JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A teen who’s been experiencing medical issues since she was a child finally got to meet her idol Tiffany Haddish.
17-year-old Brayla Clarke met Tiffany backstage at the Florida Black Excellence Fest.
She said the meeting was a dream come true because watching Tiffany on TV has helped her through some difficult years.
Haddish gave Clarke advice and tips, but funnily told them in a way as only a comedian could.
“There’s some people you can’t trust they lie to you, they say, ‘Oh this isn’t going to be in there,’ but then it’s in there,” Haddish said.
She said she loved Haddish since watching her on-screen years ago.
The meeting was made a reality with the help of Dreams Come True, an organization that helps kids with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses every year.
Also helpful in making the meeting possible is the organizers of the Florida Black Excellence Fest where the comedian was speaking.
“When I read what Brayla was going through and the fact that my daughter also suffered from a seizure condition, I really wanted her to have that opportunity to connect with the person that gave her inspiration to keep going,” Sonte Pollock, an organizer of the event said.
Takeilia Clarke, Brayla Clarke’s mother, said discovered a tumor on her brain when she was in the 4th grade and it had to be removed in 2022.
Takeilia Clarke said she needed help walking after the surgery.
Brayla Clarke still has medical issues, but she won’t let that stop her.
“It’s still a journey we’re still going through it,” Takeilia Clarke said.
Brayla Clarke said today is one she’ll never forget because this meeting helped motivate her to pursue a career in the medical field.
“It felt good seeing her,” Brayla Clarke said. “And seeing how I am it’s like, I can work with her. Being able to laugh, talk, ask questions, this builds up my comfort knowing I need to step up my game and knowing I need to work on some more things with myself.”
She said her goal as an RN would be to make patients feel better, while they’re getting cared for.
“I want to be an RN from always having to get MRIs and watching I have learned so much. It’s to the point where if someone was to ask me to do something to help a person in the MRI, I would know what to do,” Brayla Clarke said.