He told me that she was interested in learning some hand to hand during her off time that summer, and would be bringing a friend, so we wouldn't have to worry about a partner for her. I told him that what we do is not for the faint of heart. I was not sure how two young girls would take to the "rough stuff". I told him to bring them in, let them watch a class, and all of them talk to the Professor.

I had met John's daughter once before at our job. The night they came to watch a class Jessica brought her friend, Monica Albright, who was a year younger and would be her partner if they decided to join. They liked what they saw and made arrangements with the Professor to start class the next week.

The next week we began teaching two of the toughest little girls around. Cute as buttons, but tough as nails. The two girls worked good together and retained the material exceptionally well. By September they had advanced to yellow belt. Fast-forward to Rank Camp in April of 2000 and the girls had made purple with stripe belt. Their individual "flavors" were starting show. Jessica leaned toward the technical and precise nuances of the system in her work. Monica was more of the "I'm fixin' to hurt you bad" in her approach. That's not to say she wasn't precise. That's to say she was like a pitbull pup that had just learned she had some power. She would latch on and not let go till you called her off. I even think I heard her growl a few times. Tenacity. Spirit. Grit.

The near future would find Jessica being overwhelmed with all of the sports she was involved in at school, and something had to give. Unfortunately it was Shen Chuan.

Monica stayed on and became even more determined to be one of our first female Black Belts. That was her goal, and a pretty tall one for a 14 year old female in a system known for its punishing reality. Tall order or not, Monica was up for the challenge.

Through hard work and dedication, Monica made it to Second Degree Brown in Shen Chuan. A feat not to be held lightly. An accomplishment I hope she holds dear to this day. Not many adults have progressed to that point in our system. Something to be proud of indeed.

But as we all find out sooner or later, life's roads can have forks, hills, curves, twists and turns. One of these turns took Monica down a different path that didn't include Shen Chuan. We bid her farewell with a promise to come visit us, and call us if she ever needed us.

It's spring 2005 in East Texas, and we've all learned that our little soldier who is now a 20 year old woman is in a battle for her life. An automobile accident involving both Monica and her mother tragically claimed the life of her mother. Monica was banged up pretty bad, and burned severely. Upon her life flight arrival to LSU Hospital burn unit in Shreveport, she was rushed to the ER where it was determined that both of her legs would have to be amputated in order to save her life. The last word I had on her legs was that they were trying to determine how bad her legs were damaged, and if they would have to remove more of them above the knee. Brain swelling required that a tube be inserted to relieve the pressure and a brain wave monitoring device was placed as well. There is also talk of some fingers that were badly damaged, and their removal may be eminent. From what I understand, they have started the skin grafting surgeries, and the bandage change sessions are extremely painful. Now, for the Monica we all know and love. Everyone that been to see her has told me one thing. The Monica we all know is still there. She has taken it all with the warrior spirit. Fighting everyday. Those who have gone to lift her spirits, have come away with their spirits lifted. Those wanting to give comfort have been comforted. Those wishing to give encouragement have themselves been blessed by the determination of this little lady and in turn encouraged in their own endeavors.

It has been a couple of weeks since I first started this article. News is getting better, in the fact that Monica is getting better. They have removed her tubes and she is eating and talking better. There have been other surgeries and updated news on her website. If you have a chance, go visit her site for periodic updates.

Keep fighting Monica. Get well soon and know we're always with you!

We want to thank all of you who have given blood and platelets in Monica's name, contributed to her relief fund, gone by to visit her or whatever you've felt led to do. It is encouraging to know that when asked, our students responded without hesitation. Thanks again!

Below is a link to the story as it appeared in "The Daily Sentinel" newspaper:

http://www.dailysentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/05/13/20050513NDShero.html