We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Salathiel DeLoach a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Salathiel, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose by recovering from a traumatic experience which resulted in me losing functionality of my body due to mediation prescribed to alleviate chronic pain as a result of being diagnosed with lupus.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a Savannah Native, raised on the west side of the city, born into a large family which I love with a passion. I enjoy singing, music, traveling, working with my hands, and helping others. These are all things that were instilled in me at an early age that I have valued and kept me on this journey of life. For a great deal of my life, I experienced issues with my health beginning as early as middle school. My faith, family, and house of worship have always been the unwavering anchors. In preparation for college my life issued a wave that knocked me off my feet. I was diagnosed with lupus and with this I experienced unfair medical treatment, I went from no established credit to debt as a result of medical bills, depression, challenges with weight and my identity. Lupus caused an immediate unwelcome change to my life that came without the option of return.
My parents, siblings, and nephew became my live in caregivers. They nursed me back to health both physically and spiritually. On this journey I lost all functionally of my body and they sacrificed their daily lives to help me learn how to walk again, they read the word of God, prayed and encouraged me to live in spite of what was happening to me. I am on an ongoing journey with lupus, and it is on this journey where I found my purpose. I learned that even though this started out feeling like punishment or that I was being left behind, I was really being set up to use all of my pain as tools to help other people. As a result of this new found realization, I accepted that what was allowed to happen to me was bigger than me. This call required the birth of the DeLoach Lupus Foundation Savannah GA Inc. which was officially founded 1/2022, in the mist of the pandemic but it was a dream that I thought I was financially unable to manifest 10 years prior. I learned it wasn’t about the money, it just wasn’t the season for it to come forth. Since I was diagnosed in 2001, 4 other members of my family have been diagnosed making the family count 5 that I am aware of. We have both common and different experience, and we are supportive of each other. I dedicated the foundation to my grandparents (George/Louise DeLoach and Salathiel Potter) because they displayed qualities such as serving, giving, loving, creativity, and being productive members of the community. These are all thing I strive to exhibit through the foundation all while welcoming each patient and their families into our family because that is what they would do.
I am focused on the foundation/non-profit at this time with a strong desire tp bring all of the local lupus warriors together. I realize that the community lacks knowledge of lupus, the unmet needs of the warriors, and the number of warriors that reside in Savannah and surrounding counties, as well as the needs such as physicians and lupus clinic with a hyper focus on serving the lupus community. With the increase of awareness and participation it’s my hope that unity and resources will follow. These very resources could have changed the entire trajectory of my journey in the beginning. I have learned on my journey that bringing the lupus warriors together will impact the change that I dream of seeing for my community. It would eliminate or at least decrease the thought that a newly diagnosed warrior or any warrior for that matter, thinking that they are alone. They will know there is a community of lupus warriors here, and we have the ability to support each other.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first area of knowledge would be the fact that I live with the diagnoses of lupus. This fact gives me first-hand knowledge/experience on the types of struggles we face, and things that we need. As someone diagnosed with lupus I know there is power in simply talking to someone who gets it and understands your real-life struggles through experience not just empathy.
The second would be the skill to lead. Leadership requires humility, the ability to train, delegate and prioritize. It’s important that as a leader you establish a strong team of people that you trust to assist you. Set standards and follow up to ensure the quality that you have set is being maintained. Once confirmed, empower and support your team but never lose the pulse of the non-profit.
Never stop learning, no matter what you knew when you started, the world is always evolving and that requires us to keep up with the trends and knowledge.
Never compare what you are doing to anyone else and don’t ever choose not to do an event or idea because someone else is doing it they don’t have your secret sauce.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me was put their lives on hold to take care of me. At the time of my diagnoses both of my parents were employed full-time. When I lost the functionally of my limbs, both of my parents separately took a leave of absence to take care of me. This impacted the funds that were coming into the home, but they never allowed me to see or know of any issues, and they never made me feel like I was a burden to them. My parents became my hands to do the things that needed to be done and my feet to travel wherever I needed to go. My parents watched me go from an active and independent young lady to one that couldn’t do anything for herself. I know this had to be hard to watch but they were my biggest cheerleaders and motivators to fight for my life. I felt like I lost my identity on this journey and my parents helped me to realize that being made over and getting to know the new me was not a bad thing. They helped believe what was once a negative in the dark room would be a beautiful picture once exposed to the light, that it was safe for me to allow my colors to show and fly freely to be all that I was called to be. To this day my parents are still my biggest supporters, and they show up to just about every event that I host no matter the size. They engage other parents and share their experience as parents and caregivers of someone living with lupus.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deloachlf.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deloachlupusfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeLoachLF/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deloach-lupus-foundation-savannah-ga-inc/
