Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
CBEN TODAY
When it comes to making the world a better
place, women in every region are inspiring new
trends in leadership and innovation. By virtue of
an unrelenting will in the struggle for socio-
economic and political equality, the image of
women and girls everywhere has progressively
been reshaped to reflect more of their
versatility. The era of women’s potential being
shrouded in the shadows of lack of opportunity
is also steadily being erased. But there still
remains a significant global imbalance in
women’s accessibility to certain critical
opportunities, and therefore, paving the path to
a successful future requires that today’s woman be prepared to lead,
inspire, and create.
Lead - A crucial step toward stimulating constructive change is for
women to take a more active and strategic lead in driving those efforts.
Current cultural dynamics at the international level attest to the reality
that diversity and inclusion are rapidly gaining ground, which favors the
progress of w o m e n .
Consequently, now is the
t i m e f o r women to be
a t t h e forefront to
r e p r e s e n t their most
i m p o r t a n t s h a r e d
interests, and in order to
sustain and advance their
individual and c o l l e c t i v e
development.
Inspire - Long before their
l e a d e r s h i p c a p a b i l i t y
r e c e i v e d recogn i t ion ,
women have been molding the minds of many generations of leaders.
Despite this fact, women must still compete to have their voices heard
above the clamor of existing gender biases in the home, workplace, and
society in general. Fortunately, the woman’s naturally resilient spirit
thrives on seeking ways to resolve difficulties. Instead of allowing the
frustration and discouragement of such circumstances to overwhelm
their intuitive strength, women must use such moments to motivate
others through their own example of dignified and respectful acts. Create – In order to expand their roles in contemporary society,
women must work toward establishing a sisterhood that harnesses the
strengths of their commonalities and builds on the value in each of their
differences. The resulting bond will enable them to transcend the social
inhibitors to their growth; it will also engender a consistency of new
ideas. The latter is particularly vital as women seek to nurture their
evolution and cement their status as contributors of value. The time is
right for every woman to be her best self!
Timothy McCann, President of DuPont
Building Innovations, was named Vice
President of DuPont Integrated Business
M a n a g e m e n t ( D I B M ) , e f f e c t i v e
immediately. In his new DIBM role, Tim will
lead DuPont’s demand creation, product-line
management and supply-chain strategy, in
addition to direct end-to-end business
planning and customer management. He will
report to Jim Collins, Senior Vice President,
Industrial Biosciences, Performance Polymers,
Packaging & Industrial Polymers and
Communications, Marketing & Sales.
Additionally, Tim will serve as the primary Corporate Sponsor for CBEN
this year. “Recently, there was a review of all the external and internal
boards on which our executive leaders serve,” said Lydia Mallet, Global
Organizational Vibrancy Director. “In an effort to make the best use of
all leaders’ time and provide dedicated leadership to various activities,
going forward all Employee Resource Groups will have one primary
sponsor.” Lydia noted that each ERG’s primary executive sponsor will
serve as the main resource for regular ERG interactions while all
executives are encouraged to establish relationships with the ERGs as
time permits.
CBEN welcomes our continuing relationship with Tim, and we thank Bill
Harvey, President, Packaging and Industrial Polymers, for his service to
CBEN and commitment to Diversity and Inclusion at DuPont.
March 2014
INSIDE THIS EDITION:
National Women’s History Month Editorial—Pg. 1
Timothy McCann Is the New VP of DIBM & Will Serve as
CBEN’s Primary Corporate Sponsor for 2014—Pg. 1
Lost & Found
- Beyond the Wilderness of South Sudan—Pgs.2 & 3
Top 10 Nuggets to Maximize Your Career
- “9. Don’t Be Afraid to Let Others Know What You’re Up
To”—Pg. 4
Surviving Kidney Failure
- Living Testimony of a Transplant Recipient Pgs. 5 & 6
On the Move, CBEN Members RodRick Moore & Arthur
Norman—Pg. 7
Save the Date—CBEN Juneteenth Diversity Event—Pg. 7
National Women’s History Month
The Time Is Right…to Lead, to Inspire, to Create
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is
the only one you know you have for sure.” - Oprah Winfrey
Edlyn Mason
Timothy McCann Is the New VP of DIBM & Will
Serve as CBEN’s Primary Corporate Sponsor
for 2014
Timothy McCann
PAGE 2
In 1983, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA) and the Sudanese Government
clashed in a religious war that has claimed more than 2.1 million lives and
separated tens of thousands of children, mostly boys – between 7 and 17
years of age – from their families. Today, untold scars still remain, but
there is reduced conflict following the signing of the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement in 2005 between the North and the South. (Additional
updated details available at www.bbc.com & other sources)
One of those lost boys, as they came to be known, is DuPont Automation
and Process Control Engineer, Ngor Deng. Ngor has kindly agreed to
share with CBEN Today, his personal story of how the indomitable will of
the human spirit kept him alive and helped him to overcome a past
steeped in profound tragedy and unthinkable despair.
Ngor stopped again. He didn’t think he could walk any further. The
searing pain in the soles of his feet now permeated his entire body, and
he couldn’t tell which part of him ached more. Whenever he swallowed,
his saliva felt like sand in his throat because he was so thirsty. The eerie
night sounds around him filled him with tortured thoughts, and made his
heart pound with fear. What if there was another wild animal attack? A
gentle hand touched his shoulder. Ngor looked up into the kind, patient
eyes of his slightly older cousin, and the silent interaction between them
urged him on. Slowly, but surely, just a little while longer…
Separated from my family (late 1987 – early 1988)…
5 AM, Juet Village, District of Bor in South Sudan: The sound of gunshots
interrupted the early morning tranquility, announcing the invasion of the
village by government troops. A terrified Ngor, aged 7 or 8 years at the
time, fled into the bushes where other villagers were also hiding. He saw
a few of his cousins, who were a year or two older than him, among
them, but did not see his mother and sister. “I didn’t know if my family
had been killed, or had survived. My two half-brothers were in another
village when the attack happened, but my mother and sister had been at
home with me. I kept hoping I would see them, but they never came,”
Ngor recalls.
Walking to Ethiopia (about the distance from Kentucky to
Texas)…
The attack continued for days, and it soon became clear to those who
were hiding that life as they had known it would never be the same. The
group, comprised mostly of young children, had no water, very little food
[whatever they had managed to grab hastily while escaping], and only the
clothes they had run away in. “After about a week of hiding, the elders
decided that we could walk to Ethiopia. We walked mostly at night to
avoid the scorching heat during the day, and to conserve our meager
water supply. Some people died along the way from dehydration, and
others were killed by wild animals. It took us about one month to get
there,” Ngor explains, adding, “I did not know what had happened to my
family. This was very distressing and I worried constantly. I knew it was
possible for me to die at any moment,
but I had become resigned to my fate.”
Ethiopia, Survival, and Learning
Math and English with Sticks &
Sand…
Ngor survived. Eventually they arrived at
the Gilo River near the Ethiopian border,
and persuaded some of the local
fishermen to use their small, wooden
boats to transport them to the other
side. “My native language is Dinka –
which is also the name of the tribe I
belong to. Some of the elders spoke the
local [Ethiopian] dialect, and they
communicated with the fishermen on
behalf of all of us,” Ngor says. They were taken to a location where they
cut down trees and built huts for protection from the sun and rain.
Shortly afterward, volunteers from the United Nations (UN) started
bringing them corn to eat. “What they gave us was supposed to last for
at least two weeks after each delivery, but usually lasted less than a week.
The corn was unprocessed, so we had to boil it. We were using the
same water for drinking, cooking and bathing. People became sick with
diarrhea and malaria, and some of them died, including one of my
cousins. My other cousins buried him in a shallow grave,” Ngor recounts.
Early 1988 – 1989: A month after they had arrived, more refugees
continued to arrive from South Sudan. By 1989, the Sudanese refugees
included approximately 26,000 unaccompanied minors – the young girls
were informally adopted by families with one or more parent/s “…but
the boys had to fend for themselves. The elders would gather the
children under the shade of the trees and teach them Math by using
sticks, while teaching them English by writing in the sand.”
Back to Sudan, Escape to Kenya and more of the same…
May 1991: Rebel coalition groups led by the Ethiopian Peoples’
Revolutionary Democratic Front overthrew the Mengistu Haile Mariam
regime and formed the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, and the
Sudanese refugees were forced to evacuate their camps within days.
Ngor shares, “It was the rainy season and the banks of the Gilo River
were overflowing. The elders placed a rope from one end to the other
to help everyone cross, but many of the children did not know how to
swim and almost 5000 of them drowned. One of my cousins and I were
lucky to make it safely to the other side although we too did not know
how to swim.” When the government of Sudan learned that the refugees
had returned to their homeland, they sent the army to attack them. “The
elders decided that we would escape to Kenya. The trip there took one
year. We ran out of food, and survived on fruits, tree leaves, or
whatever we found that could be eaten. Sometimes, the UN volunteers
were able to get food to us. We stopped often due to exhaustion and
thirst,” Ngor reveals.
On arriving in Kenya: By then, the number of unaccompanied minors had
diminished to about 13,000. The refugees started over, building huts
again and sustaining themselves with food from the UN volunteers. “The
situation was the same with food and water as it had been in Ethiopia. ...
Continued on Pg. 3
CBEN TODAY
Lost and Found
- Beyond the Wilderness of South Sudan
By Edlyn Mason
Ngor Deng
PAGE 3
Continued from Pg. 2
...The elders continued our education using the same methods as before.
We were also learning to read the Bible, and how to speak the Swahili
language,” Ngor says.
Light at the end of the Tunnel…
On Aug. 7, 1998, the United States (US) embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were bombed by terrorists. The war in Sudan
was spreading to other countries and the
ensuing crisis became a major turning
point in the plight of the Sudanese
refugees. Ngor, explains, “It was eye-
opening for the US media and
government, and increased awareness of
our situation at an international level. As
a result, about 3800 of the lost boys and
girls, including me, came to the US
through sponsorship by US families and
institutions. Those of us who were
sponsored first participated in a series of
interviews about our experiences with
the war,” Ngor explains.
A whole new world…
Starting over and settling in: Ngor was 18
years old when he was sponsored by the
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He arrived in the US
two years later. “I was already 21 by then so I had three months to adapt
before I would have to go on my own. Through collaboration with
Kentucky Refugees Ministries, Inc., the church helped me to find a job as
a caretaker at the University of Louisville (UofL) hospital. A woman
named Gail Howard, one of the Human Resources personnel, took me in
along with two of the other lost boys,” Ngor recounts.
Back to school: “Although my English was not perfect, I decided I wanted
to go to school even if it took me 10 years. On the advice of a friend, I
started taking GED classes in the morning since I worked on the
afternoon shift. Four months later, I successfully wrote the GED exam,
then applied to Jefferson Community College,” Ngor shares. After
qualifying for student assistance, Ngor continued to work and study full
time. “I quit my job at UofL hospital, and began working as an Emergency
Room porter at the Jewish Hospital. I performed well in Math, Calculus
and English, and transferred to UofL after a year and a half in Community
College,” Ngor recounts. In 2006, Ngor earned a BS in Chemistry with a
Concentration in Bio-Chemistry from UofL.
Destiny… How I Became a DuPont Engineer
That same year… “My cousin became ill after moving to Texas from New
York, so I put my plans to pursue medical school on hold and moved
there temporarily to help care for him. During that time, my focus
switched to engineering after a mentor pointed out that I already had the
prerequisites to study engineering, which would not take as long [as
medical school]. Once my cousin recovered, I returned to Kentucky and
started my BS in Chemical Engineering,” Ngor reveals. By the fall of 2006,
Ngor was ready for internship and had the option of going to Honeywell
or Boston Scientific, both of which were recruiting. “I had chosen Boston
Scientific with the understanding that I would have to go to Indiana, but
then Valspar [Corporation] also offered me a job in Dallas, Texas and I
accepted it because I could be closer to my cousin to support him,”
Ngor says. Ngor completed his Chemical Engineering degree and one
year later, in 2010, graduated with an MEng (Master of Engineering), and
joined DuPont.
And life comes full circle…My mother and sister are alive!
Good News from afar: In 2003, while still
studying for his first Bachelor’s degree, Ngor
received a phone call from a Sudanese friend
living in Kenya. “He said he had found my
mother and sister. I was shocked and ecstatic
at the same time. We discussed getting them
out of Sudan, and I sent him the money to
move them to Kenya. I was able to speak with
my mother by phone, and she told me that my
two half-brothers had died in the war,” Ngor
recalls. Five years later, Ngor was able to see
his mother for the first time in 20 years, after
“Gail [Howard] and her husband, Raymond
surprised me with a ticket to Kenya.”
Seeing my mother again: “It was unbelievable,
like a dream. My mother was crying. I felt a
mixture of happiness and sorrow…I was happy for the opportunity to
see my mother and sister again, but sad because of all the time, and so
much more that we had lost,” Ngor reflects.
Looking back…
In retrospect, Ngor says, “I remember coming to this country as a
homeless boy. Today, I am a living example of how you can change the
course of your life by having the drive to pursue your goals. Life may not
be easy, but if you hang on, you can make it. It is not about where you
come from, or how much you have; it’s about working hard in order to
succeed regardless of your circumstances. You will fail, but get up and
keep going. Don’t let the time it takes to accomplish your mission stop
you. I am forever grateful to all the people who have helped me, and I
cannot thank them enough. As I look back, I can say that I have come too
far to ever give up!”
Sources for the timeline of major events : www1.umn.edu,
www.infoplease.com & www.unicef.org.
CBEN TODAY
Lost and Found
- Beyond the Wilderness of South Sudan
Map of South Sudan
"If you're walking down the right path and
you're willing to keep walking, eventually
you'll make progress." ~ Barack Obama
PAGE 4
Bragging, brown
nosing, kissing up,
and being prideful
are all things that this article is not about! However,
it is about being transparent regarding your
accomplishments in a way that does not come across
or feel like any of those things above.
I remember a time in my career when I was advised
that networking was a good thing to do and I should
get on it right away. I am not sure that I knew how
or why at the time, but I figured I had better learn
how, then figure out the why later. Off I went to
network, and I must admit, I wasn't that great at it. I felt like I was being
fake, I didn't know what to say and to top it off, I was insecure. My innate
character is leans toward continual growth and development, along with
a personal challenge to not allow anything to defeat me. With that, I
continued on with networking to get clearer on how, while at the same
time, become a more self-confident person. However, there was still a
missing element to the equation: the “why.” This month's article is about
not being afraid to let others know what you are up to. My goal is to
show you how to use your network to share what you are up to, while
at the same time helping you understand why these two go hand-in-hand
and are equally important.
Recently, I was told to set up some time to meet with a senior leader in
one of the businesses I once supported. When people give you this
advice, rarely do they ever give you a topical agenda. Without a second
thought, I sent a calendar invitation and it was accepted within moments.
The session was for a couple of weeks out. In my mind, I had time to
think of the agenda. Fast-forward to the week of the meeting... I decided
to send over my job history profile and my top 5 career
accomplishments, not knowing where that would lead us, but I figured it
would be good for him to know at least my job history and some key
career accomplishments. When I arrived to the appointment, he was
very open, cordial and informative. He had done his homework on me;
in addition, he had career coaching items to share. After some catching
up and ice breaking conversation, he told me there was one thing he was
surprised that I had omitted from my list of accomplishments. He felt it
was a significant project I had done for his organization and
recommended that I get it on my career profile. He also shared that it is
always good to ensure that people in the room not only know your
name, but they know key contributions that have impacted the
organization in which you worked. He explained that this is how you
become more competitive and place yourself in a better position than a
candidate with whom no one in the room is familiar. What did you
gather from this story? I hope one answer is that you want not only your
name to surface, but also some key accomplishments, as well.
Before we dive into some ways to let others know what you are up to in
a non-threatening way, I want you to first think about your goals for the
year. Do you have some stretch in them that will lend to visibility? If
you don’t, let’s get that done right away! Now, there are 3 things I want
to leave you with today:
Remain visible: Stay in touch with leaders you have worked with in the
past. Schedule time on their calendars to reconnect from time to time.
This could be a coffee break, lunch, or simply a 1:1 in their office or team
room. In this time together, first discuss them and how they are doing.
Then, share how you are doing, what you are working on and some key
things you are proud of since you last worked for or with them.
Depending on the relationship, these connects can be held quarterly, bi-
annually, or annually. You decide; just keep the connect going so they
don't forget you.
Another way to remain visible is by creating a newsletter that can be
shared with your internal customers and stakeholders. This newsletter is
shared as a tool to inform others of things that you have accomplished
which brought impact to them during the given time. For example:
Sourcing buyers could have a one page (front and back) newsletter
specific to their buy area such as for the contract manufacturing
category. The newsletter could be called: "The CM Connect" and topics
could be items such as a core value emphasis, market (industry)
intelligence, savings achieved, spend data highlights, project success,
upcoming projects, and supplier value add highlights. Send this newsletter
to your sourcing leaders, businesses you support and any other internal
mentor/previous leader that you would like to keep informed. Something
like this brings value to your customers, while at the same time visually
demonstrates your results for the period, and knowledge as a subject
matter expert for the category in which you work.
Be proactive: It is your responsibility to schedule frequent 1:1s with
your supervisor/manager. I personally like to do this once per month
with my leader to ensure that he/she is aware of what I have
accomplished relative to my COTs, we agree on the areas in which I am
doing well, and on the areas I can improve upon. We also use this time
to agree on the items I can work on to grow as needed and expected.
With a process like this, there is never a question or surprise during
review time. This monthly process also enables a collection of results
that can keep your leader informed and then be easily put into the
appraisal process.
Create an Advisory Team: Your advisory team consists of people
who see your potential, who care about your future, and have skills/
experience/knowledge about career development. These are people who
will do several things for you. First, some will provide career advice and
counsel to you. Second, they will serve as advocates for you and will say
great things about you when you are not in the room. Third, some will
be mentors and say great things to you. To build this team, think about
people you would want in your personal support network and who will
be role models for you. Remain visible and be proactive with your
advisory team. Let them know they are a part of your trusted circle.
These are just three things to help you get out to the masses what you
are up to. I hope that you and I are aligned that this was not bragging,
brown nosing, kissing up, or being prideful. Yet, it was bringing value to
both yourself and your stakeholders for the benefit of all. You never
know when an opportunity will come up behind closed doors and you
will want your name to surface as a candidate.
I want to leave you with two questions:
How will you use the learnings from this article to take stock of
your accomplishments?
What are you known for?
I hope you enjoyed this month’s topic. Stay tuned and join me next
month for our final career nugget, #10 - Give Back!
CBEN TODAY
Top 10 Nuggets to Maximize Your Career
“9. Don’t Be Afraid to Let Others Know What You’re Up
To.”
LaShawanda Moore
By LaShawanda Moore,
Certified Professional Coach
PAGE 5
African-Americans are at greater risk for
kidney failure than any other race. Nearly 1 in
3 kidney failure patients living in the United
States (U.S.) is African-American; that is approximately 200,000 people.
Each day 14 people die in the U.S. while waiting for a life-saving
kidney transplant.
African-Americans currently make up the largest group of
minorities in need of an organ transplant. In 2012, the number of
organ transplants performed on African-Americans was only 14% of the
number of African-Americans waiting for a transplant, and 69% of donor
organs from African-Americans were from deceased donors.
CBEN Today, in acknowledgement of National Kidney Month, reached out
to the community, and liaised with Clarice Johnson, a facilitator with the
Western Pennsylvania Support Group. Ms. Johnson shares her son’s
experience of getting a second chance at life after kidney failure, and how
it influenced her passion to educate herself and others on this issue.
It all started with a voicemail. Clarice was listening to the messages on
her phone and realized that her son Bey Johnson, the second of her
three children, all boys, had tried to reach her the previous day. He
needed to speak with her urgently, his message said. “He sounded
shaken,” Clarice recalls, “so I became very worried and called him back
immediately. He told me he had gone to the doctor because he had been
[expelling] blood and thought the stomach ulcer he was diagnosed with
sometime before was getting worse. But after undergoing a series of
tests recommended by his doctor, it was discovered that he had end
stage renal disease (which means that his kidneys did not work well
enough for him to live without dialysis or a transplant). My world plunged
into darkness.”
This story is told in its entirety by Clarice, as it is still
emotionally difficult for Bey to relive.
Adjusting to Dialysis
The doctor also revealed that Bey’s kidney failure had resulted from
extreme hypertension and referred him to a Nephrologist (a doctor who
specializes in kidney diseases). “We were shocked to learn that he had
chronic hypertension. I had accompanied [Bey] to the doctor previously,
and his blood pressure had always been a bit elevated, but we had been
told not to be alarmed because the pain or other symptoms he was
having in relation to whatever illness he had at the time could have
triggered it,” Clarice mentions. But there was no time to focus on what
could have been or what signs had been missed. “We needed to know
what to do next. I called the Nephrologist to enquire what lifestyle
changes Bey needed to make. I was informed that he had very little
kidney function and would have to start dialysis. This was frightening
because we’d recently lost a close family acquaintance who had been on
dialysis,” Clarice recounts. Nonetheless, Bey considered his options and
initially chose hemodialysis, which requires an arteriovenous fistula or
surgically formed connection between an artery
and a vein (usually in the wrist or forearm) to
create access for blood to flow from the body
to the dialyzer for cleaning, and back to the
body. But after the procedure for the fistula, Bey
decided that it would be less physically and
emotionally challenging to instead try peritoneal
dialysis, which requires the placement of a
synthetic tube in the abdominal cavity to allow
the exchange of dialysis fluid at regular intervals.
Clarice explains, “Care of the access site and
exercising the arm by squeezing a rubber ball
while a tourniquet is wrapped around the upper
arm helps the fistula to heal and mature over a
period of weeks to months. If it is properly
formed, blood clots and infections are less likely to occur, but
hemodialysis is very time consuming compared with peritoneal dialysis, and
Bey wanted to be less confined. However, the Nephrologist eventually
had him revert to hemodialysis after he developed peritonitis
(inflammation of the tissue lining of the inner abdominal wall).”
Support of family and friends
At first, Bey went to the Dialysis Center for his hemodialysis sessions.
When an opportunity arose for him to take his treatment at home, a
team of family members came together to help him. “In order to reduce
the physical and emotional stress associated with dialysis, you need to
have a positive outlook and stay active. Bey loves children and coaches a
Little League Baseball team. He also sings with an R&B group. These
activities boosted his spirit and kept him on the go,” Clarice says.
No Quick Fixes…dispelling the blood relative myth
It quickly became clear that donating an organ required much more than
just being a biological relation to the recipient. “I thought that since I am
his mother, I would simply give him one of my kidneys. I was devastated
when I found out I wasn’t a match. [Bey] is very well liked because of his
amicable personality, and several people including his older brother
readily came forward as potential donors, but were rejected for various
health-related reasons including being overweight. One young lady, who
did not know my son personally but wanted to help after learning of his
situation, was told she needed to lose 15 lbs. before she could be
considered as a donor. She became discouraged when she wasn’t able to
lose the weight quickly enough,” Clarice recounts.
A mother’s fight to save her son
For Clarice, the fight was on. She launched a wholehearted effort to save
Bey’s life including extensive online research, soliciting the help of her
online contacts by sharing Bey’s story with them, and attending health
conferences where she would set up a table with her son’s picture and
information about his condition and need for a donor kidney. “I don’t
know if my son was as rattled by his situation as I was. He was more
concerned about the potential living donors like his older brother, who
has a family, and the young lady who offered to help, because she is a
single parent,” Clarice reflects. Continued on Pg. 6
CBEN TODAY
Surviving Kidney Failure
- Living Testimony of a Transplant Recipient
By Edlyn Mason
Bey Johnson
PAGE 6
Continued from Pg. 5
“I prayed constantly and sought the support of my church family. I believe
the body can heal itself, and through an online connection with a
Naturopath, I met a woman who had managed to reverse her condition
after being on dialysis, and was doing
well. Speaking with her gave me
hope, although I knew such cases
were not widespread. I even started
disseminating handouts for C.O.R.E.
(Centre for Organ Recovery and
Education). It kept me busy and
sane.” By this time, Bey had been
placed on the waiting list for a kidney
transplant after undergoing the
requisite mental screening process
and being assigned a Coordinator to
assist him to prepare for the physical
evaluation necessary to become a
transplant recipient. “His other vital
organs had to be fully functional and
gum disease, for instance, had to be
ruled out too so that he could be a
healthy candidate for transplant
surgery,” Clarice explains.
Three lives crisscross
Three years had elapsed and on
Christmas Eve Day in 2008, Clarice
was with her mother and sister at
her father’s hospital bedside. “My
dad had been in a semi-comatose state and we were contemplating taking
him off life support. I was paged to go to the hospital waiting room for a
phone call. The call came from the Organ Procurement Center; I was
told that a kidney was available for my son and it was coming from
Cleveland, Ohio. They asked whether Bey had received dialysis that day
and I told them he was scheduled for a session. I was instructed to have
him report to the ER (Emergency Room) after his treatment.” Clarice
would later find out that Bey’s kidney donor was the grandchild of a
member of her church who had been taken off life support after being in
a tragic accident.
Meanwhile, Bey’s Coordinator, Ms. Maureen Vekesy, had also been
contacted and had advised Bey to go to the lab ahead of his dialysis
session to get his final test done. Leaving her mom and sister to keep vigil
with her dad after telling them the news, Clarice rushed off to meet her
son at a different hospital.
A New Lease on Life
“As I arrived at the hospital ER, I saw the delivery team bring in the
kidney in a cooler. It was a surreal experience,” Clarice shares. Several
agonizing hours passed while the blood and tissue screening took place
to ensure that a proper match had been made and lessen the possibility
of Bey’s body rejecting the new kidney. At around 4 am on Christmas
Day, it was confirmed that the transplant would take place. The surgery
lasted about 4 hours and finally, Clarice’s son had a renewed lease on life.
“It was quite a day. My son is a huge fan of the Pittsburg Steelers and by
some remarkable coincidence, I happened to pass the owner Mr. (Dan)
Rooney in the hospital waiting room that morning. I briefly contemplated
telling him that Bey was one of their biggest fans and was in the hospital
that very moment, but I
squashed the urge and
just waved hello,”
Clarice says, laughing at
the memory. She adds
that her son was a bit
disappointed that she
hadn’t followed her first
instinct when she later
told him about seeing
Mr. Rooney. Clarice
returned to be at her
dad’s side after Bey’s
surgery, and told him the
good news about his
grandson’s transplant.
“My dad gestured that
he understood, and the
f o l l o w i n g d a y –
December 26th – he
passed on.”
Bey is now 42 years
strong and the proud
owner of a new food
business where he is
putting his love of
cooking, culinary skills, and restaurant experience to good use. He is
grateful for the gift he has been given and tries to spend each day being
productive as his best way of giving thanks for his second chance.
Sources for the medical data in this article: www.kidneyfund.org,
www.kidney.org, minorityhealth.hhs.gov & www.diciinc.org
If you desire to contact Ms. Johnson directly after reading this article,
please email her at [email protected]
CBEN TODAY
Surviving Kidney Failure
- Living Testimony of a Transplant Recipient
Clarice (left) shares an embrace with her son, Bey.
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of
a splendid torch which I have got hold of
for a moment, and I want to make it burn
as brightly as possible before handing it
on to future generations."
~ George Bernard Shaw
PAGE 7
CBEN TODAY
Effective April 1, 2014
Arthur B. Norman, Six Sigma &
DPS Continuous Improvement
L e a d e r , E l e c t r o n i c s &
Communications, is appointed
U n i t Man a ge r , Nomex ® ,
S p r u a n c e , P r o t e c t i o n
Technologies, reporting to Dean
Thompson, Regional Operations
D i r e c t o r , P r o t e c t i o n
Technologies. We thank Arthur
for his contributions to Electronics
& Communications and wish him
success in his new assignment.
Dean Thompson
Regional Operations Director
Protection Technologies
Kathryn H, Stone
Integrated Operations Leader
Electronics & Communications
Rick Hodge
Regional Operations Director
Chemicals & Fluoroproducts
Arthur Norman
Effective March 15, 2014,
RodRick D. Moore, Field Section
Supervisor, is assigned FS&RE Plant
Maintenance Lead for the NCC GAP/
Nexus Elimination Project. In this role,
RodRick will lead the effort to migrate
FS&RE maintenance, energy operations,
and contracted maintenance from
Maximo and Nexus to SAP over the next
12 months. RodRick’s prior assignments
in MIQA, Six Sigma, Facilities Engineering, his knowledge of FS&RE,
and the leadership & communication skills he has honed over the
years make him an ideal fit for this very important, transformative
role.
RodRick Moore
On the Move!
SAVE THE DATE - June 19th, 2014
CBEN’s Diversity Event in Wilmington, DE.
You can expect more details soon via the usual
internal communication channels. Also, please
feel free to volunteer your skills to the
planning committee. To indicate your interest
in contributing your time and talents, you may
send an email to any member of the CBEN
Communications Team using the information
provided on Pg. 8 of this newsletter.
It’s Spring!
Go Ahead… Do the Happy Dance :)
As we welcome the season when
flowers bloom and birds make sweet
music, the CBEN Communications the CBEN Communications
Team Team reminds you that…
“Doing the best at this moment puts
you in the best place for the next
moment.” -Oprah Winfrey
PAGE 8
CBEN TODAY
Editor: Edlyn Mason
DuPont Performance Polymers
Phone: (302)-345-2687
Contributing Editors:
LaShawanda Moore & Jana Green
Information Liaisons and Creative
Contributors: Sharon Ford, RodRick
Moore and Jonas Felix.
CBEN Executive Board
CBEN Chair, Jana M. Green
CBEN Co-Chair,
Marc Cottman
CBEN Treasurer:
Sharon Ford
CBEN Communications Lead:
Edlyn Mason
In order to help us improve
our ability to bring you a time-
ly edition of the newsletter, we
encourage our CBEN team-
mates to try to send us your
articles, announcements and/or
advertisements for publication
between the 1st and 15th of
the month in which you intend
for it to be published.
Please feel free to share your
comments and suggestions for
improvement with myself, or
one of our other Communica-
tions Team members via the
contact info on the left of this
page.
