got sicker and sicker and had to quit my jobs. I had to go get help at JFS [Department of Jobs and Family Services], and I was introduced to Sherri Shaw.”
Alisha was hopeful when she found Digital Works. She needed the ability to work from home due to her physical limitations from MS and in order to be near her husband and children. She began the training class one week behind, but reached the head of the class quickly. After graduation, she was offered two positions in the same day – LiveOps and InfoCision.
“She broke down in tears of joy,” said Sherri Shaw. “She had felt MS was taking everything from her, but she was fighting back. And she would have the opportunity to contribute to her household financially, even with MS.”
During LiveOps training, Alisha found out she was pregnant. She had to stop her MS medication, which then made it difficult for her to remember what she had already learned during her training. Normal routine tasks were now extremely difficult for Alisha. She basically had to go through the Digital Works training again. She kept notes next to her workstation that she could quickly reference, which helped her tremendously. In the meantime, her doctors were able to find a medication that was safe enough for her to take while pregnant. And she was back in full force.
Alisha received an offer from eDegree and is starting Tuesday, August 4, 2015. The offer is for 20 hours per week. She continues to apply for other positions and is working toward a dedicated line. The family is looking to purchase a home again and, of course, is only looking in areas with Internet availability so she can continue to work from home.
“She’s not letting MS take her over,” said Sherri. “She’s beautiful inside and out and is extremely determined. She’s touched my heart.”