By Jae Nash / The Atlanta Voice
The journey of being widowed at a young age can be an unimaginable hardship for any woman. But Tanisha Mackin isn’t just any woman. The mother of two, who was widowed at the age of 31 seven years ago, has overcome that hardship and has faced even more, head-on, steadfast and with great success.
I greatly admire Mackin’s girl power for her strength and passion to help individuals tell their untold stories. And, like Tanisha, I too was a young widow. Perhaps, it’s evident to see that’s how we have bonded.
Tanisha’s inconceivable journey began in 2010, when she lost her late husband to a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. while out celebrating their first wedding anniversary.
Her husband Danyelle Mackin was killed, along with three others and four people wounded while leaving a nightclub. Buffalo’s Chief of Detective Dennis Richards described it as one of the worst scenes of carnage he had ever seen, according to the NY Daily News.
But it didn’t stop there.
Earlier that year, Tanisha was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer while pregnant with her second child.
Unbeknownst to her, she’d be losing her husband that same year while going through chemotherapy and raising her children.
She explained that her journey has led her to become what she describes as a “serial overcomer, serial entrepreneur, award-winning and 3x bestselling author and founder of “Mackin Miracles.”
Tanisha has written and self-published four books “Still Standing,” “Still Standing Pt II: A Widow’s Journey,” “Words From A Widow,” “My Testimony: I Don’t Look Like What I’ve Been Through,” all while being an incredible mother to her lovely children, Danyelle and Destinee Mackin.
I asked her about the name of her first two books, “Still Standing” and “Still Standing Pt II,” to which she replied: while battling cancer her husband would say, “Baby, you will get through this, you’re ‘Still Standing,’ a reference to the album title of one her favorite artists, Monica.
Tanisha has continued her stand against the disease and has been cancer-free for the last six years. Mackin said she is a living testimony to God’s great grace.
Hence, the title of her fourth book, “My Testimony, I Don’t Look Like What I’ve Been Through.”
Tanisha said her journey also led her to help others share their stories through writing by becoming a writing coach and book publisher.
In fact, she has ghostwritten and or published projects for several industry favorites, including Grammy Award-winning producer and reality star Stevie J, Bravo’s “TV Married to Medicine” star Genise Shelton, actress/comedienne Kim Coles and rapper/femcee Gangsta Boo.
