Acevedo: How would you describe your upbringing?

Watson: I was born in New York where both my parents grew up.  They both came from large families. My dad was one of seven siblings and my mom was one of six. I would say my early childhood was really good. I have great memories of my mom making my favorite meal and cake for birthdays. We were always with family. It was not until we moved away from family that things were different. My dad traveled a lot for work, and my mom was home raising four kids with no family to help. We would move three times over the course of my elementary and high school years and each time was harder on my mom. She fell into some unhealthy addictions and eventually when I was a Freshman in high school, my parents divorced.  My siblings and I became caretakers for my mom up until the day she passed away. I never tell people these things so that they feel sorry for me rather so that they know that they are not alone.  

Acevedo: What is a part of your upbringing that stands out to you?

Watson: I think that family was always really important to us.

Acevedo: Is your life what you imagined it to be?

Watson: I was a Psychology major who ended up working in the business world. I loved my career, and I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom but sometimes our plans do not always work out the way we imagine. I left my career to be home with her, and I always continued to work a part-time job that would allow me to be with her. We made a lot of sacrifices, but I have zero regrets about my decision. I am grateful to have been able to do it. I know a lot of people do not have that choice. I knew I would never look back and say I wish I would have worked more. I try not to live with regrets and believe that God opens and closes doors, so I think my life is just as it should be. 

Acevedo: How would you describe your life now?

Watson: I have everything I need.  I love the work I do in our community. I am married to a great man, and my family is healthy. We have a warm place to live and sleep, and we have food to nourish our bodies. 

Acevedo: What is something in your adult life that resonated with you?

Watson: Five years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it is something that you never think is going to happen to you. It is something that happens to other people.  I think the two most important things that resonated with me were experiencing what it means to be part of a community and what it means to have faith. Our family experienced an outpouring of generosity on so many levels. I have never experienced anything like it before. It was beautiful and overwhelming and exactly how we were made to live: taking good care of one another. I will forever be grateful to our church community for walking with us through the hardest times we have experienced.

Acevedo: If you could change anything about your past, would you?

Watson: I would not change a thing.  My past, all the good and hard made me who I am today. It is how I have a story to tell. There is one thing, but it is not necessarily a change. My mom died from colon cancer right before I was diagnosed with breast cancer; she has been gone for six years. She had some really hard things happen to her in her life, and she struggled with addiction and mental illness. I think the thing I wish the most is that in her lifetime, [she] was celebrated and encouraged to get help for mental illness. I think if she would have started working through some of the trauma in her life earlier, she might still be here, and I would have been able to get to know her outside of her struggles.

Acevedo: What do you see for yourself in the future?

Watson: I always doing some kind of work in the community with people. Cheering my kids on in their lives, finding new experiences and not taking for granted that I am here, and bringing laughter and light to the world.

Acevedo: Is there anything about you that most people don’t know?

Watson: I am actually a pretty open book. I think we have a lot we can learn from one another.  I am 6 feet 4 inches tall and most people don’t know that….until I stand up!