Angela Gans, a True Inspiration My family often says I am just like my mother. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I realized this was actually a compliment! In my younger years, I didn’t understand the incredible circumstances my mother had overcome to become the wonderful woman she is today. A 64-year-old, Jamaican born, mother of three, Angela Gans, has become my life’s greatest inspiration. She has survived unbelievable obstacles such as an early childhood near death experience, losing her parents early in life, and living with several disabilities. It was a warm evening on a dimly lit dirt road that my mother was struck by a speeding army truck at the tender age of six. She was running across the road from her church to get to her three older brothers. They were hiding from their parents in a ditch on the opposite side of the road. The whole family would go to church every evening and twice on Sundays. This night however, my three uncles decided to…show more content… Her brother, Denzel, happened to be home when she had her first seizure. Unsure of what to do and completely terrified, he tried holding her down on the floor. It turns out she was having a grand mal seizure that was so violent; she dislocated her shoulder (Gans). Years later, she would go on to begin having Transient Ischemic Attacks, better known as mini strokes, on a regular basis. She loses feeling on one side of her body causing temporary paralysis. There are lingering effects that normally last for less than an hour. She also developed an early onset of Osteoarthritis of the hip and knees, making it very difficult for her to walk. Unfortunately, my mother also suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, and a floating cyst in her brain. Undeterred by her circumstances, she is always in high spirits with the most convivial attitude towards everything in