Many times a cliche is over used. That’s not the case in the incredible story of dedication and perseverance that you’re about to read. Tonette Arabie, an employee at Pixus Digital Printing the finest in custom signs and banners, relates to this all too well.
Born the second child of four girls, she grew up in a very non-traditional household. There was plenty of love to go around, rules to follow and discipline that’s usually associated with growing up. But, what make this family’s story so unique is that both parents have been deaf since infancy, and her father blind since the age of thirty-five.
“My love for sports began at an early age.”
“My love for sports began as a young kid,” says Arabie. My dad always found a way to make my games a priority. As the most athletic of four sisters, a common bond grew between myself and my father that is still strong today.”
What makes this story even more incredible is that both her mom and dad were also athletes growing up. Tonette played softball at the age of 5, and not long after began playing basketball at the age of 12 which lasted throughout her high school years.
“But there seemed to be something missing. Football!”
Disappointed from the lack of football leagues for girls, she played with the neighborhood kids, mostly boys, mostly tackle football. On Sundays she and her dad could be found in the family room, commonly participating in the weekly ritual of watching football on television. An avid Saints fan her entire life, she became a season ticket holder approximately three years ago. “My favorite player is Jimmy Graham,” she readily admits without hesitation, and each game would be incomplete if it were not for tailgating in Champions Square in New Orleans.
A couple of things you probably don’t know about Tonette are – She is fluent with A.S.L. and S.E.E. sign languages. She and her boyfriend recently competed in their very first St. Francisville, La. “Warrior Dash,” better known as the Mud Run, a 3 1/2 mile run and swim with 12 obstacles including wall climbs and of course, LOTS of Mud.
“Growing up in a non-traditional household made me extremely competitive, never settling for less than the best and striving to be number one in everything I do. It has taught me how to be a positive team player, always eager to learn and never forget that at times you will fail, but it’s how you bounce back that counts.”
Send all comments, inquiries and suggestions to Mike Latiolais at mike@pixus.com.
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