Mackensie Rohloff

English comp 57

November 5, 2007

Classification

Ms. Sadie Green

Sadie Green is a 52 year old woman I met over the phone.  She is a classmate of mine and I am happy to say, she is now my friend.  If this assignment wasn’t given, I would have never met such a self-determined, self-educated, morally minded individual.  She has given me a lot to think about in my life.  A difficult childhood didn’t stop Sadie from being a strong willed, big hearted person.  When life throws me a curve ball I will think of Sadie and the battles she fought within herself.  We all have a life story to tell, but Sadie’s story is one of great determination and admiration.

Sadie grew up in a poor, rural area of Garrison, Minnesota near

Mille
Lacs
Lake.  She was the third child of nine.  She was raised watching her self-sufficient parents grow large gardens and potato fields.  Her father was the butcher and her mother, the bread baker.  They basically lived off the fat of the land.  When they did go to town to shop, they bought their sugar, flour, rice and seed in 50 pound bags because they knew it would be a while before they would return.

She attended grade school in a one room school house through sixth grade.  After that, she attended school in
Brainerd,          Minnesota.  When she was 14 years old, her family started to disown her because of a birth defect that she had no control over.  Her mother’s religion made her believe that Sadie was the devil’s child.  Her grandmother and school officials were concerned, so Sadie was moved to a foster home in the Twin Cities.  Her first foster home simply provided physical needs.  They were stoic and showed no emotion.  These living arrangements were not suitable and didn’t last long.  She was placed in a new foster home to a young woman who seemed to care deeply for Sadie and the other foster children. 

Today, Sadie lives in the
Duluth area with a female friend and her young adoptive daughter.  She is a city transit driver and attends two classes this semester with the hopes of someday becoming a nurse or caregiver in a disaster stricken region of the world. 

Sadie resembles her role model, Nelson Mandela, having similar qualities.    Having been told she was the devil’s child and disowned by her own family, she continued to have no hard feelings toward her family and still has a heart of gold.  His story fascinates her and she admires the fact that he was not bitter, instead, demanded reconciliation after decades in prison.  He often said, “Love your enemy.”  He was a “great role model” and a “humane human being.” 

Sadie states that it is in her DNA to be a hard-worker and the fact that she is stubborn, is what keeps her going in life.  She is very fear-driven because the thought of stopping (giving up) and becoming senile could bring up her childhood again, which is where she has felt sadness, empty and is afraid of her feelings.  She has lived a full life and has the desire to do many more things in her life.  She says, “Life is unlimited.” 

Someone that motivates her is Dr. Paul Farmer, author of

Mountains
Beyond
Mountains.  This book is about the author, who cares for poor people in
Haiti.  His heart leads the way to his healing as a doctor.  She would like her degree in nursing to be her ticket to the Red Cross and/or the Doctor’s Without Borders, which is a program where doctors and medical staff help poor people in war zones and disaster stricken regions of the world.  While reading this book on an airplane trip to
Baltimore, she found this quote, “Patients first, prisoners second and staff third,” which she believes in and lives by. 

The one thing in her life that has changed significantly is her introspection.  She used to be self-conscious, insecure, tormented and concerned about her looks and body image.  Now, she is set in her ways and has improved on her self awareness of her self-image.  She is accustoming to life’s changes and accepts herself for who she is.  She has had the “40’s” aches and knows she is physically invincible.  She is still a bit self conscious, but is more secure with her life.

The one thing she wishes she would have done when she was my age was become a photojournalist.  At the time she didn’t have enough confidence.  She feels that it is unrealistic to do now because she doesn’t have the physical ability, or the time to accomplish this wish.   

Even though she was deemed the devil’s child by her parents, she holds no negative emotions toward her family.  She learned great values from her parents and believes they are “good people,” hardworking, and resourceful.  They are still alive and she has had a few visits with them since she was removed from her family. 

When interviewing Sadie on the telephone, I had no idea what to expect from the woman on the other end of the line.  What I learned was another person’s strong will and determination to be a wonderful human being in this world.  Sadie is quick to admire and commend others for the great things they do.  She was fascinated with the life I lead, being a mother of six children, a full-time college student, a day care provider, bartender, and Sunday school teacher.  She hesitates to see the wonderful life she leads in this world and the fact that she is the strong one with great self-determination 

Sadie has taught me a lot in the little time I have known her.  By remembering her life story, I hope to blossom into a better person.  Sadie doesn’t seem to buckle under pressure and life challenges, instead she decides to learn and grow from her encounters.  Sadie truly is a great role model.