Java Sparkles #1369

What do you do for a living?
I’m a school bus driver. It's actually really good practice for Derby Awareness is super important when you're driving a 40 foot metal twinkie through after school traffic. 

What is your favorite thing about roller derby?
I get to go fast and hit people with my butt. And also the support we all give each other.

Have you had any derby injuries?
I do! I tore my Posterior Cruciate Ligament during scrimmage on August 11th 2015. I have to wear a brace when I play now, and sometimes when I'm doing non-derby things too.

What motto do you live by?
Die with memories, not dreams.

Tell us something about yourself we don't know.
I have a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis. It's something I was born with, so I don't know what it's like to not have it. It delivers exactly what it says on the tin: Nerve fibers growing rapidly. I can get tumors of nerve fiber literally anywhere I also have nerves. Yes. Even there. They're not cancer, and they don't hurt too bad, or even at all after a while. I'm really lucky, some people become very disabled with it. It's super important to me that more people know about it so that we step up research.

How many pets do you have? What kind?
We have two cats named Paige and Zoe, we have two frogs named Fred and George, a snail named Sergei and a guinea pig named Puff.

How long have you been skating?
I have been skating for over 40 years, but only about 10 of that with derby.