We were lucky to catch up with Latanya Morrison recently and have shared our conversation below.
Latanya , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I am and will always be the PROUD grandmother of my four WONDERFUL grandchildren. Ashae Butler (my Shazzafraz), Ashad Butler (my Shyshy), Ahmad Butler(my superhero Captain Poodaman), and Amari Prince Charming Butler (my TinkMcNink) whom my daughter Cierra and son in love Duane calls the A-team. I had a fish dream before my daughter and son told me about, or even knew themselves for everyone of my grands. My fish dreams are the foresight that someone close to me is expecting.
I have always been an intuitive person. I believe we all have the ability to know when something is wrong, some of us are just more in tuned than others. This feeling or premonition I get (I’ve always called it a curse) from my dreams and visions or being close to danger is not the only foresight or spiritual experience I get. Let me explain. I can ALWAYS differentiate between a premonition and a normal nightmare or dream. I can tell because I am not able to shake the feelings and fears associated with these dreams when I wake up. I also have night terrors (so they’re called) in these dreams, a heavy shadow holds me down, and I can’t breathe or move. When I am finally able to scream, the terroristic shadow releases me. My husband dismisses my screams as bad dreams. I dream of relatives that have passed on giving me messages of death that prove to be true days later.
Why am I telling you this? Let me explain. One day, while I was laying next to my husband preparing to go to sleep (only he and I were in the house). I felt the bed behind me sink down as if someone sat on my bed. When I looked up and I saw this HUGE SHADOW come over me (something like the night terrors but not as dark), it was as if it were comforting me, telling me that it was going to be alright. I started screaming Keith, Keith, do you see that? Again, he said Tanya you’re dreaming! I said I’m not, did you see that, he said, “see what?”.
When I told him what happened (I always tell people of my premonitions prior to the actual occurrence, just so people will know I am NOT imagining things or making things up), he tried to console me, but to no avail. SOMETHING WAS WRONG and I don’t mean little wrong; I mean BIG WRONG! I told everyone I talked to that something was wrong. My stomach has never felt like this before, I was grieving badly and worried HORRIBLY, and I have NEVER felt a spirit comfort me before while I was awake. Only in my dreams and the creepy night terrors.
I remember talking to my mom a few days later and she asked me if I felt any better. I said no Mom, something is wrong. She said everything will be alright trying her best to give me reassurance. But I knew better. The next day my daughter brought the kids over. I had a fish dream so you know what that meant? Yup, Cierra was pregnant with Grandbaby number four, whom she and Duane later let Ahmad name. When you let an imaginative child name their baby sibling. You end up with name choices such as Cinderella if it’s a girl or Prince Charming if it’s a boy (lol). So my fourth Grandson’s name is Amari Prince “Charming” Butler, and boy does he live up to his name.
Back to my premonition. Ahmad and Ashad were playing a video game. When Ahmad (whom we have to literally drag away from the game after ten one more minutes) stopped playing and laid on the couch. I said Poo (he was my Poodadoo) what’s wrong baby? He said, “Grandmom, MY BRAIN HURTS!”. I thought this was it! This was my premonition. I told my daughter to take him to the hospital, we’ll keep the kids. My nerves were all over the place, my husband tried to ease my tension but he couldn’t. The phone rang, it was Cierra, she spoke no words, just belted a screeching cry that let me know she needed me. I started to put on my sneakers so I could get to my baby, both of my babies. It wasn’t until I got into the car that the phone call registered and her voice echoed in my ear. Mom, they found a mass on Ahmad’s brain and they think it’s cancer. They think it’s cancer, THEY THINK IT’S CANCER! That was all I heard over and over and over again during the 20-minute car ride to the hospital.
Once we arrived, Duane met us at the hospital. We were told they had to remove the mass that was found in the top of his brain, and surgery was scheduled in the morning. I had to use all of the strength I had inside of me, to be what my daughter and son needed me to be for them during this HORRIBLE TIME. We were told that because of the location of the tumor, they couldn’t remove it completely, if they went too deep that he could possibly lose his memory, his ability to walk or possibly not survive the surgery. But Ahmad did it! He survived the surgery, he had feeling in his legs and he remembered us. But why did that feeling not leave me? Why am I grieving? Although I knew why I was not ready to admit it. Ahmad was partially paralyzed in his left side and needed therapy, leg braces and had to learn how to walk again. Ahmad was later diagnosed as having an Ependymoma of the brain. A rare form of brain cancer. Although the surgery left Ahmad partially paralyzed on his left side, what he lost in feeling he gained in spirit. Ahmad constantly encouraged everyone he encountered with kind words and a warm smile.
Since Cierra was a high-risk pregnancy and Duane was a longshoreman (worked long hours) my husband and I decided to care for Ahmad. We kept him Monday thru Friday and he went with his parents Saturday and returned Sunday. Ahmad, like any other kid, did not want to leave his grandparent’s home. Unfortunately, his health declined fast. Keith and I (with his parents’ blessings) decided to care for Ahmad completely and not send him back home. When we shared our good news, Ahmad said Hooray!!! We (Keith, Ahmad, The Cheetah Ahmad’s best friend and stuffed animal and I) celebrated by singing karaoke, using the tv remote as our microphone. Keith and I were singing silly songs like the wheels on the bus. When Ahmad busted our groove and said, “It’s my turn, it’s my turn”. We gave him the remote and Ahmad with Cheetah tucked under his arm (that’s mostly where he stayed) stood up and sang All of Me Loves All of You by John Legend. We DID NOT KNOW Ahmad (at the time this 5-year-old kid) knew this song. Afterward, Ahmad said, “Grandmom, grandpop do you know why I sang that song? Because me and Cheetah are HAPPY TO BE HOME WITH YOU” NOTE: remember this quote. This melted our hearts, Keith a I both sunk into the couch as we looked at Ahmad and then each other in amazement.
Ahmad NEVER ceases to amaze us. To help my baby deal with all that lie ahead of him, I deemed Ahmad a Superhero Kid (his mom nicknamed him Poodas). I renamed him Captain Poodaman and told him he was now a Superhero Kid. He adapted to his alter ego and whoever he went he punched his right fist in the air as he introduced himself as “Captaaaaaaaain Poodaman”. He loved his new name and Superhero image.
Before Ahmad’s death, I learned he wanted to be a Police officer. That didn’t surprise me because Ahmad loved helping others. One day as I was racing Ahmad to the ER of St Christopher’s Hospital for Children. I thought that this was the last time I would have with Captain Poodaman in his human form, knowing my Superhero’s battle was close to being over. As blood trickled down his nose, Ahmad told me in a frail, barely above a whisper voice that he was going to be a Police officer when he became an adult. His statement caught me off guard because I knew he would forever be a kid and for him adulthood would never come. He then asked if I thought he would be a good Police Officer? With a follow-up question, asking me if I thought he was going to help a lot of people.
What do you say to your dying Grandchild when he asks a question about and shares with you his adulthood goals? What do you say as he looks at you for reassurance and praise for choosing such an honorable, selfless, heroic profession? Although, you know he would not make it to adulthood. You do what any grandparent would do when posed with such inspiring thoughts. You allow him to live out his dream at that moment and then continue to honor his wishes long after his life on earth ends. Well, I did EXACTLY THAT! I praised and encouraged him, as he looked at me with a smile that melted my heart and broke it at the same time. It was at that moment that I made a silent promise to my sweet Grandson that he would help a lot of people. It was at that very moment that Forever Captain Poodaman! The Ahmad Butler Foundation was born.
I remember my daughter and son wanted to create a nonprofit in honor of their son prior to his death. One that supported Children with cancer. My daughter had AMAZING ideas for the would be Foundation. But when she set out to bring the Foundation and her ideas to fruition, the devastation of losing Ahmad was just too much for her. I promised my Cierra and Duane that I would take over and carry out their wishes. So, when I feel depleted, overwhelmed, and incompetent. I let my promise to my Grandson, my daughter and son become my helium, my tenacity, my confidence, and my guiding light.
A seed was planted in me during the last eight months of my Grandson’s life and death and then beyond. By my grandson, my daughter and son and the unbelievable gift of humanity and love that was showered upon my family during our life’s most DEVASTATING STORM from complete strangers. This storm is everlasting and does not go away. But, it has subsided long enough for me to gain strength and learn how to use its liquid to nurture the seed that was planted. After years of grieving, growing, pondering, planning and more nurturing that seed grew into a fruitful tree named Forever Captain Poodaman! The Ahmad Butler Foundation, and nicknamed ABF. This tree’s main purpose is to provide shelter for the unfortunate families, in the midst of the storm childhood cancer and other childhood life threatening diseases relentlessly spew on earth’s most innocent inhabitants. OUR CHILDREN!
Latanya , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We understand that some of the Superhero Kids will not win their battles and like my grandson will succumb to their diseases. Therefore, in addition to carrying out our mission, Forever Captain Poodaman! The Ahmad Butler Foundation prides ourselves in creating “WONDERFUL DISTRACTIONS” for the families we serve. We solicit various donations, some of them being once in a lifetime occurrences, that Superhero Kids and their families can participate in together. When the families we serve are enjoying themselves during ABF’s Wonderful Distractions, and although it’s only for a moment, they are not thinking about these deadly diseases. They are smiling, laughing, and sharing precious moments together as a family. These “Wonderful Distractions” become EVERLASTING priceless memories for the families we serve to cherish FOREVER!
ABF’s recently launched our Digital Learning Program (DLP). The DLP was developed to help address Chronic Absenteeism for the children we serve who attend schools throughout the United States. Our Foundation believes that in order to effectively address this problem, children battling life threatening illnesses should not be deprived of a QUALITY EDUCATION just because they are sick. Having personal computers at home and at their treating hospitals will afford them the ability to continue receiving a QUALITY EDUCATION remotely.
ABF will donate 154 Captain Poodaman Computer Carts stocked with a total of 30,800 Chromebooks or laptops to hospitals in the USA. In addition, we will give 15,400 personal computers to children actively being treated at said hospitals that are in need. Allowing seriously ill children to learn remotely while they are hospitalized and during at home recovery. Next to sick child’s families their school and classmates become their biggest supporters when they are hospitalized. In their abnormal lives, every last one of these Superhero Kids craves a sense of normalcy. Believe it or not, participating in their schooling and being able to see their teachers and classmates fills that void. These AMAZING children stand a better chance of not falling behind when they are able to learn remotely while hospitalized or during at home recovery.
ABF’s Research Division provides disease and wellness navigation services to help families throughout the USA find answers to their questions about their child’s condition, as well as any additional support they may need, including:
What symptoms should they anticipate with their child’s condition
What treatment options are available to them
Clinical trials / experimental treatments their child may be eligible for.
Can I enroll in such clinical trials, and what should I expect from them?
Help locating financial assistance programs for their child’s treatment
How to connect with other families who are in a similar situation.
Resources are available for their child, themselves, and family members as a whole to help cope with this horrid diagnosis.
You can help our Foundation continue to carry out our mission with a donation through the following channels;
By visiting www.ahmadbutler.foundation and selecting donate
Paypal General Donate Link
https://www.paypal.com/donate/
Paypal Digital Learning Donation Link
https://www.paypal.com/donate/
Venmo is @ABFoundation2023
Cash App: https://cash.app/$ABFGIVE or https://cash.app/$GIVETOABF
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. In closing I would leave you with our Foundations motto. Which is, “In order for humanity to exist, we must care for one another”. -ABF
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Yes, it is my pleasure to share an example of our Foundation’s resilience. In November 2022 a week before Thanksgiving. The vehicle that was donated to our Foundation to help us carry out our mission was stolen, and unfortunately we did not have theft coverage. This was the only means of transportation we had to make deliveries to hospitals and the families we serve. We sought help from the community through the media (which covered the story on the local news) to locate our Foundation’s SUV, but to no avail. The journalist asked if the theft would stop our mission. My response then and now is NOTHING will stop ABF from carrying out our mission to the families we serve. This is a dilemma or shall I say a small obstacle, another hurdle for our Foundation to PROUDLY LEAP over to continue to serve these AWESOME SUPERHERO KIDS and their families. To date we are still without a vehicle. We rent vans and cars for deliveries, or use Uber or Septa to continue our mission. It is imperative that established nonprofits and businesses shamelessly reveal their weaknesses and/or challenges to demonstrate to others that sometimes unexpected challenges will come. But just like in life when issues come up, you make the adjustments and keep it moving, the same goes for businesses, both for profit and nonprofit. Hopefully knowing some challenges we face will help other businesses prepare for or avoid them all together. ABF hopes to encourage other HUMANITARIANS or entrepreneurs that aspire to start a for profit business, or a nonprofit charitable organization for the benefit of humanity.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Although I am a professional, I am 100% Volunteer. So the question of, if I could go back, would I choose the same profession? I have to answer like this. I choose to stand up to childhood cancer and other life threatening childhood diseases that continue to stifle the laughter of our children. I choose to pay forward the support that was given to my family during the midst of our horrid storm by BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS. I choose to keep a silent promise I made to my grandson during his dying days. I choose to NEVER let the families our Foundation support SIT ALONE, I choose to NEVER let them STAND ALONE, and I choose to NEVER let them FIGHT ALONE! This is more than a profession, it is my life’s purpose. So to answer your question, I didn’t choose this profession, it chose me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ahmadbutler.foundation/main/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forevercaptainpoodamantheahmadbutlerfoundation
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/theahmadbutlerfoundation