Here’s to a Strong Woman! An interview with Dari Borun
Here’s to strong women. We may know them, raise them, and be them. This month, we are proud
to honor
International Women’s Day on March 8th. We have sat down with a very empowering woman that represents MyNameNecklace and strong women everywhere, whose story
is
nothing less than inspiring.
CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN TO OUR READERS ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER VIRSAVIYA'S CONDITION?
Virsaviya has Pentalogy of Cantrell Condition which means her heart and intestines were placed
outside
of her body since birth, because the rib cage and abdominal muscles didn’t form properly while she
was
in my belly. Her heart has a birth defect, conoventricular VSD, a hole where portions of the
ventricular
septum should meet just below the pulmonary and aortic valves.This type of VSD when it’s large (like
Virsaviya’s 2.5 centimeters) has almost no chance for spontaneous closure and often requires
surgical
repair. As well, Virsaviya has pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects
the
arteries in her lungs and the right side of her heart; tiny arteries in her lungs and capillaries
become
narrowed, blocked or destroyed. This makes it harder for blood to flow through her lungs and raises
pressure within her lungs' arteries. As the pressure builds, her heart's lower right ventricle must
work
harder to pump blood through her lungs which causes a major lack of oxygen. Eventually this causes a
heart muscle to weaken and fail. My baby girl also has asthma. She had a surgery to narrow down her
pulmonary artery but unfortunately it was unsuccessful. Just a regular cold turns into a hospital
stay
with hypoxia. Currently Virsaviya needs an oxygen concentrator, a portable and lightweight machine
to
carry in school and be free of outlet cords.
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE IN YOURS/VIRSAVIYA'S LIFE?
Shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness or fainting spells, chest pressure or pain, bluish color of
lips
and skin, racing pulse or heart palpitations; these are all thesymptoms Virsaviya has on a daily
basis.
However, we find strength to be positive and happy. She is turning 11 years old on March 30th, she
is in
4th grade and goes to school 5 days a week. She enjoys drawing and writing stories, she reads a lot
of
books and tries to workout at least a little bit. She is in love with her baby brother and dreams to
be
an actress, a mother, and to help people in need. Every day I do my best to play with her, to pray
for
her, to lay down with her in her bed, to talk to her about her feelings and anything that bothers
her;
she loves spending time with me.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE TO OTHERS WHO STRUGGLE WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS?
Every person is special and has a purpose. Our society must learn more about kindness and
acceptance, so
we would treat each other with smiles and love. If one has a condition-speak about it! Don’t be
afraid
to show that you are beautiful, smart, and worthy, even though you might look a little different
from
others. Share your story, by doing so you might inspire someone who struggles more than you. Stay
positive and kind to yourself, use kind words while speaking, especially about yourself. Think about
5
things you were grateful for today, by doing so every day you will be able to find more good things
in
your life. Visualize your goals I believe words and thoughts are powerful, so by picturing in your
mind
clearly and confidently your biggest and wildest dreams, you will be able to attract so in life. Say
thank you to God for simple things you have. Practice gratitude. Talk to your psychologist about any
struggles you are going through, because our psychological health affects all areas in our lives.
PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S LIKE BEING A MOM OF TWO?
Being a mom of two is the biggest blessing I ever had. The chance to have a second child gave me so
much
wisdom; I reviewed myself and my mistakes that I have made in the past while raising my daughter
being a
young 19 year-old girl in an abusive marriage. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to give Virsaviya as much
love and care as I’m giving my son Ervin right now because I was constantly hungry and abused with
domestic violence by my drug- addicted ex-husband. I was raised in a destructive family, where
everyone
were alcoholics, where my parents used to fight, where I saw my father choking another woman, and
where
my sister was in a coma from overdose. I grew up as a broken soul, a lonely child who didn’t have a
place to go for help, who didn’t have anyone to talk to. I didn’t know much about how to love. Now,
being a 30 year old woman, I’m working on myself every day to improve myself as a mother, a person,
and
a wife. I enjoying being a mother of 2 now more than ever. I give myself to my kids, I love to play
with
them, go to the park, pool, or beach with them. I enjoy seeing them happy; I work hard to get them
things I didn’t have. I made sure to pick a great and kind man as a husband, so my kids and
hopefully
future kids could have a real dad that I didn’t have and Virsaviya didn’t have for 9 years. I love
any
child and would love to adopt a baby. Most of the time I don’t have time for myself but I always
make
sure that at least I workout to give a healthy example to my kids. It’s not easy to be a mom but
it’s
the best thing I could ever ask from Jesus. I learned and grew a lot as a parent and a human being
because of my kids, they taught me how to love, treat others, be patient, kind, selfless, and
generous.
Virsaviya’s condition taught me how to love unique people.
WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY MEAN TO YOU?
For me it’s another chance to tell all women that we are beautiful no matter what skin color we
have,
what size our breasts are, what hair texture we have, what language we speak, what size we are, how
big
our lips or eyelashes are, because we are beautiful children of God created in His image. I want to
normalize self-acceptance and self-love, kindness, and gratitude for all women! A woman who can
respect
love and be kind to herself will raise healthy mentally loved children which will be our future
generation. Happy mother - happy child - happy generation - happy earth.
DESCRIBE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE AND WHO ARE YOUR FOLLOWERS?
My social media page is about love and kindness and Christian and psychological points of view on
parenting and health overall. My followers are from all over the world but the majority is from the
US,
85% of them being women.
GENERAL WORDS OF WISDOM YOU LIVE BY?
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It means I can do almost anything and what I
do I
always make sure I do with kindness and love. Instead of screaming at your child when you are
frustrated, pause return when you are able to speak calmly. Instead of leaving your child to cry,
pick
them up every time they call for you no matter if they are able to speak or not yet. Instead of
using
electronics, pay attention to your children; give them love, play, laugh, invest your love and
energy
with them. Be a role model- instead of focusing on what your kids shouldn’t do, try to use positive
language about what they can and are able to do, Use kind language towards yourself and their dad,
because they will learn how to love themselves through the way you treat yourself and your
spouse/their
father. Don’t force your kids to eat, because most likely they will have an issue with their weight
or
digestive system in the future. Try your best to take care of yourself whether it is by eating
healthy
or working out, because your daughter looks up to you as an example of how to treat herself and your
son
will treat women the way he is raised to. Don’t stay in the relationship when you feel abused
physically
or mentally, don’t feel obligated to stay in the marriage that brings you stress, as you set the
example
for your children. I repeated my mom’s life by marrying an addict, my mom repeated her mom’s life as
well and this circle would never have broken if I did not start to work on myself. I’m happily
married
for 2 years to a man who I know for almost 5 years. I love my husband and try to give him love and
attention always. We share our interests and have some similar points of view; that’s what keeps us
together.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE 'GIRL POWER' SONG?
Beyonce “I was Here”.
written byTally Moran
A twenty-something-year-old, style-obsessed, food loving, social media animal with an endless love
affair
for fashion and lifestyle themes. Tally is a copywriter and the voice behind the My Name Necklace
Blog.