Sonia C. - Participant

All right, thank you for joining me today. Can you please state your name and tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name's Sonia Coleman. I'm 56 years old. I'll be 57 in August. I stand Milwaukee, 26 in Capitol.

Did you grow up over there?

No.

Okay.

Grew up on 15th and brown to lawyers school. But I have five kids, four boys and one girl. And my mom passed, and, you know, and I'm in her house now, so overall, I'm okay.

Yeah. What was growing up like for you?

Growing up? It was just my mom and my dad, well, they got a divorce with out of us, but I had my parents with, you know what I'm saying? Yes. But overall, you know, regular life.

Yeah. What is regular to you?

What is regular to me?

Yeah. What does that mean?

You know, not uppity. And, you know, we wore what my mom went to the goodwill. My dad worked for the city. My mom worked at Sinai. So it was a struggle for us, you know, my mama had seven kids.

Okay.

It was a struggle for her to care for us, but she did what she did.

Yeah. What did health look like in your household when you were growing up? Like, was there an emphasis on health or just kind of eating, like, diet, things like that?

My mom, you know, see how far I am. Yeah. My mom. My mother was a big girl too.

Mm hmm.

But she was the cooking house, and we good girl. So. But now I'm. At the age I am now. I've been thinking about instead of. Cause I don't go to doctors.

Okay.

I don't do that.

Why is that?

They ain't fine. I got em killed, me.

So you're kinda skeptical around.

I stay on TikTok, and I get all these remedies, and that's what I'm. That's what I'm on. Ain't when white people telling me nothing. Am I wrong for saying that?

Speak your truth, okay. I mean, that's how you feel.

I want them to tell me, you got this right here. And okra and water can cure diabetes, okay. I drink it every day. Mm hmm. And I drink the beer root, the bitter melon. I take them every day. And for high blood pressure, I take beet juice.

So you're more on holistic medicine?

Yes. Yes.

When did you start that?

I've been started for, like, six years.

What made you start doing it?

Uh, uh, um. What's his name? Pastor. No, bishop. Pastor, neighbors. He was a diabetic, and they were telling him they had to cut his legs off. He ain't let him cut his legs off. And I've been from there. He passed with you not cutting my legs off.

And I was like, he ain't wrong, but my home girl called me girl. They gotta cut off my cousin breast. I said, that's her dumb ass. She gonna let them do it. You can hear that. Only thing you do is read. I told her, go in and read. I'll be telling to read up on that.

Ain't got a lot of stuff they're gonna tell you. They cut my grandbaby leg off, you know, the amputated her leg. Nothing wrong with her. They said she had cancer, and, no, she didn't. I'm gonna show you a picture of my grandbaby. No, no, no. They sewed my baby legs across these. I know what they did to sell it.

Okay.

My friend, daughter. My friend's son woke up day after thanksgiving. Mama, I can't feel my legs. She took him to Freddy hospital. Grand water amputated his legs, killed him, took all his organs out. Girl, you definitely go there and tell him, mm mm, mm mm. Not gonna happen. Mm hmm.

So it seems like there's a lot of mistrust.

It's a lot of mist. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All these doctors and lawyers ain't nothing but the kkkas. That's how I feel. That's me and my feelings.

Yeah. Okay.

I don't have the best of education, but I see what I see.

Tell me a little bit more about that. I'm curious as to what shaped your thought process around, like, why you kind of mistrust my mistrust. And you've talked about, you know, your personal experiences with some of your family members and friends and things of that nature. I'm wondering where it started.

Where it started?

Yeah.

For me to start feeling like I feel. Yeah, it started from. It started from as well. My mother, she worked for Sinai for 37 years. My mama had dementia, and they did not protect her or nothing there. She came there and have diapers, you know, my mama worked out. I took her there. My mother died.

She passed away. But as far as that right there, I'm gonna be that same person to heal. I like to heal my own self. I'm gonna heal my own self.

Yeah.

Yeah, I am. If God gonna take me, he gonna take me the same whole way I came. Ain't nobody taking nothing from me and all from me. I ain't going.

When's the last time you been to the doctor?

Good. One day. How old are you? You ever met Doctor Sheffey? That's how long.

Okay.

In them days. And I'm 56 and he been retired.

It's funny cause my mom told me that he delivered me. He delivered all her kids.

That's right.

Yeah. Wow.

That's how long. Doctor Sheffield, Doctor Renault and Doctor McGee. I ain't been since. I haven't.

How long has he been retired?

I'd say I've been retired for, like, 1516 years. About 20 years. Wow. About 20 years. Yeah, about 20.

Okay, different question. How do you typically spend a day? Like, do you have any routines, hobbies, habits that are particularly important to you?

I don't go outside no more due to that cold.

Okay.

And I know that's bad. I know that's man made. I know that. Yeah.

Uh huh.

A Bill Gates guy. I know that. Who does that? Yeah. I sit at home. I don't go, nobody come to my house. Anybody come, my house with a cough. You can't come in. You can't have that.

Me and my son and my granddaughter, and we got hand sanitizer at the door. We got masks at the door.

Okay, so you're big with that. Tell me more about, like, your everyday kind of how am I everyday doing?

Guess what? I get up in the morning, wash my face, brush my teeth lit.

Thank you. You hear me?

And I wash. Clean my house up, wash the dishes. But I ain't even got so much to do. And I go sit in the window in my chair and go look out the window. The rest of the day, I gotta fold some clothes up. I'm pulling carpet up 9 miles. And I made it to my room, so I'm pulling my finger, pull my carpet up. When I get back, I'm pulling my carpet up.

You know what I'll do?

Nothing. Okay.

Am I finishing me there? Well, my kids trust me. Cause I got two sons in prison, so.

Oh, okay.

So, damn right there. Yeah.

I'm stressed out, but okay, what about, like, physical activities? I know you said you pull on a carpet, but is there something that you do on a regular.

Mm mm. I told you I don't do no exercises. See, I was breathing like a hog when I came in here. Didn't you? I mean, there's still some people that, you know, girl.

All right, next question. How do you manage your health and wellness as you age? So you talked about, like, the holistic practices that you.

Same way. Yep. Just keep my face washed and, you know, don't play that dirty, stinky shit. And I'm fat. You know, fat people be stinking. Not me. You ain't gonna smell me. But for overall, me staying clean and healthy, you know, drinking some of my beet juice and, you know, taking my bitter melon.

That's diabetes. Get your mama's side. Amazon. Get your mama's.

Okay.

Give up here every day.

You know that place honeybee sage? They have honeybee sage.

I go right on. Honeybee. Honeybee sage is hot down there. Expensive. Go to Amazon.

Mm hmm.

They're expensive.

Okay. Can you describe any challenges you face in maintaining your health and how you overcome them?

No.

Any challenges in maintaining your health?

When I have a headache or something, but my challenge is if I have a headache, I got a blood pressure cuff. I go check it. It says, good. Well, I got a stress headache. Then let me find something to do. I go read a book or something. Turn on my music. Go away.

Okay, so you have some self care practices that you do other than reading a book, what else do you do?

I read. I stay on. I read. Stay on TikTok. TikTok teaches me a lot. Yeah, TikTok teach. But they trying to band it. Cause it's the Chinese.

Oh, and the notes.

I feel like talking too much. Huh.

Okay, so you read. You do a lot of reading?

Yes.

You like to utilize your phone for kind of relaxation. Anything else?

Dropping music. I'm the music lady. Gotta give me my blues and stuff, and I'm all right.

And I know earlier you said, you know, you do some saging and things.

Like that, so there was some bad energy coming out. Soon, they leave. I get the thorn. Salty. That's out. I got some oil, too, but I should have brought it to bless that. Mm hmm. Yes, girl, good question.

In terms of diet, exercise, and mental.

Health, I need the diet. That's what my whole goal is now to. I'm trying to do that intermittent fasting. Cause everybody else taking a shot to lose the weight to check me out.

The ozempic.

Yeah, the ozempic. And everybody trying to do that. I don't want that. Let me see if I can do it on my own.

So what is your plan?

I'm eating, like, cucumbers, and, you know, I don't eat onions and all that, but cucumbers and little stuff like that. That's gonna be my snack. That's gonna be my chip. That's gonna be my soda, you know, because I'm a diet Pepsi person, me. So I'm gonna leave that alone to drink the water. I'm a water drinker. Of course. Yes.

I love water. But, uh. Yep.

So I'm incorporating more vegetables. Yeah. Changing soda for water. Yep.

And leave the carb. Carburetor loan. Cause I'm a smothered. Smothered potatoes.

Smothered potatoes are good.

Yes, they are good. Especially if I'm making.

Put some onions, some fat girl shit. What about mental health? What?

My mental is gone. Hear me? I'm smiling because, look, your whole day is making me smile. Your smile is beautiful. You're on top of me and I can talk to you. You hear me?

Yeah.

Yeah. So. But my mental baby ain't no good. I'm mental like I got two sons in prison. My mom passed, I'm in her house. Hey, my family don't deal with me. It's okay. Cause me and my mother was close and they didn't like it.

Yeah.

Mm mm. My mom be gone six years next month. But overall I'm getting through. Yeah, I read a few verses. I ain't perfect.

Okay.

I do what I do. I don't think I do a drink, but I don't smoke. Not that mess. I don't do that.

But overall, okay, what are some, I know you just said, you know, do a little drinking, whatever. What are some other coping practices you.

I'm trying to go see a psych now.

Okay.

But then with that psychic, I wouldn't go see a psych. And my mother passed two weeks later. I seen them on the news molesting an older lady. Oh, no, I quit going. That big old tall man. I quit going. I said, I'm gonna go somewhere I'll find.

Okay, so you still intend to go see?

Yeah, when I think about it.

Okay.

But then I go to church, if I go, you know, but he could be my provider, my psychologist too.

Yeah. So you find religion, spirituality? Yeah, yeah.

This morning something woke me up. It's kind of scared me. That eclipse is coming on the 8th. Yeah, this lady came right on my first thing popped up on my thing this morning, baby. Scary.

So we've kind of touched on this a little bit, but I want to just visit this question or these series of questions about staying informed and engaged. Right. There's a lot of information out there other than your phone. Are there other ways that you kind of stay connected to the world around you?

No. Cause I don't go out of nowhere. I go to Walmart and back home.

Mm hmm.

I don't go nowhere.

So you primarily use your phone to get your information?

Yeah.

Are there any particular sources that you use on your phone?

Like a bunch of Internet stuff that's how you got me.

Okay. That is.

That's how you got me.

That is how I got you.

That's how you got me.

So. But you said you use TikTok. Like, are there other.

I do TikTok. I do all of them.

Social media. Like Facebook?

Yeah, Facebook, Instagram, and I'm TikTok Queen and Facebook. And Mister Charles girl, Amanda.

Who are those people? Are they on YouTube? Oh, okay. How do you filter out information? Like, how do you determine what's legit and woods?

Legit?

Yeah. Like, what's your process behind it?

Something real to me, and I feel it ain't real. I ain't gonna look at it.

Okay.

I ain't gonna believe it. I don't believe a lot of stuff, but, you know, especially if I'm reading it now, like, this ain't real. So I go to the next I know I'm real.

Period.

Period.

How important is it for you to keep up with current events? It might be in your city. I don't. You don't?

I don't.

Why not?

Cause you know what? I told you, I'm a heavy person, and I got, like, that psychic nerve in the back, and it's hard for me to stand for a long period of time, so I don't go out like that no more.

But even if you find something out on your phone, for example, something on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, like, do you go to, like, local news sources or even nationwide, like, national news sources?

Never been out of town?

No. On your phone? No.

No. I don't look at the events, but.

Like, do you go to, like, TMJ four?

Please, call me Foxy. I knew all the news.

How do you feel about using technology? It seems like you're comfortable on your phone? Yeah. What about, like, a computer, laptop? Would you feel like you'd be comfortable with that?

Yeah.

Okay, cool. All right, so let's talk about the evidence based programs that we were discussing earlier. Have you ever participated in any structured programs or classes focused on health and wellness?

No.

No. Is there any particular reason why?

No, we're just having. No, I was trying to get into, like, to some. Like, some little daycares I can get out the house and do.

So be like a teacher. Like a daycare teacher?

Yeah.

Okay.

That's what I'm opening up now. Daycare in my house.

Okay.

Big mama's daycare. That big me.

Oh, that's sweet. So some of these evidence based programs obviously offer structure, and they talk about ways to improve health and wellness. But they're over an eight week period. What are your initial thoughts on joining such a program that is eight weeks and what would make you interested or what would create disinterest in participating? Is that commitment too much for you? Do you think you could be committed to something like that?

Yeah, I could. Get me out the house. Get me out that chair. Cause all I do is sit and rock in that chair. Yeah.

Yeah. What particularly would interest you in doing a program like that? Cooking.

I like cooking.

Okay. So kind of like focused on what? Healthy eating?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Cause I'm trying to get this nutrition lady to come talk to me too now, but I think I probably got it.

Okay. What are some things that will kind of turn you off about the program.

Not returning my calls? Cause I get mad. They were like, my turn green. Okay.

Not the hulk.

Yeah. Right.

Okay. So just being unresponsive in general.

Right?

Yeah. Okay. Okay. So understanding that these programs require weekly commitment, what potential barriers can make participation difficult for you? Like, what do you have going on now that could get in the way of you?

I don't have anything going on. Someone come and say, let's do some health awareness. And I'm with that. I'm like, okay, they know I don't drive, so y'all know, y'all gotta come get me.

So transportation will be one.

Yeah, transportation?

Mm hmm.

Yeah. My daughter, my boys, they in jail, so. But any other way? Yeah, I can get there. If I can get there anyway. I get there.

What incentives or support would make you more likely to join and stay committed to the program? So obviously transportation would be support. What other support or incentives would get you to participate, would you think?

I love. I'm my own supporter, too, as well. If I got to go and book a ride with America United, I can get somebody. They can come pick me up and take me. And I have a friend, he had a transportation service.

Well, what incentives do you think could the program provide or the county provide transportation? Just. Just transportation.

They do provide transportation to a lot of different places, like doing craft fairs and stuff. So they do have a lot of that. A lot of them going on now. For me, I don't want to be around that type of stuff right now because that Covid still around.

Okay, so you still kind of have that?

Yeah, I was thinking kind of.

Yeah.

Cause my head wasn't no joke.

Yeah. Okay. Okay. Well, Miss Sonya, that concludes our interview.

See, we got this.

I appreciate you coming by. Thank you.