Altovise Ferguson: From Pain Points to Purpose Points

August 25, 2001 was the day that I was invited to attend a wedding of someone that I did not know. I was at a phase in life where I wanted to see people in love and happy. I love the idea of love and the events that happen on the journey to love, such as the wedding. Therefore, it was an easy yes when my friend asked me to attend a wedding with her to support her friend.

The bride at the end of the aisle looked like a beautiful doll. Her make-up was simply flawless and her hair was gorgeous. Her skin was radiant and her wedding dress was dazzling. She looked like a model on the cover of a bridal magazine. I acknowledge and celebrate her beauty because she does not look like what she has been through in life. Altovise is a combination of beauty, brains, boldness and business brilliance. Her wedding day was a joyous occasion that represented a beautiful victory over a lifetime of challenges. She had survived abandonment, low self-esteem, rejection, being adopted as a child and meeting her father for the first time in his casket when she was 14 years old.

Who is Altovise Ferguson?

Altovise Ferguson is a native of Gary, Indiana who started singing when she was 10 years old. She graduated as a Vocal Music Major from Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High School in 1994. She became an Actress with the West Side Theatre Guild where she earned opportunities to act and sing in stage plays and films. She even had the opportunity to sing for Coretta Scott King and Michael Jackson. However, Altovise experienced a detour in her dreams.

Altovise Ferguson inspires me because she was given every reason to quit in life, but she discovered the courage to continue. She is a dedicated wife and phenomenal mother. She is a resilient entrepreneur, consistent creative, compassionate human being and community builder. She is the epitome of what it means to have a multi-hyphenate career. She is a Professional Recording Artist, Professional Model, Program Director, Public Speaker, Published Author, Singer, Songwriter, Professional Actress (trained in aerial, film, stage and television), Dancer and Choreographer (trained in ballet, modern dance and tap). Altovise is the Founder of the Courage to Continue Conference. She is an entrepreneur in the beauty industry who uses her cosmetology license as a professional hair stylist and makeup artist. She shares her knowledge by providing expert beauty advice; hosting educational makeup classes virtually; fundraisers for community organizations and facilitating her signature, confidence building program, "Shine from the Inside Out."

Altovise: The Phenomenal Mother…

While Altovise was anticipating the birth of her first child, her whole life shifted and she made the choice to live a different lifestyle. Although she did not have a driver’s license, she made the decision to save money to buy a car. The new life that was going to be born inspired her to learn how to drive. Altovise earned her license to drive when she was eight months pregnant because she did not want to be on the bus stop with her child.

The next goal was to earn her cosmetology license. The most challenging part of that experience was the reality that she was in the recovery process after giving birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl. Her daughter was born 6 weeks before the state exam and Altovise still passed the exam. She was determined to be a present mother while building her business so she intentionally worked and distributed flyers to help increase her clientele.

Altovise: The Empowered Entrepreneur…

Altovise is an entrepreneur who became a licensed cosmetologist to provide for her daughter because she knew the pain of abandonment. It is often said that hurt people hurt people. In reality, hurt people who don’t invest the time to heal can hurt other people. However, hurt people who invest the time to heal from the pain of their past will usually go above and beyond the call of duty to help people instead of hurting other people. That is another reason I admire Altovise Ferguson. After feeling the pain of abandonment as a child she transformed that pain point into a purpose point by investing the time to nurture her children.

The pain points…

While working as a licensed cosmetologist Altovise Ferguson experienced excruciating pain in her body; she began falling while walking and suffered from swelling in her neck. She had recently delivered a healthy baby boy and the pain began while she was pregnant, so she believed the symptoms were related to the pregnancy. She had an MRI test, but it did not show the root cause of her symptoms. She began working out with a personal trainer a couple of days per week, until she could not do any back exercises and the trainer refused to train her in that condition. Instead, the trainer suggested that she visit the doctor.

On the verge of her 27th birthday she fell in the shower. Her husband was there to immediately help her out the shower. She was crying uncontrollably because she could not feel her legs anymore. After being admitted to the hospital for two days of nonstop testing she was told they discovered a tumor, and if she did not have the surgery to remove it, she would never walk again. She did not have time for a second opinion, so she followed the advice of the doctor and proceeded with the surgery. After surgery the doctor talked to her family because the tumors looked abnormal and had to be sent out for testing. After the test, the neurologist requested a meeting with Altovise and her immediate family. The diagnosis was lymphoma, possibly in stage one. Altovise soon learned that lymphoma tumors grow rapidly and aggressively. After 30 minutes of processing the information Altovise said, “You know what I’m about to fight.” “I can do this.”

Next her bone marrow was tested and cancer was discovered in the bone. It was so much cancer in her body that it spread to her blood cells, so she had to undergo chemotherapy. After being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer at the age of 27, Altovise had to learn how to walk again through physical rehab. During chemotherapy treatments and physical rehab, she wrote songs and began to sing to other patients in the hospital. Then she recorded the songs to inspire other survivors.

With her husband by her side and a village of friends and family prepared to support her, Altovise was released from the hospital September 25th which is her husbands’ birthday. The last chemotherapy treatment was January of 2004. The oncologist was so excited that he called her at home to tell her the cancer was gone as of February 9th. Altovise shares her journey by encouraging people to go to the doctor and be informed about what happens in the body. She speaks and sings at events to support people on the journey to recovery and to support other survivors.

After surviving cancer, Altovise and her family survived a race related hate crime. Their house was burned down, but they continued to emerge as a strong family.

I admire Altovise for her resilience, because once again she did not allow that hardship to cause her to quit. Altovise was faced with yet another challenge when she had to endure throat surgery. However, just as she survived cancer, she survived the throat surgery and returned to sing on stages locally and nationally with even more clarity of purpose in life. The experiences that she has lived through led her to view life differently. She lives each day with purpose.

Altovise is focused on enjoying marriage and the journey to 20 years of marriage which she will celebrate with her husband this year. She loves life with their three children and grandchildren. I appreciate her for sharing her journey so transparently to help other people.

The Purpose Points…

Altovise has remained productive, even during the pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, she released a powerful anthem that she wrote entitled, “Won’t Do It Again.” She began sharing the song on all digital music platforms March 24, 2020 to provide hope for people enduring hardships.

While facing the cancer diagnosis as a Mother, Altovise discovered a will to live, inspired by her children. Altovise dreamed of seeing her children graduate from school. Three months prior to the pandemic being announced, that dream became a reality when her daughter graduated with honors from college December 6, 2019. Then June 8, 2020 the dream was realized again when her son graduated from high school.

Altovise has also found the courage to continue to dream again after the disappointing hate crime that caused their house to be burned. She dreams of a new house for her family to turn into a home. Just like all her other dreams have come true, I am sure that her dream of home ownership will come true.

Our mutual friend, GG moved to another city. However, I am thankful that she chose to invite me to the wedding 20 years ago because I gained another friend when I met Altovise Ferguson. Our families have walked through various stages of life together and each day we choose to transform every pain point into a purpose point. We understand that we were born to be transformers, more than what meets the eye. Therefore, it is a lesson in business and life, to witness her resilience during the challenges of life and it is pure joy to celebrate her victories in life.

Altovise Ferguson has learned the true meaning of success in business and life. She is dedicated to celebrating the wins on the journey to achieving her goals just as much as she celebrates achieving her goals. We celebrate each birthday because happy birthday is a victory song. We acknowledge and celebrate February 9th each year because it is a reminder that life is worth celebrating. It has been an honor to witness the life and the business brilliance of Altovise Ferguson as she discovers the courage to continue from pain points to purpose points.