Unstoppable
Spring 2019 | By Robert Stephens
Shortly after 2 a.m. on May 16, 2015, the medical staff at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., began pulling declaration of death paperwork for Marcie (Swilley) Washington 麻豆精品 S�83. A blood clot had done what no obstacle had been able to do during Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 54 years: It stopped her relentless heart.
Half an hour earlier, a nurse found Washington on the floor of her hospital room. By the time doctors responded, the heart that drove Washington to become the first African-American woman to earn an engineering degree at UCF had been still for at least five minutes.
They quickly began resuscitation procedures on the heart that empowered Washington to break聽scoring records as a player on the Knights basketball team. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. After 22 minutes, there was nothing more they could do to revive the heart that inspired Washington to explore the unknown during a storied career at NASA.
Everyone left the room except for one nurse.
The most dreaded middle-of-the night phone call would be made to the Fort Washington, Maryland, home where Washington lived with her family 麻豆精品 S� husband, Larry; children, Talia, Tyreese and Taurus; and her mother, Erma.
The nurse reached out to touch Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 femoral artery one last time. 麻豆精品 S淲ait 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
Wait.
This is not an obituary.
When Larry and Erma arrived at the hospital, Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 heart was beating again, though there was still no guarantee she 麻豆精品 S檇 survive until sunrise.
麻豆精品 S淚t wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 pleasant to see her like that, 麻豆精品 S� says Erma, who, upon walking into her daughter 麻豆精品 S檚 room at 3:30 a.m., went to a window to pray. (Larry still has a difficult time talking about 麻豆精品 S渢hat night 麻豆精品 S� as the family calls it.) 麻豆精品 S淪he was transcending, leaving us. But as I stood there praying, I received an unspeakable peace, as if I was being told, 麻豆精品 S業t 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be OK. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
By late morning, Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 resilience had driven family and friends to their knees in thanks.
Her heart had just taken a long break during an amazing journey. Washington was going to be OK.
It 麻豆精品 S檚 the fall of 1979. Washington has just begun her studies at UCF, and the young university is little more than a gap in the forest. Forty-five minutes away, Walt Disney World has become Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 biggest tourist attraction, and the nation 麻豆精品 S檚 space program has taken root on the coast. Things are changing around 麻豆精品 S� and within 麻豆精品 S� UCF.
Whether she realizes it or not, Washington is about to blaze new trails of her own.
麻豆精品 S淔rom as far back as I remember, she was always very driven and determined, but she 麻豆精品 S檚 always been too respectful of others to consider herself first, 麻豆精品 S� says Barbara Brown 麻豆精品 S�96MS, who grew up with Washington in Palatka, Florida, and now works as the chief technologist at Kennedy Space Center.
Of the 12,022 students enrolled at UCF in the fall of 1979, Washington and Brown estimate that fewer than 5 percent were black. The number of African-American women to earn a degree from the engineering college? Exactly zero. Washington would change that.
麻豆精品 S淚 never thought of it as doing something that hadn 麻豆精品 S檛 been done, 麻豆精品 S� Washington says. 麻豆精品 S淚 love math and science, and I 麻豆精品 S檓 outgoing, so I knew industrial engineering would be a good fit. That was my focus. The instructors and students didn 麻豆精品 S檛 treat me differently. Being a black female聽in the engineering college? It didn 麻豆精品 S檛 faze me. 麻豆精品 S�
It also didn 麻豆精品 S檛 faze her when she and her fellow first-year students were told at orientation that half of them who planned to study engineering would find the work too rigorous and聽change majors.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 true, I wondered if I 麻豆精品 S檇 make it through a few classes, 麻豆精品 S� says Pam Ford 麻豆精品 S�83 麻豆精品 S�91MS, who studied engineering and roomed with Washington during their first year. 麻豆精品 S淏ut being around Marcie every day helped. She was like the Energizer Bunny, full of optimism, ready to finish whatever she started. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington had a tight schedule, which included waking up at 5:30 a.m. for basketball practice. Despite the fact that she was among the leading scorers in Florida during her senior season at Palatka High School, Washington had to earn a spot on the UCF roster as a 5-foot-6-inch guard聽on a partial scholarship.
麻豆精品 S淚 loved the challenge, 麻豆精品 S� says Washington, now 58. 麻豆精品 S淕rowing up, I had to prove to the boys in the聽park that I belonged. 麻豆精品 S� Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 scrappy style stamped an identity on a UCF team that went 23-9 in just its third season of organized play.
麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 want to read about dying. I 麻豆精品 S檓 only interested in living. 麻豆精品 S澛�Marcie (Swilley) Washington 麻豆精品 S�83
麻豆精品 S淪he was unstoppable on and off the court, 麻豆精品 S� says Ford. 麻豆精品 S淭o this day, I 麻豆精品 S檝e always wondered how she did it. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington admits, however, that she had one brief period of doubt toward the end of her freshman year. The stress of basketball and her course load led to a fear of letting others down. That spring, she called her mom to tell her she wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 sure she could continue juggling it all.
Erma knew that Washington needed reassurance. 麻豆精品 S淚f you want to come home, we 麻豆精品 S檒l find something else for you, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be OK, Marcie. 麻豆精品 S�
It 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be OK, Marcie.聽She coveted those words. 麻豆精品 S淚t took the pressure off. I knew everything would be fine from that point forward. 麻豆精品 S� Set free from her fear of failing others, nothing would deter her from graduating and starting a career as an industrial engineer 麻豆精品 S� not even failing a class the next semester. All she 麻豆精品 S檇 needed was a little comfort from home.
Washington was recruited by Kennedy Space Center over dinner at Red Lobster. 麻豆精品 S淚 laugh when I聽think how recruiters would come to UCF to interview black engineering students, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭here weren 麻豆精品 S檛 many of us to interview. 麻豆精品 S�
Convinced that NASA wanted her intelligence and not a skin color, Washington decided to temporarily ditch her ideas about working at Walt Disney Imagineering. She 麻豆精品 S檇 give the government one year of her professional life. One year.
When she arrived for work at the space center, she saw the computers and the launchpad and the team that would work on the shuttle program. To a self-proclaimed math and science junkie, it was like arriving on a new planet.
麻豆精品 S淥n my second day, I got my security clearance and stood there under the space shuttle, 麻豆精品 S� Washington says. 麻豆精品 S淚 was trying to keep my cool, but it literally made me breathless. I knew right then I 麻豆精品 S檇 work for NASA until someone threw me out. 麻豆精品 S� (No one would. She retired 33 years later.)
At that time, she had never heard of mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan. Johnson, Jackson and Vaughan, the African-American women who helped make America 麻豆精品 S檚 earliest space launches successful in the early 1960s, would remain relatively anonymous until the release of the book and movie Hidden Figures in 2016. There were subtle similarities in Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 experience early on. 麻豆精品 S淪ome people assumed I was a note taker, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut again, none of that fazed me. I had the best job with the best organization in the world. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington worked in the Mission Planning Office of Shuttle Operations at KSC, tasked with writing schedules for the shuttle, and calculating factors such as orbiters and ground equipment to determine how many missions could be planned by the year 2000. Her fascination with code and technology piqued whenever service people came into the office to work on the computer system, and she 麻豆精品 S檇 often ask the techs questions while they worked.
麻豆精品 S淭hat epitomizes what we 麻豆精品 S檙e about at NASA, 麻豆精品 S� says Brown. 麻豆精品 S淪he was humble enough to ask for counsel and critiques, she had the desire to excel, and she couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 get enough of it. 麻豆精品 S�
But nothing prepared Washington for what happened on January 28, 1986. Shortly before noon, she stood inside the space center for a countdown before stepping outside into the cold to watch the shuttle Challenger lift off from the nearby launchpad and 麻豆精品 S� 73 seconds later 麻豆精品 S� break apart.
麻豆精品 S淚 thought, 麻豆精品 S楢m I seeing what I think I see? 麻豆精品 S� The offices were quiet for weeks. What can you say? We didn 麻豆精品 S檛 know where the program would go from there. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington was about to head into uncharted terrain again. Among the changes made in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster, NASA transferred their most highly trained experts to聽its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Washington was among the people chosen to re-energize the space program.
The teams worked ridiculous hours, breaking old paradigms about space-lab development and experimenting with new programming ideas for satellite delivery. Washington thrived on the聽work. She also made inroads in places like Moscow and Germany, never thinking about the fact she was often the only black woman among white men until one morning when she had no way to curl her hair and no one to lend her a little help. Using reverse engineering, she ripped a brown聽paper bag into strips and created her own rollers.
麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 why I felt so right at NASA, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t embodies the American spirit and a lesson my parents instilled in me: Don 麻豆精品 S檛 tell us there 麻豆精品 S檚 something we cannot do. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington would need to heed those words again, years later, when she faced her biggest obstacle yet.
While getting ready for work one day in 2014, Washington slipped on the stairs and initially thought she 麻豆精品 S檇 pulled a muscle in her back. When she finally went for an MRI, she and her family received unexpected news: Washington had a mass in her back and was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells.
And so started her chemotherapy journey.
Two years before the diagnosis, Washington had been ordained as a minister at Fort Foote Baptist Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. The little girl who committed her life to聽Jesus at 9 years old was now the Rev. Marcietta Washington.
麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 where she 麻豆精品 S檇 always drawn her strength and optimism, 麻豆精品 S� says Ford, who coincidentally moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1992, four years after Washington moved there. 麻豆精品 S淚n college, no matter what was going on, she leaned on her faith in the Lord. 麻豆精品 S�
Despite being unable to stand for more than two minutes at a time and the bones in her back turning brittle enough to break, she continued working for NASA and studying anything that made her a better engineer, minister, wife and mother.
麻豆精品 S淪ome people assumed I was a note taker [at NASA]. But again, none of that fazed me. I had the best job with the best organization in the world. 麻豆精品 S�Marcie (Swilley) Washington 麻豆精品 S�83
There was one subject, however, that she refused to learn about: multiple myeloma.
麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 want to read about dying, 麻豆精品 S� Washington would say. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 only interested in living. 麻豆精品 S�
Early on May 16, 2015, she needed all of it. The optimism. The faith. The friends from her days in Palatka and Orlando and at NASA. Word that her heart stopped for minutes before restarting spread so widely that more than 30 people would eventually arrive at the hospital. There, a doctor told her family, 麻豆精品 S淚 have no idea how she 麻豆精品 S檚 alive. 麻豆精品 S�
No one could explain what happened next either. As the family discussed options in the likelihood of brain damage, they heard a voice: 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not brain-dead. 麻豆精品 S� From her bed, less than 24 hours after nearly dying, Washington proceeded to state and solve the quadratic equation.
Point made. She would need that kind of resolve to relearn all the basics 麻豆精品 S� how to sit up, how to eat and how to walk again.
麻豆精品 S淭he athleticism kicked in, 麻豆精品 S� Washington says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I played basketball, no matter how tired I was, I never wanted to come out of a game. It must be a part of me. 麻豆精品 S�
After two weeks, Washington was out of the hospital. A week later, she completed the rehab that was supposed to take three weeks. One by one, the barriers kept coming 麻豆精品 S� and she kept overcoming them. A broken back. A bone marrow transplant. Being her own donor for the bone聽marrow transplant. She grew so weak that, for a while, she needed three hours to regain her strength after brushing her teeth. Through it all, she remembered how her dad, who died when she was 15, told her to fight for anything important: better streets in the community, an engineering degree, life.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 strange to hear my mom tell people how I died 麻豆精品 S榯hat night. 麻豆精品 S� I wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 really dead, but I have chills right now just talking about it. To be where I am now, I think of how my mom and dad聽told me I could do anything when I was growing up, and how everything would be OK. 麻豆精品 S�
When Washington walked back into church after being absent for several months, the pastor stopped everything and watched her move to a seat. Row by row, parishioners stood up to applaud. 麻豆精品 S淭ake a good look, ladies and gentlemen, 麻豆精品 S� said the pastor. 麻豆精品 S淭his is a real-life miracle. 麻豆精品 S�
Washington officially retired from NASA on February 28, 2017. But she did not stop working. As she says, 麻豆精品 S淚 can 麻豆精品 S檛 preach from the grave. 麻豆精品 S�
Ford made the 40-minute drive to Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 church recently to listen to her college roommate 麻豆精品 S檚 sermon. 麻豆精品 S淚 saw the same energy and determination that I saw at UCF. It hasn 麻豆精品 S檛 changed in nearly 40 years, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
Washington 麻豆精品 S檚 determination is being put to the test once more 麻豆精品 S� she started cancer treatments again in March last year. She tires easily. But she also travels and reads and passes life lessons to聽anyone in her path. She talks about moving forward and working for what you believe in, about the value of respect and faith. And yes, she now stresses the importance of pausing to catch your breath. Because when you do that, maybe you can hear the simple-yet-powerful advice her聽mother offered during her freshman year: It 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be OK.
First Lady
She entered UCF as Marcie Swilley in 1979 and, four years later, left behind a list of firsts:
First African-American woman to graduate from the College of Engineering
First women 麻豆精品 S檚 basketball player in UCF history to score 1,000 career points
First player to lead her team in steals for three straight seasons. Only three players have done it since. She still ranks fourth all-time in steals (250) and sixth in assists (326) in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 record book.