Out Of The Storm And Into The Light

By Kerrie Dworetsky

When I first found out that I was pregnant with you, I was a 20-year-old soon to be single mom. My first reaction was not what anyone would expect. I was immediately excited about turning my focus on my life to focusing on your life. You immediately became my purpose.

The night I was in labor with you, there were tornadoes actively wreaking havoc outside. The hospital we were in had to run on and off on their generators. The next morning, the stormy night passed and you were born. You could not have come into my life and this world in any other fashion other than defeating the odds! 

You were this whole human life that I was solely responsible for and I was so excited about it. I knew at that moment that my purpose in life was to be your mom. That’s why I was put on this earth.

Watching you grow was so rewarding!! You completely skipped the whole crawling stage, and started walking at 9 months old. From that day on, you were on the go. At 2 years old, I even had to get one of those “leash” things for kids because I was so afraid of you getting away from me in public. Many times I had to drop everything from groceries to my own purse and belongings so I could run after you and keep you out of harm's way. That’s when I knew, this girl is never going to stop running!

At an elementary school field day, you impressed all the parents with your speed and desire to finish ahead of your classmates in every event, including potato sack races and relay races. That’s when your dad and I realized that track and field might be your thing! As the early years went on, you accomplished great things from winning your first-ever 100-meter dash in an AAU event all the way to competing successfully in the junior Olympics every year after that. 

Fast forward to being 12/13 years old, we realized that if you wanted to actually become even better, we needed to turn our focus towards you moving on and training with a new coaching team consisting of Olympians and who train Olympians. We were and still are so fortunate that your coaches and mentors, Dennis and Damu are actually located in your hometown. It all just came together perfectly to set you up for your future goals and dreams.

Watching you grow into a professional athlete for the 100 and 200 was an amazing experience. You competed at a high level and then turned pro at 17 years old!

Obviously, life has its ups and downs. You experienced both!! The downs became somewhat of a normal thing after a while and I know you were thinking of hanging up the spikes! I knew that was a possibility! I was ready for that conversation. You always hinted at it and I just kept saying, “Do what makes Kaylin happy. You are the only person who has to wake up every morning and look through your eyes and feel what you are feeling in your heart and soul.” Nobody else. 

This is your life. I was absolutely going to support any decision you would have made. Honestly, I knew in my heart that you were destined for this sport. I just refused to try and convince you into a decision that would impact your future. You had to figure that out on your own! That was one of the hardest things that took so much discipline on my end, not to interfere with what was going on in your own heart and soul. 

We all know now how that situation turned out. You took the time, strength, and maturity to do some soul searching and truly realized what makes Kaylin happy. You became an Olympian for the USA! When that moment became a reality, flashbacks of all of your hard work, discipline, dedication, never giving up, sacrifices, and determination kept playing in my head. I cried so many happy tears and it took my breath away.

The continued support of your coaches and your sponsors will never go without so much appreciation. None of them ever gave up on you!! Because you never gave up on yourself. You trusted the process and the process trusted you. Your goals and dreams might not have happened in the exact way that you imagined, but they happened and are continuing to happen in the way that they are supposed to and the way they are meant to happen.

I am so proud of you and so proud to be your mom. You are my purpose and always will be!