Julie Seawright and Ykeya Springer

00:01 My name is Julie seawright. I'm 37. Today is Friday March 12th, 2021. We're in Tupelo, Mississippi and my partner is like you yes, bring her and our relationship as friends.

00:18 My name is ykeya Springer. I'm 30 years old. Today is Friday, March 12th, 2021 and we're in Tupelo, Mississippi and Julie is my friend.

00:33 Thanks for coming today. Thanks for having me so I know a lot about you, but and I think that your story is so amazing and I want to start off by telling you how I feel about so I have two signs you have two sons and I have a husband and you're single but you run laps around me like you are killing it you.

00:57 I don't want get too much of your so anyway, but

01:00 You're never

01:02 Lazy, I don't think so. You're always doing something to make your kid's life better and I just admire you so much for

01:10 Just everything that you're able to do for them and everything. You give to them. I've never seen a more selfless mother just give everything she has to and for her kids and you can't cry.

01:22 But I'm okay. So I want everybody else to know your story. So where were you born? I was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. So what was the lad you say on TV? No, definitely not like to not like peeping. I grew up with my great-grandmother as my parents are at why were they absent?

01:49 Drugs in prison

01:53 And so you said you lived with your great-grandmother raised me until she got a little too old then I went to live with my grandmother.

02:08 Like well, you said your parents are on drugs. What about your grandmother?

02:22 Until about what you going to do when you looked at their she was so what was that?

02:32 It was

02:38 Hard definitely hard me and my sister and brother is leaving like distant. We don't have a close relationship due to being in separate homes were absent in our lives. So so it seems like the people that should have given you that Foundation. I like right there and you weren't even able to have a strong relationship with your brothers and sisters either so

03:06 How to build a parents addicted drugs and in prison, but did you realize that's not what other families were like, I realized it.

03:18 Like in elementary school. I used to be jealous of everybody else cuz I never had Parents support from parents that they had. So I was always sad and their relationship with their parents. And so

03:35 How did you feel like what did you want to do in your life because of growing up with addicts most of my life. I just knew growing up when I got older that I didn't want to be an added or you no alcohol or anything like that part of my life. So if I had kids and then I want to leave the perfect mother for them. Yeah, and I would say that you are so what did you find? When did you find out you were pregnant for the first time? How old are you? I was seventeen when I my first pregnancy.

04:19 So, how did you feel when you find out you're pregnant?

04:23 I was scared at first because I didn't know how they would react my grandmother name would react but

04:30 This is what?

04:33 I'm just saying normal because you saying other things get pregnant.

04:48 I think she was 17. She was 14.

04:54 So let's say so I know about your son. Jalen is that he has deafness he's deaf. And yes, it will. Felony me a how old was he when he found out about his deafness.

05:18 So how did you feel when you found out about both of those?

05:23 The definition of I really didn't think too much about

05:26 Because I thought it was his.

05:29 Rice Lake City could have been fluid behind eardrum. So I thought maybe that's what it was me being young. I didn't really think.

05:39 What about the business? I was like he's going to be able to hear sober you more familiar with that. Yeah, I was just scared.

06:01 So who is helped you the most along the way to your life?

06:06 Family and friends, but the most friends

06:11 So after you have Jalen who were you living with?

06:17 Were you living with your grandmother? And then what happened?

06:29 Now it's live with my sister. And then so how many places would you say you lived until you got your first apartment?

06:41 Lights back and forth like my sister and my mom my cousin a friend.

06:50 Being like back to my grandmother's house. So I know about Decatur Mississippi is they can get Services through sky-high and all that. So how hard was it not having disabled home to go to to do those services.

07:08 There was hard. I didn't even get a lot of those visits due to being different places. So

07:19 I think they thought that maybe I was neglecting him due to.

07:24 Them having to come here and there.

07:28 But it wasn't until he started school like we was settled into our own place. So I were you when you found out your friend with him.

07:54 I was nervous cuz I was just thinking like I don't know how I'mma take care of two kids tickets. So so why was your 21st birthday such a big deal to you was it so you could go drinking 21st birthday was?

08:15 So that I can be on my own apartment. I was excited about getting my first apartment so that we won't have to go from house to house. So, how is Ben becoming a mom changed you?

08:36 It has

08:42 Before you said that you looked at the people in your life you like. I don't want to be like them and we talked about how you didn't really have a close relationship with them. So you're pretty much.

08:53 What would you say about your attitude with life? Where you?

08:57 More independent where you alone or where you co-dependent on anybody?

09:06 We're talking earlier and you remember?

09:10 We're talkin about how you were kind of out for yourself.

09:14 And once you have kids

09:16 He said that they were your whole life. It's okay to be nervous.

09:22 What should I move on?

09:28 Play when did we make?

09:32 Jeremiah about 6 years ago, and how did we make your peace and we met because you would come after school to learn sign language. You would bring your grandmother and your other son and I think it's important for this. Next question is I am a white young female and you are a black female. So, what did you think when you met me for the first time?

10:10 Can you set before it again?

10:18 You said that she's asking me cuz I would have said you said oh, no not another white person.

10:29 Because anybody like that their intentions were enough to really help so.

10:38 Cuz you hadn't had a lot of you no help for you. No support or somebody to trust so I was just thinking like you just another white lady. So we're about 7 years apart. I think I'm 37 your 30s with somebody else in that world of deafness is r and something that they don't know about me is that I have a son who is deaf in one ear. And so we kind of bonded on that to me today. You brought me something about hearing aid. Have you ever seen this before and I was like, no ask doctor Macross. So a little bit about Darkness to your life.

11:23 She has truly been a blessing to me and my son helped me in ways like that. I wouldn't even imagine somebody outside of my family. So I'm very grateful for her. So she's had him from pre-k to and once when you work for me with handsome voices, Mississippi, which is a parent support group for people who have deaf and hard-of-hearing kids. You told me you said something about her.

12:02 Giving you permission.

12:04 To make decisions about your son

12:07 Yeah.

12:10 Made it to where I was comfortable making, you know, this isn't that I didn't think I should be making so she helped me in a

12:23 Check your heart rate.

12:34 We talked about I was your sun sign language interpreter and you did really well without him as he picks up very quickly. But when I first met him, he was very shy and quiet and he would not move off the carpet and I contacted his first teacher his Pre-K teacher about it and she said Skittles that's the way to go. And so she told me to offer him Skittles to get off the carpet and come sit down if you wouldn't do it if somebody else was Alan the first time I did that and I gave it to him. He made me text me about that you like that me but but

13:12 So he doesn't use sign language now. I'm just a little bit like basic numbers like letters and finger you learn when he was Molly the understand like if he's not understanding what I'm trying to say or the sound of something people would I find a letter and that way you'll know what it start with just little stuff like that. He doesn't have an interpreter anymore and that's because you

13:46 Said that you thought his spoken language was taken off pretty good and it was a lot of parents.

13:57 Say that he doesn't need any type of what you did and you were right.

14:08 So what's something that you want for your kids that you didn't have?

14:13 Love

14:14 And I just want them to you know, be comfortable and to know you know that they have somebody that'll be there for them.

14:24 And I just want them to

14:28 Be able to say, you know, they was raised by their mother.

14:35 So what's your favorite thing to do with your kids?

14:48 If so, did they tell him he likes to learn to do so, I'll say this like a favorite thing to do.

15:12 I am I brave here. How did you learn how to do that?

15:18 Alvin and Ella young age. I think just by watching say

15:28 I was writing before middle school and now you have your own business.

15:35 And you're killing it and yes turn people away.

15:45 Communication and stressed year like this.

15:51 I love you so much. Like you are the easiest person to talk to you. Is that why you call me nosy like this was a questions before?

16:08 Yeah, you have all the right things to say.

16:13 Are you proud of where you are Leeland?

16:19 Yes, and no like I won't complain too much about it, but I just feel like I could do a little better with my son having Sickle Cell think they held me back a lot but

16:35 What is that like living with a child have sickle cell because

16:40 Do you ever get to relax or is it always like this heightened sense of something might happen?

16:50 SEI older I can relax a little more because he's able to you know, let me know when something is wrong. So.

17:01 It's not as bad anymore.

17:05 I can relax a little bit.

17:08 Yeah, but recently he was in the hospital for how many days.

17:13 Play 12 Days 12 days for long time and you were there with him during covered restrictions?

17:20 And you still have another son and he was doing school to do you have to

17:26 Say about it, and then we have to travel to Memphis which is 2 hours away from 6 way.

17:37 How to do by yourself cuz we couldn't come see you. Yeah.

17:42 So I had to get someone to take care of him at home in our house actually him being Jacoby. Did you accuse Jalen of while y'all were in the hospital?

18:04 Yeah, he was going to but he doesn't like school, but he will see if you probably never let them win be.

18:25 Say she told you talked about how you have had a hard time trusting people. Do you feel like you're getting a little better with that?

18:35 Or you can have you found people you're able to trust. I have a few people you included.

18:43 Did I can trust?

18:46 Haven't left you that I can trust has made it a little easier for me to

18:53 Better life. I don't know if you feel the same but you to me or when the people I can trust it because when I had to go visit in December, you were the first person to ask what we needed and you were the first person I felt comfortable saying I want chicken nuggets. We ask for help. I'm used to doing everything by myself because I can't do it, you know.

19:31 So what's your relationship with your parents? Like now?

19:34 We still don't have a relationship with my mom or my dad.

19:40 But you're granting you do my great-grandmother.

19:47 Body lift with my grandmother has helped me out a lot. She's there for the grandkids for sure. So I'm going to call and have any kind of help to get off drugs. She just decided to do it and got off safely. Wanted to be there for her great-grandkids and her grandkids. So.

20:20 Like 11 years now. She has been playing and she has been there for us as much as you can that mean you two just decide to do something and you do it no matter what.

20:44 Your turn

20:46 I went together for lunch. I was like she self-sufficient. Yeah.

21:03 How do you say I'm so used to having to do everything on my own? So yeah, I'm quick to put something together and you touching something else that you did on your own and some people who are listening don't know this, but you have hair almost to your middle of your back, so

21:24 Guess practice braid my hair at all.

21:35 Did you say I don't know how to do it?

21:44 It's not that hard. I have a whole nother. What is your favorite book?

22:06 I really have a favorite book.

22:12 Yeah, it's nice running in the background now.

22:23 I've asked you all 20 of the questions already.

22:31 I just finished them.

22:34 Good. I'm so proud of you.

22:39 Thank you.