Hello Everyone,

Thank you for reading my story. I wanted to add that I did not write it to have a sad story or to speak negatively about SVSF. Something deep inside of me needed to write it and I wanted to go with my intuition.

I am learning that some of the workers did not know why some of us were placed there. I only wrote of my experience of how we were placed there and not of my time spent there. My entire time there was not that bad. I remember only one worker (Yes, I will say her name, Rosemary) that was very mean and should not have been there taking care of any children, (I hate to admit this too, but the nuns were not nice either).

I feel all of the choices that I made, from the minute I was forced into the system, made me who I am today. Let me explain... I am very open about my childhood and who I am. I strongly feel, if I had to go through what I went through in my childhood... to get to the point where I am today, I would relive my entire life the exact, same way.

Instead of turning to alcohol or recreational drugs (I do have my own story with a Medical Doctor and prescription drugs), Donna and I focused on how we could help other people. We were determined not to be another statistic. Fitness was our answer and 32 years later we are still in this profession :-) Of course we had many chapters in our lives and the plot continues to change every day, but we stayed focused and continue to help other people and in return it gave us validation to "live".

We still struggle with certain feelings, severe anxiety, and depression, but we stay motivated, positive, and focused. Perhaps some people think that we "work 24/7 so that we don't have to think" and maybe that is the case, but why go on a track of negativity and self-destruction when there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the past? Just move forward and hope for the best :-)

[Saying this in general] We all have our stories and we all took different roads to get to this point in life. It is nice to look back at the good times and learn from the bad times. We should never use excuses to validate something that we know is hurting us, either mentally, emotionally, or physically. Every morning we all should wake up with a smile and continue to have a "grin" throughout the day! Keeping that grin plastered on your face the entire day WILL change your life.

Listen to a Child

I am not sure why I am writing this right now, but something inside of me insisted that I needed to write this. So, if you are reading this and need to help a child or you are the one that is seeking help, please get the help now. If you feel you are afraid or no one will listen, go to a church, hospital, or to someone that you can trust.

Photo of Donna(top) and me, 35 years later. Photos taken at Sarsh Fisher. Their doors are closed and a private business bought the property.

Our parents told us to "pack our things". Of course we were confused and afraid, because we had no idea of why we were packing our things. (Imagine coming home from school and your parents are telling you to pack your things. You do as you are told and no one is talking or telling you why. Imagine that feeling....)

We drove down this long driveway and arrived at the doorsteps of this huge building that we never saw. Our mother got out of the truck and demanded that we follow her with our bags. We were still confused and afraid. We got out of the truck and followed our mother.

Next, we saw a nun walking into the "waiting room". Without a word, our mother turned away from us and left. Donna and I stood there in panic and wondered why we were there! The nun said NOTHING to us, but only to follow her. (Imagine your mother walking away from you. No hugs or no words.)

I remember walking down this long hallway. It was empty and all we heard were our footsteps and the plastic bags moving in our arms. Donna and I kept looking at each other with fear in our eyes. We had NO idea to WHY we were there and what was going to happen to us.

We arrived at the end of the hallway, where there were two shorter hallways. Two Ladies join the nun and each of them instructed us to follow them, but in opposite hallways. At that point we started crying and begging to know what was going on. I was being separated from my twin sister and had no idea of what I did to deserve this. We started screaming and crying for each other. Those ladies pulled at our arms and dragged us into another part of this large building. (I remember how cold these ladies were. They were mean and treated us like we were nothing.)

We were separated for almost one year... attending different schools and living apart. That was the most horrible, frightening, experience in my life. I felt so alone, afraid, and unloved. I had nobody. That was the start of living in the system for us. Words cannot describe the loss and fear that I had when they took me away from Donna. No one explained anything to me or told me what was going on. I felt like I did something horrible and deserved this treatment.

Unlike others, we did not have a great experience at St. Vincent Sarah Fisher. I could not function and was confused most of the time. It was always in my head that NO ONE told us WHY we were there!

Twenty-five years later or more, my daughter and I went back to Sarah Fisher and spoke with a nun. I pleaded with her to give me some type of answer... She told me she would look into it... When I first met her, she was kind and sweet, however, when I went back to see her, she look at me like I was some type of dirt from the streets.

She handed me an envelope and walked away! In the envelope, it stated that we were there because of US! It never mentioned the abuse or torture. Our parents blamed EVERYTHING on US! Back in the 1970s, NO ONE listened to children. EVERYTHING in the report were LIES. We were left there to rot. No one was allowed to visit us. Our parents wanted us to hurt, so they separated us and told these people from this home that our grandmother was not allowed to visit us. NO ONE came to visit us.

Reason for my story: Listen to a child. Open your eyes when a child is screaming for help with their eyes, because they are afraid to open their mouths.

I don't know how many times I came to school beaten and could hardly move and NOT ONE of the teachers came to help me or ask if I was okay, (One teacher did when I was older). I posted little notes around the neighborhood for help and those notes were given to my step-father and I got a beaten for it. The owner of a local party store (Bob's Party Store, that used to be on Fenkell in Brightmoor) knew ALL about our abuse and did NOTHING to report it.

The Experience of our First Fitness DVD - "Z-Box Fitness - the Workout"

I wanted to write about the production of our first fitness DVD. It was a rollercoaster ride, but at the end, it was wonderful learning experience.
As most of you know, Donna and I have been working on our own program for many years. We tried many ways to combine different fitness techniques into one class. From "Fitness Fusion" to "Ultimate Fitness" we felt we were getting real close.
With the help of our Fitness Motivators Team Instructors, Z-Box Fitness was born. The "Z" is short of "Z.E.N.". Z.E.N. stands for Zone Envision Earth. Z-Box blends cardio boxing, dance, and body toning. Since we were introduced to Tai Chi at a very young age, we decided to develop our own "Chi" moves and added relaxation to the end.... Making Z-Box the perfect balance for a dynamic fitness program!
In 2009 we decided to make it a trademark name. It wasn't easy filing for the trademark without an attorney, but we did it! It was such a stressful time dealing with the government on our own, one minute I was crying and the next minute I was in joy! Finally, one year later, we were approved for the trademark! When that piece of paper came in the mail, I had a silent moment with my little dogs, laughter and crying in joy, because WE DID IT! Of course when I was finished with my moment, I called my family and told them!

Moving on to the next step, Donna and I had a decision to make... open a studio or create a fitness DVD. We plan to do both, but started our plan with the fitness DVD first. We have been searching for a studio space, but we cannot find the perfect location that will meet the needs of all of our students. We have very supportive students, all the way in Milford to Birmingham, we wanted a central location. We are concentrating on Livonia, close to the freeways, in between the cities that we teach in, and hopefully close enough for most of our students.

Getting back to Z-Box, Donna and I started our search for the perfect production team. I did my research with production teams that worked with fitness videos and most of them came out of CA and IL. We almost signed up with the Chicago team, but then a name was referred to us from one of Donna's clients. We met with "him". and although his price came in extremely high, we thought this would be a perfect match because he was a referral (the brother-in-law of the referral!) and he told us that, "his price was the best out there and he is doing it for that price because he was a referral from his brother-in-law".

Needless to say, the day of the shoot was a complete disaster! Although we tried to make the best of it, it was very hard to concentrate. From the entire team slipping on the floor to the lighting used in the production, it was doomed from the minute it began. The entire footage taped was not usable and tossed in the garbage. We wanted to use this experience as a stepping stone for something better.

Within two weeks, a family friend, David (David is a member of the radio 955 DJ Bomb Squad - DJ David B) and my daughter found us the perfect production team, Paul Martindale and his crew. We actually were able to tape where we wanted to... Downtown Detroit! The backdrop was PERFECT and the entire experience was PERFECT! Our DVD was taped in HD and everything was shot like it was a movie set! With me being a techie geek, I also fell in love with all of their equipment! :-)

I will always look back to our second production day as one of the best days of my life and I thank God for the experience! I appreciated everyone that was part of the production and truly am proud of every second. It was a very expensive learning tool for us, that we had to experience something REALLY bad, to get to something really good! I will always appreciate Paul (and his crew) and our team of Instructors that worked real hard on this project for making our dream a reality. I also love and appreciate our students. Without our students, this DVD would never have been made.

We received our DVDs the day before Thanksgiving! The orders have been pouring in and the reviews and feedback (so far) have been excellent! We are keeping our fingers crossed for other things that we have been working on for this DVD and pray that things will continue to be positive.
Z-Box Fitness - the Workout DVD - $15.00 each (plus MI tax)

Debbie's Side Note: Life is one big experience. At times we may only see the bad and the ugly. There are so many people out there that wants to take full advantage of us. The mean and evil people are the ones that we notice when it is too late. When our path seems to be dark, there is always a light at the end... it depends on which direction you choose to take.

We may stumble along the way and trip over bad decisions, but learn from them and keep lifting each foot to each beat of your heart. Sometimes lifting your foot will become heavy, and those are the times that you should lean on the ones that you trust and love. Let them hold you up for a brief second... until you are able to stand tall, like a tree and make waves, like turning the pages to the next Chapter of your life. Be that tree and don't let someone make you fall. Be strong and keep pushing for something that you believe in.

My entire life was and still is like that. I try to keep my feet grounded and will always work hard for something that I believe in. I am able to cry and let go. When someone tries to pull me down, I bob and weave... Let them try to jab at me, because they will always miss their target. I use my creativity, my strength in faith, my positive attitude, and the love of my family to keep me going. I have used the negativity that crossed my path into something positive. I believe in karma.

I wanted to end this with a picture of Donna. I took this picture of Donna in a field of Sunflowers. Donna loved Sunflowers ALL of her life and when we had this opportunity to go to a field of Sunflowers, I wanted to take it no matter what! We had mosquitoes and bees trying to attack us LOL We walked in mud and tripped over branches and big holes in the ground and it felt like forever to get to the field. Once we got there, I saw Donna's face and she looked like a little girl that just saw Santa Claus. She looked so happy and was living one of her dreams on her Bucket List. I was able to capture the moment and it made me feel so good inside! I look at this picture often and will cherish it for life.

Tiny overdoses of Tylenol can add up to deadly damage

Tiny overdoses of Tylenol can add up to deadly damage

Food Safety...

This link is very important - I liked it so much that I wanted to post it at my blog to remember it: Food Safety: Food Storage, Preparation & Handling

Z-BOX FITNESS® - EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE

Finally! I feel so happy and blessed! It is finally happening.

I just have to put this out there... Do you know someone that OPTS to "pay whatever they choose (Keywords: OPTS & CHOOSE) to pay for their rent for that month "because they can"???? I wish I could tell my mortgage company, "I just want to pay $200.00 this month and maybe next month I can pay $300.00, but I will pay you when I get around to it...I may want to buy more cigarettes and find a new excuse next month...." This person has always cheated the system or had an excuse for everything that required a little work! This is a person that used racial attacks against me and years later, her own children married outside of their race! I totally believe in karma...
It has nothing to do with the economy... this person knows that the house has been paid for in full. That is why she moved into this house, knowing that she would not pay the rent and only pay it when she "feels like it". Why does it matter to me? Because someone very close to me has to deal with her every dang month and hates it.

Okay.... breathe.....