🩺 May 12 – My Heart Has Extra Chambers: A Legacy of Nurses, Fighters & Family
For Breezy, Natasha, and Every Soul Who Lives in Me
May 12.
The world calls it International Nurses Day, a nod to the birth of Florence Nightingale, who brought light into darkness and compassion into chaos.
But for me?
This day isn't just about history.
It’s about legacy. Grit. Family. Fight.
It’s about my baby sister Brianne “Breezy” Jones, and my daughter Natasha, both walking the path of healing—one already deep in the trenches as a nurse, the other fighting her way through to become one.
These women don’t wear capes. They wear scrubs.
And they carry more pain, purpose, and power than most will ever understand.
👶 First Things First: I Dropped Breezy
Yeah. That happened.
She was tiny. I was trying to be helpful.
Gravity did what gravity does, and she hit the floor.
To this day?
“You dropped me.”
She says it with a smirk now, but I swear—it’s been a running joke since before Natasha was even born.
And that bounce-back? That resilience?
That’s who Breezy is. Always has been.
🥊 Duane Jones — The Fighter Who Became a Father and a Song
Before Breezy became the woman she is now, her dad, Duane Jones, was a force in the boxing ring—a Golden Gloves champion turned professional fighter. The man could throw with thunder and take a punch like a freight train.
Then came the motorcycle crash. The fight was forced to end.
But Duane didn’t crumble. He evolved.
He started singing. Small bars, local stages—cover songs with soul. And one night, under dim lights and a Marvin Gaye cover of “Sexual Healing,” he caught the ear—and heart—of our mother.
She fell for him fast, and for all the right reasons.
We may have had different dads, but from that night on, Duane became my dad too.
Not by blood—by choice. And those are the ones that count the most.
🖤 Our Mother: The Bright Flame We Lost Too Soon
We lost our mother to the merciless grip of addiction—a wound that never really heals.
It left questions. Guilt. Rage. Silence.
But it also left us each other.
And Breezy?
She turned that pain into purpose.
She put on scrubs, stepped into hospitals full of heartbreak, and chose to help others heal, even while still stitching up parts of herself.
That’s more than strength.
That’s grace under fire.
🧬 Natasha – My Daughter, My Fighter, My Future Nurse
Then there’s my daughter, Natasha.
She’s not just working toward becoming a nurse—she’s already proven she’s got the heart for it.
As a CNA, she’s faced down things that would make most people quit.
Combative patients. Physical threats. Bites. Fists. Chairs thrown.
But she shows up.
She helps.
She cares anyway.
And she’s still got that spark in her eye—proof that this path chose her just as much as she chose it.
I’ve never been more in awe of someone’s resilience.
And watching her follow this calling with such grit and grace?
It’s everything a father could ask for—and more.
🖼️ Legacy in a Photograph
In this post, I’m sharing photos of Breezy holding Natasha as a baby and a small child.
If you look close, you can almost see the future in those frames—
A nurse holding the next one in line.
Strength wrapped around strength.
Legacy passed down like a torch, glowing in the arms of love.
❤️ The Chambers of My Heart
You know, people say the human heart has four chambers.
But mine? It’s got more. So many more.
Because each of my children has a chamber.
Each of my grandkids has a chamber.
And every sibling I’ve laughed with, cried with, fought with, and stood beside?
They have their own, too.
My heart is a house.
And every one of you has your own room in it.
It’s crowded in there—but it’s filled with loyalty, love, and unshakable respect.
Breezy has her chambers.
Natasha has hers.
And when that heart beats? It echoes with the strength of every single person I’ve loved and never stopped fighting for.
🕯️ May 12, Forever Theirs
The world will celebrate:
🩺 Florence Nightingale – for starting it all
🎭 Katharine Hepburn – for being fierce before it was cool
⚾️ Yogi Berra – for swinging hard and speaking harder
🛹 Tony Hawk – for flying when others feared falling
🎬 Rami Malek – for becoming legends onscreen
But me?
I’ll celebrate Breezy and Natasha.
The nurses. The warriors. The women who give more than they take, love harder than most, and keep showing up, even when the world makes it nearly impossible.
💙 To My Girls
I love you both with a heart that doesn’t follow science.
It’s got chambers made from memories, forged in fire, and lined with loyalty.
I am forever on the sidelines—cheering you on, fighting for you in the background, and thanking God you’re mine.
Always have your back.
Always will.