About Antoinette Salaam
Our founder, Antoinette Salaam started Glendra’s Love in 2017 after being inspired by her family to try and find something that made her feel like she had a purpose after dealing with several years of health issues. Antoinette is a loving wife, mother of three boys (Sulaiman III, Shakiel, Sr., and Jalil) and one girl (Shakelah) and grandmother of (Sanaa, Samir and Shakiel, Jr.).
Antoinette worked in the accounting department at a local bank for many years and in 2012 her life would change forever after she started experiencing seizures out of nowhere. No diagnosis was ever determined for the seizures but they would eventually debilitate her and cause her to no longer be able to work. Antoinette was in the process of finishing her Master’s Degree in finance from Park University. Due to her illness she had to make a decision whether to quit with only two semesters left or to try to finish school. At that point Antoinette made a decision that it was important to show her children that although she is suffering from an unknown illness she would continue on to finish her degree. Antoinette decided to finish her degree online and with the help of family and friends she was able to finish her degree in 2014 with honors. This would be the last accomplishment Antoinette would be able to reach because from then on she was faced with the reality that she could no longer hold a job and this accomplishment, as great as it was to her, would be useless.
Antoinette suffered from depression all her life but was able to handle it through the years only having bouts of depression every now and then. However, due to her new found illness, the death of her beloved grandmother Girtha Ruffin in 2012 
and ultimately the death of her mother Glendra Raymond in 2016 Antoinette began to suffer from major depressive disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks. By this time Antoinette was unable to work, drive, and due to her anxiety she was unable to go anywhere without the presence of her husband, sister, or one of her children.
Antoinette would begin therapy with a local therapist and was encouraged to try to find ways to calm herself and to do something that she loves to do that would not be stressful or too strenuous for her. Antoinette being taught by her Aunt and cousins to crochet when she was 6 years old and learning to knit in 2011 started looking for items to crochet and knit to her relax and also give her some sense of accomplishment. Antoinette began crocheting and knitting hats and donated them to a local charity Project Neighborly Needs Winter Item Drive. This would provide a feeling of accomplishment but it would only be temporary.
On a day in September 2015 Antoinette would receive a call that would change her life forever, Antoinette’s older sister LaDonna called to inform her that their mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and would be starting chemotherapy within the next few weeks. Once she was a couple of sessions into the chemotherapy she begin to experience severe weight loss and loss of her hair causing her to constantly be cold and would constantly talk about how cold she was during the chemotherapy treatments. Due to Antoinette’s illness she was unable to care for her mother physically but because she loved to crochet and knit so much she found a way she could provide some comfort to her mother by crocheting and knitting her some hats and making her a blanket to take with her during her treatments.
Antoinette had always been a hard worker maintaining a career, raising four children, and helping her husband run a business. Antoinette continually tried to excel at everything she did and it was important for her to establish new goals to reach in every aspect of her life. This depression and seizure disorder had taken all of that away and she began to feel unfulfilled because she went from being so independent and goal driven to being dependent on her family to help with simple tasks like bathing, dressing, walking, chores, etc. Antoinette would find herself needing someone with her constantly after having seizures that resulted in knots, bruises and open wounds. This was not the life she planned for herself and she no longer felt that she had anything to offer anyone.
Antoinette would have a severe breakdown after the death of her mother and her husband and children came together to try to find a way to help her deal with all the loss she had faced in the pass several years. Facing the fact that she loss her health and independence, job, grandmother, and mother she had no more hope. At this time her eldest son decided to try to encourage his mom to try to do something with her crocheting and knitting since she loved to do it so much, it was something that she did not need any help completing, and it was also something that was like meditation to her. Later in the year Antoinette’s husband would suggest the same thing.
One day her five year old granddaughter asked her “ganma what is your dream?” and she responded “Sanaa, I don’t know”. She then asked again “what is your dream?!” She responded “To be a good mother and grandmother” her granddaughter then stated that “you are already a good mother and grandmother, so tell me really what is your dream?” Antoinette then had to say to her granddaughter that she doesn’t know, she can’t do anything for herself anymore so she hasn’t had a dream or goal in a long time. The look on her granddaughter’s face was telling and made Antoinette wonder what she could do to show her granddaughter, as she did her children, that through any struggle you face you still can set goals for yourself and accomplish them.
During the week of July 23, 2017 Antoinette was having a really rough week being really depressed about the fact that her mother’s birthday was 
approaching and it being the first year she would be gone on her birthday. Antoinette was really depressed and found herself feeling hopeless again. Antoinette had two seizures that week one resulting into a emergency room visit and stitches above her eye the dread of her current situation was increasingly gloomier.
On July 29, 2017 Antoinette was having a talk with her daughter about what her plans were for her future and it finally came back to her the moment she gave those hats and blanket to her mom and how happy it made her. It finally clicked for Antoinette the question that her granddaughter asked her “what is your dream?” the answer: to give back someway and honor my mother at the same time. All that time her husband, children, and even her grandchild were guiding her to this conclusion.
Antoinette posted her idea on Facebook and although it did not receive a lot of posts it received the necessary posts. Family and friends began offering their services in one way or another. 
One offered her services in building a website, a couple offered to donate yarn, and others offered to donate handmade items to the cause. Her sister LaDonna Bowles was also important to the process as well providing ideas for the name of the organization and mission. It came together so easily, she even had the first clinic she would donate to by the end of the day (thanks to her best friend Starr Greer).
Although Antoinette’s life will never be what it once was, Antoinette finally found something she could do again and do it to honor her mother Glendra Raymond thanks to the constant support of her family and friends. On July 31, 2017 she was blessed to start the journey of Glendra’s Love (thank you Sheri Jackson for your help with everything).
Even though time can get really hard remember to continue to pose this question to yourself “What is your dream?” I think God will reveal it to you if you just keep listening.
The journey is just beginning for Antoinette, jump on and enjoy the ride!
~May the Peace that only God can give be with you!