The One Where Lala Spills The Tea On Herself & Welcomes Burn Survivor Aaliyah Shepard

00:00:06
Speaker 1: Hello, my beautiful ladies and gen sure, there's a couple gents. Just all my folks, all my people. Welcome to another episode of Give Them La La. What day is it?

00:00:20
Speaker 2: What day is it?

00:00:21
Speaker 1: Well, it's this stile air Wednesday.

00:00:23
Speaker 2: It's Monday right now.

00:00:24
Speaker 1: But this layer feeling a little like, can I tell you I've realized that when I decide to go and do something, mm hmm, if I go to bed, let's just say anytime after midnight, Like, it's all the same after that, when you're going to bed after midnight, I could be going to bed at midnight and it might as well be five in the morning, because it's all no matter. If I get eight hours of sleep, I'm the next morning, I'm gonna feel sick. I'm gonna feel depleted. I'm not gonna be digging life.

00:00:56
Speaker 2: That is the same for me. That's so weird. Yeah, yeah, that's the same for me. If I go to bed after midnight, and it doesn't matter if I have one drink or five, I will feel the same. So usually when I go out, I just don't drink because I'm like, what's the point.

00:01:09
Speaker 1: What's the point?

00:01:10
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:01:11
Speaker 1: Well, and I told my my mom I tell my beautiful mother because we're obsessing over a Game of Thrones right now and like I cannot stop watching. Yeah, but I told her, like, when the clock hits eleven, we're done.

00:01:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, you go to bed.

00:01:28
Speaker 1: I go to bed. There's no more because if we push into midnight, my my whole next day is going to be shot.

00:01:35
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:01:36
Speaker 1: And even though it's a weekend, Like my kid doesn't care. Yeah, my kids like time to wake up and play and run around.

00:01:43
Speaker 2: And it's exhausting right right, and just but.

00:01:46
Speaker 1: Just like if I go to bed too late, I'm like fuck this.

00:01:48
Speaker 2: And it's easy to do that with Game of Thrones because you're like, just one more. We have to see what happens next, like just one more. And then with Game of Thrones, next thing, you know, it's freaking three am.

00:01:58
Speaker 1: Three in the morning, and I'm having to wake up and be mom and run a business and put food on the table and pay these bills.

00:02:06
Speaker 2: So you're exhausted today, You don't seem it.

00:02:09
Speaker 1: I don't know, not at all.

00:02:10
Speaker 2: You look your skin is glowing. She's got the pony Bunton, which, if you guys don't know, is the new is the new style. It's actually starting to get probably old now, because it's been like going strong for about two weeks.

00:02:22
Speaker 1: But it's two weeks and it's over, and I'm just caught on.

00:02:26
Speaker 2: It's the thing that Kim Kardashian and all these supermodels have been wearing.

00:02:30
Speaker 1: I'm so done with that. By the way, Kim. Kim Kardashian brings back the middle part, go fuck yourself. I've been rocking that shit since the first grade.

00:02:38
Speaker 2: I know the middle.

00:02:39
Speaker 1: Kim Kardashian brings back the swoop Bang. No, I've been rocking that shit all season, I know. But because my season doesn't air until God knows when it's gonna look like Kim Kay did it with shame, do it like like Kent did it first looks better, But make no mistake, the swoop Bang never went out of stock.

00:03:00
Speaker 2: That's true. That's true.

00:03:02
Speaker 1: I love me some, Kim Kardashian. Yeah, you know that, I like, I only know for celebrities. Yeah, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Beyonce, Haley Beaber yeap.

00:03:13
Speaker 2: No, that's true.

00:03:14
Speaker 1: Done, she says.

00:03:15
Speaker 2: Done. Okay, So with that, you didn't come in today seeming exhausted to me, But you did seem over some things. You seem just like I'm done with these things? Can we share with what they are? We're bored with something?

00:03:30
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, just can I tell you so? Like I'm familiar with the athlete game. When I was a youngin like early twenties, I loved I loved a good athlete. Right, I'm so bored with them now?

00:03:47
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:03:48
Speaker 2: Why like you?

00:03:49
Speaker 1: Because I'm I just am I'm like, you dribble a ball, Okay, you got the wrong audience member unimpressed, right, you dribble a basketball. You may be great at it, like great, perfect, it's cool. Yeah, but I'm like, what you think you don't gotta like show up? You got to show up.

00:04:05
Speaker 2: Like you gotta give me something anything.

00:04:08
Speaker 1: Right, And it's like you're asking me all of these things, and then I respond to you and it's I'm just bored. Yeah, Like I'm just bored. I don't think it's just an athlete thing. I just think it's a day and age thing. You know. It's like I'm no stranger to what these men are doing. I know I'm one of seventy two hundred chicks that you're talking to. Sliding in my DM got it. Yeah, all right. I don't think I'm special to you, but like, don't make me be bored.

00:04:37
Speaker 2: Don't make me bored. It's the and people know.

00:04:41
Speaker 1: It's don't make me be bored.

00:04:42
Speaker 2: Don't make me be bored. This, don't make me be bored putting that on a T shirt. No, it's like the thing where in this might not be true and some people are gonna.

00:04:56
Speaker 1: Hate me for it.

00:04:56
Speaker 2: But it's like the the hot girl or the super hot guy with no personality. And I know that's not the case because look at you, Lalla. I know that's not the case with everyone. But there is like something where if you have a certain talent or you're super super hot, your personality in some people just kind of falls by the wayside or the effort is just not there. It's like here, I am, my presence is gift enough. I don't have to keep a conversation going. I don't have to keep it interesting. And that's not the vibe, no, because.

00:05:27
Speaker 1: When you're boring, you're forcing me to be boring and I'm not boring. And let's be honest, I'm not walking in here. Look in like Irena shake all right, I know my place. I know my place, so like you need to know your place right because you're not. Michael B. Jordan's all right, wait to see single, Oh yeah, Michael. Can I tell you though, I loved when so Michael B. Jordan came in a close second to Kobe Bryant For me. I used to watch Hardball every single day with Keanu Reeves. I don't know if you ever saw it the Baseball movie okay, and Michael B. Jordan played Jamal and when Jamal makes his exit or Michael B. Jordan makes his exit, which is like middle of the movie, and then he doesn't come back until the very end, Okay, I would stop the movie and start it from the beginning because I'm like, all I want to see is a freaking Jamal on the screen.

00:06:28
Speaker 2: So he was younger, then he was a baby.

00:06:31
Speaker 1: He was so young really, and then all of a sudden years later, and can I tell you he was so hard to look up on the internet because you look at Michael B. Jordan and he was like he had maybe like a couple movies, yea, and Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's like, where the fuck can I look up Michael B. Jordan, Like they meet him on my screen somewhere.

00:06:50
Speaker 2: Have you ever seen him in person? No, Okay, I'm interested to see if he's got like I've heard that he has like the most like you know how sometimes you see hot people and then he.

00:07:00
Speaker 1: In person You're like, okay, it's a little I think he might be on the shorter side though, is he heard he's on the shorter side.

00:07:05
Speaker 2: But I've heard his energy and his like way of carrying himself. Height doesn't matter. He's just like he's just like the lead.

00:07:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, coming in hot. However, I was sleeping with someone for a while okay this was years ago who was like extremely close to him.

00:07:21
Speaker 2: Oh like thick, thick, thick, and you never did you get any tea on him?

00:07:25
Speaker 1: Or no? Can I tell you what? I'm so not that person. You don't want I need tea?

00:07:31
Speaker 2: Yeah I'm good or just like some I like tea if it's like innocent, like if you knew that, like, oh my god, he's obsessed with cats. He has like seventeen in his.

00:07:40
Speaker 1: House and like, oh my god, and I want to talk about it.

00:07:43
Speaker 2: That's the kind of tea you know.

00:07:44
Speaker 1: When people were saying when we ask people like what do you want to see on the podcast? And they were like, more tea, spilly. I'm like that ain't me. No, I'm not the type of person where I hear something because, by the way, I know a lot of shit.

00:07:55
Speaker 2: I know, I know, I know, you know, Yeah, you totally do.

00:07:59
Speaker 1: I can just tell like, I'm well aware of all the Kathy Hilton stuff that went on behind the scenes.

00:08:05
Speaker 2: You are, I've been reading about that. I'll have to ask you off of the podcast.

00:08:10
Speaker 1: I just it's not my I don't need to talk about it, right, I know so much right that if I were to run over to one of these little Bravo blogs and share the tea is piping hot, the English breakfast is ready to be spilled, all right. But I'm just saying I just don't care, Like what is you know?

00:08:28
Speaker 2: What does it do for you?

00:08:29
Speaker 1: Yeah? I'm the person who hears things and then I'm like, oh cool, moving on. So this is not the podcast to come to hear me spilling the teeth. I always tell people, if you want good teeth, yeah, you head over to the Juicy Scoop.

00:08:50
Speaker 2: Speaking of tea, though, this is the tea tea you're gonna get on.

00:08:52
Speaker 1: This podcast, there's a lot of tea about myself.

00:08:54
Speaker 2: I'm constantly telling you on MYLF but that is good because you have the right to do that.

00:08:59
Speaker 1: It's you that I could spill.

00:09:04
Speaker 2: The lalla ta you'll hear is a lalat And I are actually going to be in New York this week.

00:09:10
Speaker 1: I need it so bad. Just I don't know what it is about today. Yeah, I even post it on social media. I'm like, I'm going to be very vulnerable night right now, Like my life is so weird and I usually wake up in a fantastic mood. And what's weird is that, like TMI, right now, I'm like on the tail end of your period, my friend, okay, And it's usually at the beginning where I'm like a raging and I know, I'm like, okay, lot, you just got to like sit in the bed before you take everyone out. You know why you're feeling this way. But I'm feeling like that today. Are you just a little bit like defeated? Like so I post it because I'm looking forward, like I just want to go and be around people who are uplifting to me and inspiring. And I'll be honest, who want to show me a lot of love, Like I need love right now. I'm a needy bitch right now.

00:10:01
Speaker 2: You're a needy bitch right now. Yeah, I don't feel it, but I I didn't even see that post. I'm going to look at it right now. But what I love about this it's event at shopify in Soho and you can find the details about it on Lawless page and stuff. But is that you get to just like it's almost like tour because I remember how much you loved talking one on one with your people before the show, and this is like that where you're gonna be able to talk to them one on one and take photos and stuff. And I remember how much that seemed to lift you up. So I'm excited lift that.

00:10:35
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, because I feel like people that are coming like they're just my people.

00:10:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're people.

00:10:44
Speaker 1: I just want to feel like inspired. It's my first ever pop up for the brand. So we're gonna have like all my merch, We're gonna have beauty skin, give them la la baby Like it's so people can come. We can bump gums if you want to shop. You can shop if you want to just have a drink and bump gums like.

00:11:03
Speaker 2: It's free to show up.

00:11:04
Speaker 1: Just RSVP all you have to do. That's the other thing. Yeah, it's just an experience. Just click the yeah and show it all in. If you want to buy something, you buy something. If you don't, you don't like whatever, let's just hang out. So I'll post it again. I'll post the link again.

00:11:21
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:11:21
Speaker 1: Coming to New York October first, I really really what is going on.

00:11:26
Speaker 3: With my three?

00:11:27
Speaker 2: I had hiccups for five hours yesterday.

00:11:29
Speaker 1: I haven't had hiccups since I was like a child. Like Ocean gets them all the time.

00:11:33
Speaker 2: I don't want to eat something spicy. Is that when she gets them? When she eats something spicy.

00:11:37
Speaker 1: Well, I don't give my one spicy food. Yeah, after she has a Tabasco sauce, she really gets digg ucks. I love you, jess Not a mom, You're.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: Not so not a mom yet?

00:11:50
Speaker 1: Epos? Does she get them too?

00:11:52
Speaker 4: No?

00:11:53
Speaker 1: She does not.

00:11:54
Speaker 2: Sometimes I think like, oh my god, I could do this mom thing. And other times I'm like I'm never going to be able to have a baby because I just don't know some things.

00:12:02
Speaker 1: No, Jessica, you have a working brain, all right. When you have the baby, you're gonna know, hot sauce probably not a good idea for my one and a half year old. Right back to what I was saying, Yes, all you have to do is RSVP. I'm coming to New York October first, is when you guys can come hang out and play with me in Flameland. And also Sophia Franklin, yes, is going to be there, and she's the one who is going. We're doing like a little one on one interview.

00:12:30
Speaker 2: With a Q and a after. So if you want tea, I mean, maybe Laala will spill, maybe she won't, but you could at least ask.

00:12:36
Speaker 1: Right by the way, that's the thing. I'm gonna overshare her. Yeah, So when people ask me things, I haven't. I have not conquered the art of being like next question.

00:12:45
Speaker 2: No, not at all, Because on tour people would ask her things and I would be like in the wings, like shaking my head no, like don't answer it, and then she would go off and I.

00:12:54
Speaker 1: Was like, no, I know, I need to I need to learn how to shut up.

00:12:58
Speaker 2: No.

00:12:58
Speaker 1: They loved it, well, yeah, and then I suffer the repercussions of oversharing. It happens every time, that's true, and the links in her bio.

00:13:06
Speaker 2: By the way, I just I was checking to make.

00:13:08
Speaker 1: Sure coming out with me because I'm needy and I need you guys to lift my spirits. And by the way, I post it because I'm leaving my mom at home because I'm like, you know what, this is my time, because I have like a few boys living in New York where I'm like, you know what, come one, come all. Maybe I don't care. We rip the band aid off. There's no turning back. We'll see.

00:13:33
Speaker 2: So if you see La La out and about in New York with a fine looking man, mind your business, keep walking your business.

00:13:42
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I met the hottest guy over the weekend too.

00:13:45
Speaker 2: Can we Okay, so I saw a picture of him. I mean, she's not lying, but can we get into that at all? No, how you met him? Or do you want to keep this all close?

00:13:53
Speaker 1: I want to keep it close, keep it close for right now, okay, right now, and then I want to spill all the tea on it.

00:13:58
Speaker 2: Oh my god, you.

00:13:59
Speaker 1: Know see, let's just let's see. Today's episode is really inspiring because you know, I love this podcast because we can bring people on who have incredible stories and hold on. Jess it's my mom. Okay, Mom, Hi, baby, you want to see Cruisy? Say yeah, Okay, I go baby, I love you. All right, I'm gonna finish this podcast. Hi, I'm gonna finish this podcast, and then I'm coming home and we're gonna go to Britney's house. Okay, okay, all right, I love you. Oh, I'll see you in a second. I love you, Bye baby, Okay, bye bye bye? How stinging cute? Was that? So about my guest? She wrote me a letter. It was a letter that I want to have framed because her story is devastating but absolutely uplifting, and she's a survivor. She's a burn victim who is now I believe, in the fifth grade, and I just want you guys to hear her story. I think it's important to hear people's stories, especially these young kids, where they experience things that not many people have experienced. It has shaped her entire life. And I mean the letter she wrote me. I just I wrote her back and said, I am so excited to see what you do in your future because someone who's been through what she's been through at that age, and just the way that she wrote me and her mom is amazing. So I'm very excited. Without giving too much away and telling you guys her story, I want it to come from her and her mom. So my next guest is Aliyah, and you guys will hear her up next. Okay, I'm super excited about this guest. Not only am I excited, I'm extremely inspired. Her name is Aliah. She sent me a letter and the cutest T shirts for me in ocean. Aliyah, how are you my love?

00:16:22
Speaker 3: Good?

00:16:23
Speaker 1: Good? We like that. So for my listeners who don't know you or your story, can you tell us about who you are?

00:16:32
Speaker 3: My name is Eliah Shepherd and I've born survivor.

00:16:36
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, By the way, you're absolutely beautiful. I mean that face. Hi Mom. We got Aliah's mama with us too, Alia, are you comfortable sharing with my listeners how you became a burn victim? Because I have your bio in front of me, and just how old you were and what that was like for you?

00:16:58
Speaker 4: Yes, when I was eight years old, I leaned over a candle and I barn for myself.

00:17:08
Speaker 3: Well, the fire caught up to my suret into flyings.

00:17:12
Speaker 1: And like when that happened? What I mean, Mom, were you there?

00:17:16
Speaker 4: No, So we had left to go to the store too.

00:17:21
Speaker 3: Because it was my older daughter's birthday the next day. So my husband and I left the.

00:17:25
Speaker 4: Store with the other kids, and my oldest said, she's like, my mom can watch to Leah.

00:17:31
Speaker 3: We'll be fine, and I said okay. On our way back.

00:17:34
Speaker 4: Is when we got the call from my oldest daughter and all she said was Aliah's on fire, Houses on fire and hung up the phone. So we instantly panicked and sped home. We were probably like thirty seconds from home. We pulled up, We ran upstairs to our apartment and my oldest was just pulling Aleah out of the shower and she.

00:17:57
Speaker 3: Was completely burnt.

00:18:00
Speaker 4: The whole front torso was burned, the whole back and she had pieces of like her legs that were burned.

00:18:07
Speaker 3: The whole back of her head was completely like singed and burned.

00:18:11
Speaker 4: All the hair was gone, and there was like little fires throughout our house, and my husband started putting the fires away, And at that time I worked at the hospital, so my instant reaction was just to hold her arms up because I knew if she put her arms down.

00:18:26
Speaker 3: Then it was gonna stick together. And so we had called one in one.

00:18:35
Speaker 4: Ironically, there was two other fires going on in our apartment complex at the same time as ours, due to different things, and so every time we called the fire department, they thought that we were calling for those ones. They were all ready going off, so they weren't coming to our house.

00:18:54
Speaker 3: And so I ran outside.

00:18:56
Speaker 4: We got one of the firemen and they came to our house, and they knew they had to get her to the hospital right then. And the shirt that she was wearing is one of those sequin ones. Well, when she leaned over the candle, that pulled the fire, and so it instantly caught her on fires like she was engulfed in flames like instantly, and all of those sequins melted into her chest. And so when she got to the hospital, they knew that they were that they couldn't treat her because we lived in Idaho, and so they knew they had to life flight her somewhere else, and so they life flighted her to Utah. And when she got to Utah, my husband had flown with her, and I was pregnant with our last son, and the doctor called and.

00:19:40
Speaker 3: She was like, you me get down here now.

00:19:44
Speaker 4: She's not gonna make it, and so I went into panic mode.

00:19:49
Speaker 3: I drove to Utah instantly.

00:19:52
Speaker 4: She had coated on the way to Utah, and then two more times in Utah, and the first week was like the hardest week because everything kept going wrong, like she was coding.

00:20:05
Speaker 3: They didn't think she.

00:20:05
Speaker 4: Was going to make it, and so she died and they would have to bring her back. So she did that three times, and so they were like, she's not going to make it, and so they were having us like make funeral arrangements, like preparing us, and uh, I think that that was like the scariest thing in the world. And then they put her into an induced coma and then after that they were like, well, she's not going to be a normal kid if she overcomes this, because she was burned on over thirty nine percent of her body with third, fourth and fift degree burns.

00:20:38
Speaker 1: But she did a survivor right there, Aliah, do you remember any of it? Yes, I mean, at the age of eight, I can't even imagine. And then you know, you just I mean I'm looking at you and you're definitely, like I said, a survivor. And for someone to tell you as a mom, I now can understand because I have a daughter. If someone were to tell me, number one, your kid is engulfed in flames and then their heart is stopping, I mean, I can't even imagine what you were going through in that moment. So after you find out like she's going to be okay, you know she's going to survive, what was the next step that they told you to take?

00:21:24
Speaker 4: At first, we still weren't out of the woodworks. So every week was like a closer step two. Okay, we're getting a survival rate. So with fifth degree burns, that means that the fire has gone down into your muscle and has now hit like your bones and stuff. So they removed a lot of her muscle out of her back, her arm, her hip, and they said that she want to walk again, they said she want to ride again. And we were prepared that, you know, we were going to have a disabled child.

00:21:58
Speaker 3: And then.

00:22:00
Speaker 4: For us it was more like because both my husband and I were very strong individuals, We've come from very hard backgrounds, and so we're like, we can't do that.

00:22:10
Speaker 3: We can't let her make this like a disability.

00:22:13
Speaker 4: And so every time they would come in and want to do something new, we'd get to try to encourage her to do make sure that she did it, you know. But then like so she's had thirteen surgeries so far, and so and she's not done. So after the first couple of weeks, like when we were in the we were in like what I call the gray area of either she'll make it or she won't. She had to keep having autographs done and hemo graphs, and the autographs are or sorry, the hemographs are when they use like kadab or skin, and so they would use that to her tissue back so that we could use or do the autographs.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: And so for her, she had five of.

00:23:07
Speaker 4: Those done, and we spent almost three months in the hospital in Salt Lake, and there we met so many like the nicest people, Like Utah has some of the nicest people ever, and.

00:23:22
Speaker 3: We've like grew a whole family there in Utah.

00:23:24
Speaker 4: But we uh would have to go through through physical therapy daily, we'd have to go through wound care daily, She'd have to she kept getting regrafted and then we finally got to go home after almost three months. And when we went home, she continued to have grafting done. Actually goes next month for another surgery, surgery number fourteen.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: Tiya because you said you'd worked in a hospital at the time. Correct, had you ever seen anything like this or dealt with anything like this or was a lot of this sort of brand news?

00:23:58
Speaker 3: Now all of this was brand I knew to all of us.

00:24:01
Speaker 4: So I worked in the lab, so I only you know, mess with blood, that was it.

00:24:07
Speaker 3: This was even for because we lived in.

00:24:09
Speaker 4: A small town in Idaho, So even for our doctors and our nurses there, it was like horrifying because they'd never none of them actually knew how to handle this situation right, And they were calling like other hospitals and surrounding areas that did burn, like you dealt with burn survivors and stuff, and asking them questions and so it was pretty intense because we didn't know what to do or any of that.

00:24:38
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, how would you know what to do? I mean, it's like, to be honest, I didn't even know that fifth degree burns existed until I got your guys's letter. You know, my grandfather I experienced he caught on fire and had third degree burns on his back. So when I read fifth degree burns, So I'm so glad that you you said what that meant, that it goes to the bone. How would you know how to deal with that? So for her fourteenth surgery that she's going back for, first, I want to ask you, probably a stupid question, Aliah, you've been through thirteen of these. Is it something you're used to or every time you have to go in do you get nervous? I know that it's a really silly question, but I just want to know.

00:25:23
Speaker 4: Many times when I go in, I get nervous, but then some like the other few times, I'm used to it.

00:25:30
Speaker 1: All right, So the fourteen surgery, and what will that one entail?

00:25:33
Speaker 4: Right now, they want to do more lasering. She gets lazed during every couple months and they may have to do more grafting, and then we are waiting for a time period. It might be like Christmas break or something. She's gonna have to have a major surgery where nope, showing there, She's going to have to have a major surgery where they regraft all of her armpits and everything.

00:26:00
Speaker 3: So when they do that, that's that Those are the scary ones.

00:26:05
Speaker 1: Those are the scary ones, yeah.

00:26:06
Speaker 4: Because usually she's very prone to staff infection. Okay, and so those are the ones where they're scary like her last one. She had her hips regrafted and she had developed staff.

00:26:20
Speaker 3: And merca in her hip. And so they have my bleach faths.

00:26:25
Speaker 4: And there's a big medical term for m but I can't remember, but anyways, it's a bleach fath. So essentially they're just pouring bleach over that open wound.

00:26:34
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:26:35
Speaker 2: And so.

00:26:37
Speaker 3: Those are the scariest ones. So we're waiting for that one.

00:26:41
Speaker 1: So I want to know, a Leah, what what do you like to do? I mean, all of the things that doctors told your mom and dad that you wouldn't be able to do? Can you do them?

00:26:52
Speaker 3: Yes?

00:26:54
Speaker 1: That's dope. Well, yeah, what do you like to do? Do you draw?

00:26:57
Speaker 2: Do you play any sports? Do you You obviously send amazing notes and packages. Lala got the cutest package from you. But yeah, what do you like to do?

00:27:05
Speaker 3: I like to play basketball and do art? I love that.

00:27:09
Speaker 1: Do you have a favorite basketball team?

00:27:13
Speaker 4: No?

00:27:14
Speaker 1: No, what about the Utah Jazz? I'm from Utah? You know.

00:27:19
Speaker 3: The Utah Jazz did send her a package when she was in the hospital.

00:27:23
Speaker 1: I love that.

00:27:24
Speaker 2: I did want to ask about the hospital because Aliyah, you were in there for quite a while and I know it sounds like you're still back. Did you kind of make any friends with the nurses of their doctors? I know, Tia, you said you met a lot of amazing people. Were there any experiences did you kind of like make friends with any of them or anything like that?

00:27:45
Speaker 3: Yes, I had two friends in then, and I made some friends with the doctors.

00:27:51
Speaker 4: Oh.

00:27:51
Speaker 1: I love that. I love that too. I love that you said, by the way, you wouldn't know it by watching me on TV, that I'm nice. But I feel like I'm pretty nice and I'm from Utah, so I'm I did want to ask you, Aleah one more thing. You said in your letter that you sent to me that you've experienced bullying, but it's from more adults than kids your age. Do you feel comfortable sharing more about that?

00:28:18
Speaker 4: Yes?

00:28:18
Speaker 1: How do you feel about that?

00:28:20
Speaker 4: Mama?

00:28:20
Speaker 1: Well, I know Canda whoop as right? Sorry, cover your ears a Leah.

00:28:26
Speaker 4: So it's hard because you would expect an adult to understand more than a child. But as an adult, I guess you have more of an opinion. Whereas kids they're just like whatever, Like they just go with the flow. They don't care.

00:28:43
Speaker 3: Even with you know, color, kids don't really see color. They just want friends, you know, whereas adults they a lot of them see that kind of thing.

00:28:52
Speaker 4: And so we've had lots of comments come from adults, or staring or just ignorant things. There's been lots of times where I've had to hold my tongue because I least apartment.

00:29:06
Speaker 3: So I can't do the things I want to do.

00:29:10
Speaker 4: But when it comes to kids, they just look at her and they're like, dang, you survived that, whereas adults are like, dang, are what's wrong with her?

00:29:20
Speaker 3: Like what happened to her? Why does she look like that?

00:29:23
Speaker 4: And that was one of the things that we had to really instill in her is that she's, you know, beautiful no matter what. And if somebody bowlies you, you give them a compliment back, because if they're bowling you, there's just something wrong with them.

00:29:39
Speaker 1: I love that you say that, because I have to take that, you know, like kill them with kindness. It sounds like, you know, you hear that all the time, but I've noticed that that kind of does put an end to things when they start coming for you. It's so interesting that these grown adults who are responsible for raising children that you hope will go out into the world and be productive and kind. And you know how how do you fix that when like the parent who's responsible for making that happen is an asshole?

00:30:11
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:30:11
Speaker 1: Sorry, Aleah, I say naughty word sometimes again coming here, You'll.

00:30:15
Speaker 3: Make this simple.

00:30:15
Speaker 4: What did you say to the doctor when she told you you want to be able to write again or walk again?

00:30:21
Speaker 1: She goes, the hell I want Yes, Queen, you better tell them girl, I love it. I love That's the best attitude. Can I tell you? When I read your letter and I told you this at the beginning, you are so inspiring and I want you to know that there are gonna be people who are gonna say things to you, but you keep that thick skin, Aliyah, because it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. And with this Mama you got, you're gonna be just fine in life. And we are sending you so much love for your next surgery. You're gonna be amazing. You are amazing, and I am so grateful that you guys took time to be on my podcast today.

00:31:00
Speaker 3: Very much appreciate.

00:31:01
Speaker 4: Like we said in the letter, we definitely weren't expecting this when she started her business. We wanted to try to give back to the people that inspired her, you know, gave her some confidence, and you're definitely one of them. She watches you because I watch you on you know, VANDR, Pump Rules and everything, and so you know, she gets to see your spunky side and how you don't put up with bull crap and that's, you know, something that she's been able to embrace. Especially when people are you know, mean to you, you give it right back. And so in a way, without you knowing, you've also helped her. And so when she created her business, she wanted to give back to those who unintentionally and without knowing helped her. And you know that's why we sent that to you because you were.

00:31:52
Speaker 3: One of them.

00:31:52
Speaker 1: Well, I'm beyond humbled and honored to be sitting here talking to you guys. And where can people find your business?

00:32:00
Speaker 3: On her Instagram and then it's also on Facebook.

00:32:03
Speaker 1: Okay, and what is your Instagram?

00:32:05
Speaker 4: It's Aliah dot Heart's on Instagram. Yeah, Instagram is more of her business and on Facebook it's under Aliah's Journey and that's more of We document everything. So anytime she goes in for a surgery, anything, we document everything, because we want people to see when you.

00:32:26
Speaker 3: Fall hard, you can, you know, stand up and be even stronger.

00:32:30
Speaker 4: And that's what her business about is she wanted to create something that would help others remember who they are before whatever it was that happened to them happened. And so that's what Aliah's heart is all about, is making sure that others know how strong they are inside and out and letting you know if you're you know, whether it's physically a physical thing or mental or whatever it is, like, you're beautiful no matter what, and you're strong, and you're courageous and all of that.

00:33:06
Speaker 1: Amen to that. I said it in the letter Early. I can't wait to see what you do in your future because you, my love, are absolutely incredible. Thanks so thank you so much