Priscilla Markwood:  

My yearbook being buried in my parents' house somewhere, for my 'then' photo, I chose a likeness that my brother (Willard Smith, Class of '82) called in 1970 "Priscilla Gorilla for Sale", when he clearly did not think I was as cool as I did. At least his opinion of me changed, as many things have over time! Following graduation, I spent a number of years in the school of hard knocks - moving to the D.C. area for employment, working odd (but legal) jobs and going to college part-time for about 8 years. In 1993, I landed a dream job as managing editor of a pathology journal and finally learned what it meant to be useful and respected. After a 6-year live-in relationship that ran its course, I apparently graduated from Hard Knocks U and met the one brave man who would ask me to marry him. Lucky for me, he was every thing I ever wished for and more - even having my favorite guy name, Tim. We were 36 when we married, so we aimed to start a family right away. Our daughter Madeleine is a bright, beautiful 11-year-old today. Along the way, Tim needed heart surgery to repair a leaking valve. The first surgery failed and left him needing urgent repair surgery just 8 weeks later. We soon learned that having two same surgeries so close together can be perilous. In Tim's case, he threw blood clots to his brain, which is essenti...Expand for more