SITE TOOLS
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A Mother's Dynamic Duo
By Lisa R. Foeman
Geraldine Barber’s 2-year old twins, Tiki and Rondé, were sleeping in their
cribs. The year was 1977. When she went to their room to dress them, one of the boys
“didn’t look right” and his body was jerking. A panicking Barber ran out of
the bedroom to call the hospital’s emergency number. She ran back to the twins’
room to carry out the emergency instructions and was horrified to find both boys seizing.
When the rescue squad arrived, they found a frightened, young mother sitting between her
sons trying to comfort them.
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Courtesy Tiki Barber
Rondé
& Tiki Barber Tee Off! |
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Later that morning, she found out that febrile seizures were common in preemies such as
Tiki and Rondé. But it wasn’t typical for twins to experience seizures at the same
time. Tiki and Rondé continued to have seizures - always in tandem - until they turned
five.
The doctors told Barber her boys could never play contact sports. Jamael Orondé
(“firstborn son”) and Atiim Kiambu (“fiery-tempered king”) proved them
wrong. Rondé, a defensive back, was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1994 following an
eight interception season at the University of Virginia. He was drafted in the third round
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997 and earned the role of starter last year after putting
on stunning performances in the Bucs’ first six games. Tiki, a running back who was a
second round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1997, holds Virginia’s all-time
rushing record with 3,389 yards. Expected to perform third down duty in his NFL rookie
season, Tiki’s outstanding preseason performance earned him a starting role for that
year.
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Courtesy Geraldine Barber
Geraldine Barber
with son, Rondé
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Medical science may explain the doctors’ then
pessimistic outlook on Tiki and Rondé’s athletic potential. But the fierce
determination Barber passed on to them explains, in part, why her sons defied those
expectations.
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Just before Tiki and Rondé’s last year at Virginia, Barber was diagnosed with breast
cancer. She had the obligatory albeit short pity party. Then she realized, “I’ve
got a life to live. Rather than sitting around trying to figure out when it’s [life]
going to end, I’m going to enjoy it while I can.” Candidly speaking about the
ordeal she didn’t discuss for two years, Barber shared those thoughts that produced
her personal philosophy: “Before the final diagnosis, I didn’t know when I was
going to die. Now, I know I’m dealing with breast cancer and scheduled for surgery, I
still don’t know when I’m going to die. So why worry about it? Keep on
living.” Determined not to miss any of her sons’ football games, Barber
“pulled out the calendar and checked the football schedule” when arranging her
chemotherapy sessions. Now cancer-free, Barber told me her oncologist to this day says
“[she] was crazy.” MORE>>
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