Adversities inspire woman to help others

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Adversities inspire woman to help others

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070923/LIFESTYLE\

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Chinika Hood has had her share of ups and downs but the valleys of life have

skyrocketed the Hattiesburg's woman desire to do more for others.

Hood has developed a Web site to use as a tool to reach others who have

stumbled during life's low points and are seeking others who are dealing

with similar issues. At Chinika.com, Hood will share her story, seek

survival stories from others and offer coping tips.

" I want to pay tribute to those who have mastered the art of survival and

the unimaginable tests of the human spirit, " she said.

Hood was diagnosed with two debilitating diseases - rheumatoid arthritis and

fibromyalgia - that have forced her to stop and take stock of her life.

In 2002, Hood was working at KTRK, an ABC affiliate in Houston, Texas. She

said she was well on her way to fulfilling a five-year plan after working at

televisions stations WLBT and WAPT. Her life changed when she

couldn't rise from a chair after a news broadcast.

" I couldn't move. I didn't have the energy, " she said.

She said she pushed what she thought was an isolated incident behind her.

Days later, the same sharp pains and mobility issues force her to see

doctor. The symptoms were the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, an

incurable inflammatory condition that, according to the Arthritis

Foundation's Web site, affects 2.1 million people in the U.S. It causes

joints to ache and throb and eventually become deformed, according to the

Mayo Clinic's Web site. There is no known cause for the disease but is

controllable by lifestyle changes like dieting and relaxation techniques,

the Web site says.

Hood said the diagnosis left her to piece her personal and professional life

together. She said she took time off from work, assuming rest and relaxation

would make things better. Instead, she got sicker and was forced to resign

from her job.

" I didn't comprehend it would get worse. Leaving was the hardest thing to

deal with, " she said.

The pain

The McComb native's plans of becoming a talk show producer were placed on

hold. Her husband, DeCarlo Hood, accepted a job in Hattiesburg as assistant

district attorney for District 12 in 2004. As he pursued his own interests,

she started a public relations agency.

After moving to Hattiesburg, she noticed a burning sensation throughout her

body. The 31-year-old mother of one went to a rheumatoid arthritis

specialist who assured her it wasn't the disease.

Another doctor diagnosed her with fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal disorder

that causes widespread muscle, ligament and tendon pains as well as fatigue

and multiple tender points - places on your body where slight pressure

causes pain, the Mayo Clinic's Web site said.

The fibromyalgia is a constant pain, unlike the rheumatoid arthritis pains

that come and go.

" It feels like I'm on fire, " she said. " It's a constant, everyday feeling

and some days the pain is light while other days the pain can be

excruciating. There are days I have to pray for inner strength to survive. "

With her 15-month-old daughter, Halei, the physical pain has now turned to

an emotional one. Hood said the immobility sometimes hampers the time she

spends with her child.

" Sometimes I don't have the energy. I feel guilty sometimes, " she said.

Dealing with it has been an " eye opener, " she said, but her daughter serves

as an inspiration.

Finding her strength

She said she hopes the Web site will open a dialogue for people to seek

change and allow her to use her creative and journalism skills. The site

will launch at 11 a.m. Jan. 29 and be a mixed element of magazine and talk

show format.

" I want people to know that no matter how bad things are, there is a way out

and it will be OK, " she said. " Life is short and people should live every

moment to the fullest. "

Her strength, she said, comes from within and her church family at West

Point Baptist Church.

The Web site is her way of paralleling her desires with God's purpose, said

Edna Murry, who met Hood at church five years ago.

" She is the type of person who is very prayerful and she wanted to do

something in her field but I believe God put her here to do something and to

help others, " she said.

" I see a new spark in her since she believes that now and she is doing what

God has her to do with a message to tell the world how He has strengthened

her. She is a wonderful young lady. "

Hood's former neighbor, Faye , said the two bonded in the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina.

" I just love her and she is a nice and good Christian girl. She's just that

kind of person who fits in with everybody, " she said.