Frantzy B.

My beautifl manmi is always in my heart and on my mind, but especially on July 1, her birthday. She would have been 68. And she loved her birthday. Whenever I lit a white candle on the anniversary of a death, she said, you light a candle on their birthday because birthdays are about remembering the whole person, not just mourning.

I celebrate the gift of your life and sacrifice. The nurse who everyone admired. The woman who worked double shifts, put everyone first, loved family fiercely, and somehow kept going when life was always asking too much of you. I never stopped to think what it was actually doing to you. What a beautiful life you made for me. And, what a burden you carried.

You deserved to be heard. You deserved urgency. You deserved honesty. You deserved a healthcare system that fought as hard for you as you fought for everyone else. You deserved better care.

I’ve spent two years combing through your medical records like a forensic analyst. Holding back tears when I realized that a 66-year old Black Haitian, woman with cancer, nearing retirement without a significant amount of money wasn’t considered economically viable for a law firm to pursue. I got on the phone with my script, facts, and an opening statement that would have Annalise Keating shook.

Twelve attorneys…twelve… said no even after I worked on new client packets like I was preparing for the bar exam. Always the same shit. “First, you are an amazing advocate for your mom… blah blah blah.” Then, “There likely WAS negligence, but the potential economic risk wasn’t worth the rewards. One told me, “Unfortunately, healthcare isn’t personal. It’s a bunch of checked boxes. Sometimes things don’t go well. And families have to learn to live with it.”

Every red flag I’ve uncovered has only reinforced what I been knew: you deserved better, and so do Black women everywhere.

You said, “You tried so hard.” Manmi I haven’t stopped trying. Gurl, you’re worth more than a million. I hope you’re having a beautiful birthday wherever you are. 📸: @dakotadawk