EP 104: A MOTHER’S INFLUENCE: The Lift Beneath My Wings
A MOTHER’S INFLUENCE: The Lift Beneath Her Wings
A poem for mom, written by Linda Hurtado Bond
As a child I woke up crying
Because I was afraid
You would be gone
My dreams seemed so real
That I would cry actual tears
You’re still with me
The words you send on paper
Your voice my phone
As my best friend, you see
You’re probably the only thing
I couldn’t do without
You scare me in your sorrow
Your grief at things gone wrong
I’m afraid you’ve lost your happiness
And may fall back into sickness
To pave over the pain
And I would lose you
I am a selfish child
When it comes to you
I love you too much to let you go
Please be strong for me
As my thoughts
Are always
strong
For
You
Linda Hurtado Bond wrote this poem to her mother Connie Rae Bond after her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis. The words are packed with emotion, demonstrating how powerful a mother’s influence is. “How can I live without you?” Linda asked as a teen.
Now that she is the mother of five, she understands that it’s her first priority to make sure all five of her children CAN live without her. Not only survive – but thrive.
Hurtado Bond grew up in Greenville, South Carolina with her mother and her stepfather. At fifteen she started her first job at a local ice cream store. The first lesson her mother taught her, “Get an education and do the work. That will set the foundation for your life and leave you able to not only stand on your own two feet but follow the path of your own choosing.” Connie Bond never went to college. Linda Hurtado Bond did, spending 4 years at the University of Georgia, majoring in journalism. She’s now in her 25th year anchoring the news, currently the noon, four, and five o’clock anchor for Tampa’s news leader Fox 13.
Jackie Figueredo, her 19-year-old daughter remembers hearing the phrase “Do the work!” as a child. A 4-sport athlete, Jackie understood first that to excel on any field you must put the time in and practice. Hard work will eventually trump talent. Now a sophomore at Florida Institute of Technology, Jackie works as a residential assistant and a brand ambassador for Endeavor airlines. Jackie shares the company’s messages and outlines opportunities to her fellow students.
Another influence passed down from mother to daughter, “Choose a profession you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Connie Bond always longed to hold down a professional position in management. When she was growing up it wasn’t the norm for women to go to college or have a full-time career. And back then, women were the flight attendants, not the pilot. Connie married Linda’s father, Lt Col. John Vincent Hurtado, who flew cargo planes for the United States Air Force. While she always told Linda being her mother was the greatest job she’d always wished for, Connie recognized that Linda had an early passion for writing and performing and loved current events. She helped steer her toward a college education and a career Linda still loves 25 years later.
Linda’s children showed interest in medicine. Her eldest stepdaughter Jessica is now in her surgical residency in Texas. Her stepson Jayson is working as a nurse at Tampa General Hospital. Her adopted son from Cuba, Barbaro, is a paramedic and firefighter for Tampa Fire Rescue and her youngest, Jillian Rae, intends to become a psychiatrist.
Jackie never showed a passion for anything in the medical field, but after Linda set up a trial flight in a Cessna, Jackie was hooked. During that first flight, pilot Darren Gaines let Jackie fly over the Tampa Bay Bucs stadium, Clearwater Beach, and the Sunshine Skyway bridge! With her parent’s approval and financial help, Jackie earned her private pilot’s certificate when she was 18. She’s never looked back, thankful her parents encouraged her to try different things, until she found her wings and her career path took flight. Jackie is now a Endeavor Air employee (a subsidiary of Delta). She is currently working towards the hours she needs to begin flying commercially. She hopes to influence the next generation of young women, by being the female they see outside the cockpit when they deplane, demonstrating you, too, can pilot the plane.
Connie Bond died of breast cancer, and she influenced her daughter Linda to remain vigilant in her breast health screenings. Because she did, in 2011, doctor’s found Linda’s breast cancer early, at stage zero. It was treatable with surgery, requiring no radiation or chemotherapy. Linda is ten years cancer free now in 2021. But during those ten years, Linda reached out to other cancer patients and survivors, using her TV platform, to spread the importance of screenings and early detection and she brought her daughter, Jackie, with her. Jackie evens speaks at charity events now, realizing at a young age that ‘with a powerful platform comes responsibility’. Her mother also showed her that there is true joy in the act of giving.
Another way Linda influenced Jackie: teaching her to always take the high road, even if it means walking alone. And she's influenced Jackie to walk in the shoes of others to better understand our differences. Traveling to Cuba as a pre-teen, Jackie learned to appreciate her heritage and the way her relatives enjoyed life despite limited resources. As a Residental Assistant at a college with a diverse and international student body, Jackie is both a leader and friend to freshman at the University, handling situations like a a recent shooting on campus.
Finally, Linda has influenced her kids to live life to the fullest without fear – okay with just a healthy amount of fear. From sky diving to zip lining – to flying planes and skiing –she and her husband Jorge have taught all of their children that the wealth of your experiences is what makes you truly rich.
To follow our guests follow these links:
Jackie Figueredo:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.fig.16
Instagram: Jackie_Fig_
Linda Hurtado:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLindaHurtado
Twitter: @lindahurtadofox
Author Email: lindahbond@gmail.com
Author Website: www.lindabond.com
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLindaBond
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlindabond
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8343348.Linda_Bond
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/Bondnewsletter
YouTube: http://bit.ly/lindabondvideos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlindabond/
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