Although born in Mississippi, Valerie is a Texas girl at heart, moving to Carrollton at the age of five. She loved gymnastics as a kid, getting to the competition level. She had relatives in both Spain and France, and when she was 16, she spent six weeks in France with family. Her first step after graduating high school was a local community college where she was recognized for her 3.98 GPA. From there she transferred to another college and ended up coaching gymnastics - from tiny tots to competitive gymnasts.
After wrapping up coaching, Valerie made her way into the sales world. She moved down to Houston and met her first husband, which ended up being an extremely toxic relationship involving physical abuse. Ultimately, she tried leaving the situation, but on January 12th, 2013, he shot her through the back, leaving her paralyzed and bleeding on the kitchen floor. While she was in the hospital, the police found him and arrested him. She left the hospital in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the belly button down. She spent recovery back in Dallas with her family, working for her uncle.
In 2017, she began dating a man, a full-time dad with two kids. For two years, the relationship blossomed and she spent a lot of time bonding with the kids in a motherlike way. On November 9th, 2019, they got married. That night, after wedding celebrations, Valerie woke up to use the restroom and ended up falling out of her chair. Unable to get help, she fell asleep on the floor. She woke up to something she never could have imagined, a pool of blood and her foot missing. It was later discovered that their dog, for reasons unknown, chewed her off foot in the night. Doctors did a clean amputation to minimize the possibilities of infection. Valerie was discharged from the hospital right when Covid-19 shut everything down. Two months after losing her leg, her father passed away unexpectedly. Shortly after, her husband asked her to leave and Valerie found herself at rock bottom. ATF trainer and high school classmates with Valerie, Rita Hicks, encouraged her to get involved at the gym. Valerie kept coming around consistently, using sweat equity to help heal her wounds.
Now a part of the ReDefine program, Valerie is not afraid of pushing and challenging herself. She plans on crushing physical goals, ultimately leading to walking unassisted. She also is looking forward to helping redefine her identity and share her story with strength and confidence.
