W ith a spirit as unique as colors cast by a prism in the sun, Donna Michelle Ballard-Connery has always been fully present in life.

Born December 24th 1970, Donna Michelle Ballard, known simply to her family as Michelle, arrived in this world “almost a Christmas baby.” Her proud parents, Larcia and Arthur Ballard, Sr. welcomed their infant daughter at the Holy Family Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of four, Donna was raised with her two brothers Lonnie and Arthur, and her sister, Antoinette (Toni). Although not biological, Donna was also raised with one other sister, Shirley Carswell.

Donna’s formative years were shaped in a close, working-class neighborhood in Southwest Atlanta. Typical for youth growing up in Atlanta during the 70’s and 80’s, she grew up enjoying R&B music, going to malls, movies, parties, and hanging out. Donna spent her weekends with her brothers and sister working at her father’s business in downtown Atlanta. Donna’s father, Arthur Ballard Sr., a military veteran who was born in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression. He ran tailoring and dry cleaning businesses in Atlanta and Dublin, Georgia. Knowing the impact that racism and the lack of education would have on their lives, he instilled in Donna and her siblings the importance of hard work. By the age of twelve, Donna began to form ideas about what she wanted to do with her life. Although her curiosity for banking and finance would not mature until later in life, she often wondered what went on in the Atlanta Federal Reserve, a building she routinely passed in route to her father’s business. Donna’s early career interest was influenced by members in her community. Inspired by noted architect and close neighbor, David Snyder, young Donna imagined her life as an architect or engineer. Snyder encouraged Donna to pursue advanced math courses. While Snyder was able to convince Donna that there was nothing she could not achieve, especially in the area of math and science if she applied herself, it was Donna’s mother, Larcia, who helped shape her vision of herself And what she could become.

Larcia, born in the 1930’s in Dublin, Georgia, about 140 miles southeast of Atlanta, was raised in a family with deep southern roots and a strong work ethic. Larcia significantly impacted Donna’s academic development by insisting on good grades and staying clear of becoming a teen parent. Barely out of her teens when she met Donna’s father, Arthur Sr., Larcia moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she found jobs as a domestic while she and Arthur raised their young family. It was during this time she became very devoted to ensuring all her children received a quality education, knowing that education would be the only path out of a life of poverty. Donna and her siblings attended private African American-owned secondary schools where discipline, excellence and high standards were expected.

After graduating from Fredrick Douglass High School in 1988, Donna attended Howard University where she majored in Finance. While attending Howard University in Washington DC, Donna quickly became involved with student government and various business student activities. Donna achieved several professional feats which helped set her apart from her peers: she became a licensed stock broker – passing the Series 7 exam by age 18, held an internship on Wall Street, and completed a summer study in finance at the London School of Economics. Most noted of her pre-professional experiences while in college was being selected as the first intern at the prestigious Harvard Management company which runs the Harvard University endowment in Boston. Donna boldly pitched her skills to the Harvard Endowment’s CFO, earning her a year-long internship at the multibillion organization.

Donna graduated from Howard University in May of 1993. After which she secured a position at Merrill Lynch in New York City as a Bond Analyst. During her tenure, Donna got a dose of reality. Being a young Black woman working on Wall Street, she experienced the challenges that were all too common for women and minorities: lack of mentoring, coaching and development, interest from managers and leadership. This led Donna to take 1995 to 1996 off to write, Doing It for Ourselves: Success stories of African American Women, a compilation of accounts about the experiences of successful Black executive women in finance, law, entertainment and other professions.

While awaiting the publication of her book, Donna returned to Atlanta to live with her family for a brief period. When the book was published in 1997, Donna recalled a story of her mother toasting to her success with a glass of milk instead of champagne; it was one of the nicest moments of the process of writing the book.

Shortly after publishing her book, Donna took a position with Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture). Based in Hartford, Connecticut, the job required weekly travel, living in hotels and out of a suitcase, and often unforeseen layovers when flights were delayed or canceled. A little over a year later, Donna decided that consulting wasn’t a good fit. She began searching for an opportunity out West to pursue her creative passions and was accepted into UCLA’s six weeks screenwriting program. Her love for writing and creating things from nothing made the writing program feel like the natural progression for her life.

After her move to Los Angeles in 1998, Donna found temporary finance jobs at Sony, Warner Brothers, and Disney Studios. In early 2000, Donna was hired by Universal Studios in Studio City as a Sales Analyst in the Home Entertainment division. Shortly after, she met and wed her first husband. While the marriage didn’t endure, Donna was blessed by the birth of her son, Kyle Forgues, in 2001.

In 2003, Donna moved with her son to Pleasanton, California to get a fresh start. In this family-friendly Northern California community, just one hour from San Francisco, Donna could “just be a mom” and enjoy life raising her son.

Donna would spend the next fifteen years, from 2003 to 2018, raising Kyle in this quiet residential town. As a single mom she would learn the challenges of raising a child on her own and trying to hold down a job to keep the family running with very little help. It was during this time that she rebuilt her finance career, rising in the ranks to executive leadership at two Bay Area companies.

In 2018, Donna decided it was time to put some real roots in the ground and built a home in Rocklin, California, a town northeast of Sacramento. With Kyle heading off to college in 2019, Donna had time to rethink her next move in life. In 2022, she was accepted into Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Executive Education program. Donna was also in a different stage of life where she was open to real companionship. In 2021, Donna met Brian Connery, an Atlanta resident, who gave her a reason to believe in love again. Brian and Donna married in April 2023.

Late in December of 2022, Donna fell in her kitchen, injuring her leg. Most of us would chalk this event up to just being clumsy, but for Donna, the fall began a year of doctor visits and a journey into progressive weakness and disability.

As 2023 approached, although she was experiencing pain in her legs and overall weakness, Donna ignored the pain and sporadic symptoms to focus on her upcoming wedding. Donna and Brian were married in the spring of 2023 followed by a honeymoon in South Africa. Unfortunately, during the honeymoon, Donna’s symptoms were worrying.

Upon their return home and with her symptoms continuing to be troubling, Donna began seeking answers. By the summer of 2023, Donna’s medical team had mentioned several “possible diagnoses.” They began considering denervation in her right leg, which she damaged when she fell in her kitchen in 2022. After tests found evidence of denervation in both legs, Donna’s medical team also conducted an electromyogram (EMG) and extensive blood tests. The electromyogram test is a diagnostic procedure that assesses the health of muscles and nerve cells (motor neurons). The results of Donna’s EMG revealed nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction, and problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission. Neurological dysfunction can include these symptoms: shortness of breath; changes in motor control with weakness in the legs, arms, and hands; muscle stiffness (spasticity); difficulty swallowing; slurred speech; fatigue; and uncontrolled laughing or crying. While Donna certainly didn’t have all of these symptoms, she was referred to a Stanford Medical Center neurologist specializing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) for further testing and evaluation.

On the day before Thanksgiving, 2023, Donna learned her diagnosis was indeed ALS. With her head swimming with this news, her thoughts turned to sorting through everything and getting her affairs in order in preparation for the impending loss of function as her ALS progressed.

The diagnosis of ALS is daunting to say the least and for Donna and her new husband, Brian, they would spend the next three months completely renovating their home and coordinating with various caregivers and vendors to prepare for the rapid physical changes to Donna’s body would endure. Within the first few months after being diagnosed Donna went from being fully functional person to being completely wheelchair dependent. The dramatic sweep of changes impacted the couple mentally, financially and emotionally. Yet through Grace and God’s help, the love of friends and family, they are pushing through what is an enormous battle.

Donna knew her disability would impact her relationship with her husband, son, and other family members as well as friends. In short, she knew Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) would impact every aspect of life from relationships to her emotional well-being to the spiritual aspects of her soul. Donna knew nothing would ever be as it had been before her diagnosis.

Unfortunately, by January 11, 2024, Donna was forced to step away permanently from her job as the Director of Sales Compensation for Rakuten, an e-commerce company in the Bay Area. With legs too weak to stand and hands too weak to type or write, it was clear her professional career was over. She needed assistance with nearly all daily living activities. The reality of living with a disability is a diminishment of choices and an increase in anxiety. Individuals living with ALS have restrictive lungs disease due to progressive muscle weakness. Nearly all deaths from ALS is due to respiratory failure.

It should be noted that the ALS organization states that the average annual financial cost of care for an individual with ALS is approximately $250,000. Insurance coverage pays for some expenses but many costs are not covered, creating economic hardship for those managing ALS.

In an unguarded moment, Donna admits that ALS takes away the ability to function, just a little bit every day. She is keenly aware of her growing loss of identity (who she was before ALS) and independence. When asked if she had cried, she replied, “Yes, and I’ve cried and asked God to let me know why I have this disease and for strength.” She continues, “I’ve been angry at times that I have to ask others to help me after a lifetime of independence but this is God’s will not mine.”
Those who are blessed to know Donna, understand her core values include honesty, fairness, gratitude, showing up, and valuing relationships. Her advice to family and future generations is to think about the way you talk to yourself. Keep a positive mindset and NEVER give others power over you. Always find a way to reach out and help others.