Interview with Author, and Actress Mindy Dougherty .
Mindy Dougherty please tell my readers about yourself.
I have written an autobiography called A Resilient Warrior available at feedmycity.net
Mindy, what one story do you wish everyone knew about you?
I am a survivor of childhood incest and sexual abuse as well as trauma throughout my adulthood to include having been in 3 comas, 3 transplants to include islet cell, mesenchymal, and exosome stem cell. No matter what life has thrown at me and as many times as I have been knocked down with medical adversities and trauma, I have gotten back up and picked up life as well as one could and believe with one ounce of hope, one can move mountains with their dreams, vision, and accomplishments. I have many talents to include gardening, acting, modeling, producing, writing, and inspiring others via public speaking.
Mindy you changed professions, and released a book, and several movies. What changed in your mind to do this?
I have been in the medical field since I was 18 years old. I have worked my way up from a EMT, phlebotomist, to being a nurse and Watsu Practitioner which I continue to practice. I have stepped away from hospital nursing for a while. When I received the worst medical care one could receive in 2014 at a VA Hospital in San Antonio, Texas for 4 months. It changed my views on life and my profession. I decided to take my anger, frustration, sadness, and turn it into something. I could live with and wrote my autobiography A Resilient Warrior. The book is available on Amazon or an autographed copy at feedmycity.net I decided I needed to stop being silent about everything that had happened to me. And start using my voice and platform for something bigger. I want to help others understand that it doesn’t matter what I have gone through in my life. It is never going to make me want to violate another the way I have been throughout my life. I want to become an advocate for those who have suffered through sexual or childhood abuse. As well as those who have survived domestic abuse. I want to let you know if you are going through this now. Please get yourself out and to a safer situation because you are worth it and your voice matters.
Mindy, what are your goals? Along similar lines what project, or actors, or film do you want to do?
I would love to put on seminars and do public speaking even if it is through Zoom or on another platform during this time of Covid. I would also love to speak on a variety of talk shows and radio shows to get my book out to more people as well as find sponsors and investors who would like to take my book and make it into a movie. I would love to have my voice used in Animation and future films as well.
Mindy, can you talk about your charity and provide a link to it please.
I am the creator and owner of Feed My City. I initially thought I was dying. So I put over $20,000 in my backyard to leave a legacy behind; which include apple, pear, peach, and cherry trees. As well as many berry bushes, and a few grape vines. I thought one day, what if I could help my city? What if I could help my state? What if I could expand it to the USA? Even better what if others wanted to grow with me all around the world. This is where the concept started in 2017, and has continued to grow presently. I would love to create gardens anywhere we can grow. So people can learn to grow both from the inside out but can also share the fruits of their labors with child advocacy groups and food banks like Feed My City does. Feed My City encourages people to grow for themselves and to share extra with others to include their neighbors, so the communities can thrive together. I have personally bought fruit trees and offer an agreement that when the fruit comes in a portion is donated to me so I can give it to local food banks and child advocacy groups.
Mindy locations usually for acting go along the lines of famous movie production houses and or Hollywood, etc. What got you to move to where you are now to start your new profession?
To be honest, I moved to Oregon to heal from the trauma inflicted upon me in 2014. I was bed bound for 3 straight years and had to constantly put my leg above my eyes for 5 years. After receiving a stem cell transplant things drastically changed for me and I sought out different therapies to help my condition that is known as the suicide disease. I have chronic regional pain syndrome which causes constant neurological burning. In the past 2 years, I have made huge strides and have become both mentally and physically stronger to the point of being able to hike, bike, and rock climb. I am able to garden freely here and the community has accepted me.
What is in your life that has made you the happiest? What question do you wish I had asked? And what is your reply to that question? I notice you were in Denver, Colorado.
I was born in New Castle, Delaware in a hospital December 8, 1976. I grew up with a single mother raising my brother and I. My father was not around as he was addicted to both his job and his drugs. I was a scholar athlete in high school and part of Phi Theta Kappa in college because I kept my grade point average above a 3.5. Since I was 5, I could remember watching brain surgery and wanting to be in the medical field, so I joined the Army 4 days after high school. My first duty station was in Illesheim, Germany. I was a field combat medic and my military occupation study (MOS) was called 91B for short. It was at my first duty station that I would be sent to Bosnia by train to Tazar, Hungary then a humvee convoy to Tuzla West, Bosnia where I had contracted appendicitis and pancreatitis at the same time due to a parasite eaten at one of our meal times. Due to the severity of the illness, I was flown back to Germany, and my appendix was taken out in a small German Hospital called Bad Windsheim Krankenhaus. Had I showed up 5 minutes later, the doctors told my friend who carried me in, that I would have been dead. I struggled with pancreatitis for 8 years and despite all of the procedures, steroid injections in the spine for pain, taking portions of my pancreas out 1 section at a time. I had surgeries called puestow, whipple, then finally a pancreatectomy to where the doctor took out my full pancreas, and duodenum while rewiring my intestines which had been rewired with the two previous pancreatic surgeries. After 8 years of pancreatitis, I went to nursing school to make a difference, and to help others going through similar medical issues like myself. I learned how to properly ride a bike and would go on to train for a 65 mile and 100 mile ride called Tour De Cure. It was a group of riders that have Diabetes riding for a cause to find the Cure. In 2014, I suffered a bilateral ankle fracture along with a tibia/fibula fracture. When I went into the Veterans Administration Medical Center Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. I was tortured for four months by the Orthopedic staff and surgeon. I went from 137 to 107 lbs in a very short time. I called some friends of mine to help me out. They drove 16 hours straight to get me. I had to get my nursing assistance's and friends to help me pack as quickly as possible to leave my brand new house. That I had just bought. My relationship that had recently fallen apart as we had been together for 3 years. I had to leave to go to a new city. That I knew nothing about to start over. When I first arrived in Colorado, many doctors would not look at me because once a Veteran is taken care of at a VA Medical Center. Civilians do not want to take the leftovers because it makes them responsible once they have taken over the care. So I called a friend of mine and paid for her flight to come get me and helped me drive to Oregon where I would finally have the metal taken out, received proper physical, occupational, speech, and stem cell therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy for a disorder known as the “Suicide Disease” because of the constant neurological burning that starts at my foot, then travels up my brain, and causes sweating, severe pain, and sweating. As well as neurological changes. I am also a published medical researcher and find it both fascinating and frustrating at the same time. I have taken nursing and put it on the back burner as I am starting a new career in acting and modeling.
Give your promotion pitch about your movies.
I have been in a few movies that will be coming out in 2020 and a few others in 2021 and 1 in 2022.
Dead Dog, Bridge of The Doomed, The Shadow Side, and Capture The Flag, and a Voiceover for I Hear Trees Whispering. I am a Producer on Up All Night, ICON Documentary: A Robert Englund Story, and Bridge of the Doomed. I am Marketing for The Woods Encounter which has been completed, and Capture The Flag which is set to be filmed in 2021.
My IMDB site is https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9972558/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1I am an Executive Producer and actress in a film called Bridge of the Doomed, Associate Producer, Marketing, and Actress for Capture The Flag, Marketing for The Woods Encounter, Actress in The Shadow Side, Voice Over in I Hear The Trees Whispering, Associate Producer for ICON: The Robert Englund Story, Actress in 1 Dead Dog, and Associate Producer in Up All Night. I am also the owner and creator of Feed My City which can be found at feedmycity.net I love teaching people how to grow from a seed which transforms into a plant feeding them with knowledge and comfort by learning how to grow from the inside out. Feed My City will have its first plot in Bend Jail in the future. At this time due to covid, we are currently on hold. My goal is to teach prisoners how to grow and care for plants and trees, which ultimately will feed others as well. After breaking my ankle, I could not walk for over 3 years, so I became a Watsu Practitioner, which helps with PTSD, and other orthopedic issues by providing massage in warm water. Currently, I am in the process of writing an autobiography, and plan on traveling while speaking to high school students about suicide awareness, anti bullying, and what to do in certain situations causing depression, anxiety, and displaced feelings. My goal is to use my book as a platform to reach many who want to experience just one ounce of hope. What I realized through my journey, is that with no hope there really is nothing. With a single ounce of hope, it propelled me to be where I am at today. I am thriving with Diabetes and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Mindy, give your links for my readers to review please.
Feed My City: feedmycity.net
Mindy’s Fight E-reader: https://www.amazon.com/Mindys-Fight-Destination-Journey-Stillness-ebook/dp/B07G3L6G31
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WtrGpsy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtrgpsy/
Youtube NSI Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RYKx5CyRIU LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindyd/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mindydougherty9/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindy.dougherty.9
DoTerra Essential Oils: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/mindy8
Vimeo for Feed My City done by Jesse Roberts:
Author of
Resilience Warrior
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54663773-a-resilient-warrior