by LaMar Yarborough, Founder & Executive Director
My journey to this moment did not begin in a boardroom or with a mission statement. It began at 19 years old, shaken, scared, and searching for hope.
At nineteen, I received a diagnosis that changed everything: HIV/AIDS. My T cell count was just 5. Five. I still remember the doctor’s face, the silence in the room, and the weight of those words. It felt like the air left my body. At that age, you are supposed to be dreaming about your future, not wondering whether you will have one.
But even in that moment of fear, I made a choice. I chose to live with dignity. I chose to move forward, even when I did not know what forward would look like. I chose to fight, even when the odds seemed impossible.
Then, just a year later, life handed me another challenge: cancer.
Another diagnosis. Another battle. Another moment that forced me to decide who I was going to be in the face of pain. I went through five rounds of chemotherapy. Each one took something from me, my strength, my energy, my sense of normalcy. But each round also revealed something new, a resilience I did not know I had, a deeper understanding of what suffering looks like, and a stronger determination to survive for a purpose bigger than myself.
Those years taught me more about humanity than any classroom ever could. I learned what it feels like to be vulnerable. I learned what it means to rely on others for support. And I learned how powerful hope can be when everything else feels uncertain. Most importantly, I learned that my life was not just being saved. It was being shaped.
Today, as Founder and Executive Director, my work is rooted in those early experiences. I lead with compassion because I know what it means to need compassion. I fight for others because people fought for me. I show up because so many showed up when I could not stand on my own.
This Giving Tuesday is not just a campaign for me. It is a continuation of the promise I made to myself years ago:
If I survive, I will turn my survival into service. I invite you to stand with me in this mission. Your support helps us uplift lives, inspire resilience, and bring dignity to every person we reach, no matter what they are facing.
Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for believing in this work. And thank you for helping transform my journey into something that gives others hope, strength, and a future.
