"Delivered by Love" to her Dreams

Darlene Smith is a gospel jazz singer-songwriter who has beat a lot of odds in order to pursue her musical dreams. A single mother of five children, three of whom have sickle-cell anemia and other health complications and the other two being foster children she decided to take in, she strives to be an inspiration to her family, as well as herself.
 
She was reared in a musical family and knew from the get-go that it was something she wanted to do for a living, but motherhood came before that could happen and her dreams were put on hold. It was only when Smith’s first baby was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia that she felt the motivation to consider music again: “I thought if the kids saw me pursuing my dreams, they could see that they could overcome [sic]. No matter what obstacle is in their way they don’t have to stop pursuing their dreams.”

Now she's a shining example for her children, not only performing at the Jazz Cafe in Ontario but putting out her debut CD, "Delivered by Love."
 
Have you ever been pushed to follow a dream right at the moment that something threatens to stand in its way? Do obstacles motivate you more, as they did for Smith? [The Sun]