Nanette and Lenise: Long Lost Cousins Reunited
Nanette Halliburton and Lenise Whitley are cousins. They didn’t find each other until they were adults, but they bonded quickly and deeply once they did. They met when they both attended Nanette’s dad’s wedding. Nanette was finding family members she didn’t know she had, and Lenise welcomed her with open arms. Lenise shared family photos and stories, giving Nanette a history she didn’t know she had. Lenise helped Nanette to really feel a part of the family.
Both cousins dealt with health crises in the coming years. While in between engineering jobs, Nanette cared for her mother, who was living with multiple underlying issues, as well as fighting through Legionnaires disease and an infection that went septic. As Nanette watched the doctors struggle to find just the right balance of medications to help her mother overcome each of her health struggles, she realized that there were things that her mom could have done to address or prevent some of her underlying maladies such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Nanette committed to improve her own fitness and health. She began cycling and running regularly. To help with motivation, Nanette signed up for the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour in 2019 (a cycling event that takes riders through the five boroughs of New York City). She also joined the NYC chapter of Black Girls Do Bike, finding a community of women who motivated and encouraged each other. As Nanette’s fitness improved, her health also improved. She started encouraging others by sharing videos while participating in events. She encouraged friends and relatives to get moving to improve their health.
While Nanette was caring for her mom and making changes in her life, Lenise was dealing with some significant changes in her health. She was diagnosed with liver cancer. Later, she was told that she had pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease. Like Nanette, Lenise is a woman of action. She worked hard to lose weight, improved eating habits, and got involved in pulmonary hypertension support groups. Lenise knew she couldn’t run, or do competitive events, but she wanted to do something to help fellow PH patients. She joined Team PHenomenal Hope several years ago. Since that time, she’s advocated for fellow PH patients, worked with a team to approve applicants for micro-grants from our Megan Michelle Hicks Unmet Patient Needs fund, served as a member of the board of Team PH, and has been a peer-to-peer mentor. A couple of years ago, she asked family members if anyone would like to join the LetMeBeYourLungs program with her. Nanette jumped at the opportunity to do something to support, encourage and embrace Lenise in her fight against PH. Lenise is grateful and deeply blessed by Nanette’s commitment to be her lungs.
Nanette rode and ran in several events as Lenise’s lungs and a representative of Black Girls Do Bike this past year! Her number one goal was to ride 100 miles in one event. Although she didn’t quite make that goal, she made great strides toward it and kept her promise to keep on moving and advocating for others seeking to improve their health. Nanette rode in the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour, a 40-mile bike ride through the 5 boroughs of NYC. She closed in on her 100-mile goal riding a metric century (62 miles) in the Spellbound Century in South Jersey. In August, she completed her second duathlon on Staten Island. Additionally, she also completed the Discover Hudson Valley Ride while riding 54 miles through the grandeur of the Hudson Valley. The farthest she rode this past year was 74 miles. She is well on her way to her goal of completing a century ride! Nanette considers being Lenise’s lungs a great honor.
Nanette Halliburton and Lenise Whitley are strong, independent women who work hard, recognize the blessings in their lives, and seek ways to encourage and advocate for others! We’re so thankful for their efforts on behalf of PH patients through their involvement with Team PHenomenal Hope!
