Hello, my name is Brandee Garvoille, and I am the Autism and
Insurance Consultant for the Utah Kids Foundation! I was born and raised in West Valley City,
and the furthest I would move away from home was 11.3 miles to West
Jordan! I’m an only child, and a total
Mama’s Girl (and my kids are pretty much Grandma Trace’s whole world)! J
At 19, I started working for
SelectHealth (which was then IHC Health Plans), the six years that I was there,
I worked as a claims processor/member services, enrollment processor, and
customer service coordinator for both small group, and individual sales. While working there, I also became a
certified medical coder. I learned all
the ins and outs of the insurance carrier side of things, and then was
recruited to work for an agent at his agency, The Insurance Exchange. In 2006 I became a licensed Health/Life
Insurance Producer. I am now the Vice
President of Operations, and run the entire agency; also, I sell, and have my
own book of business. The knowledge that
I gained while working at SelectHealth has become invaluable in my role as an
insurance agent, a special needs parent, and as a member of the Utah Kids
Board.
6 months after I started working
for IHC, I married the love of my life, and my best friend, Andrew Garvoille. We wanted to start a family, but the babies
never came. After several miscarriages,
we decided to become licensed foster parents.
In February of 2003, 3 year old Carter came to live with us; he has been
diagnosed with Asperger’s, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, ADHD, PTSD, and Reactive
Attachment Disorder. In May of 2004, we
were able to adopt him! He is 15 years
old now, and is SUPER smart (almost too smart for his own good)! He loves video games, LEGOS, and anything he
can take apart, and put back together.
In September of 2004, at just 4
weeks old, KayCee came to live with us (we were able to adopt her in July of
2005), at that time she was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive, and only weighed
7 pounds; she is now a rambunctious 10 year old chatter box, that never stops
moving! She has been diagnosed with
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and ADHD. She loves to play with her friends, anything
Sophia the First, or Curious George, and tormenting her big brother!
My kids are my biggest test, and
my biggest reward! I don’t know why my
babies had to take the road they did to come to us, but they were definitely
meant to be part of our family! My
family is complete, and I wouldn’t trade any of it, even the hard days, for
anything in the world!
The hardest thing I've had to do
as a Special Needs Parent, is work full-time; run an entire insurance agency by
myself, and juggle appointments, therapies, IEP meetings, homework,
emergencies, etc. The hardest days of all are when one of my kiddos wakes up
and says, "Mommy, do you HAVE to go to work today?! I wish you could just
stay home with me!" Those are the days I don't wear any makeup, and I bawl
the entire way to work!! The other thing that breaks my heart is watching my
kids struggle with their peers; not being invited to birthday parties (for some
reason, this breaks my daughter's heart more than anything!), the bullying,
watching my son play himself, and tell me he doesn't have any friends. I wish
everyone could see how amazing my kids are! Our life may be hard, but I
wouldn't trade it for anything! Just this past weekend, my mom took Carter,
KayCee, and I to Disney on Ice; when I saw the look of pure joy and amazement,
on the faces of my 15 year-old son, and almost 11 year-old daughter, I leaned
over to my mom and said, "I'm grateful for their special needs. They are
so innocent, and find so much joy in the world; it keeps them young!"
I’m so excited to be on the Utah Kids board and work with such
amazing people, and be support for all of the amazing special needs families in
Utah! Feel free to contact me, if you ever need help with anything!!
My favorite quote is, “When God leads you to the edge of a
cliff, trust him fully. Only two things can happen; either he will catch you
when you fall, or he will teach you how to fly.”
10 little known/interesting facts about me..
1) I won a beautiful baby contest!
2) As a Senior in high school, I was awarded, "Sterling Scholar of Family and Consumer Science".
3) I'm
an only child. My father was killed in an industrial accident when my mom was
eight-and-a-half months pregnant with me. She remarried when I was 5, and my
step-dad legally adopted me when I was 8; they were never able to have any more
children.
4) Both
of my children were adopted from the Foster care system. My son's biological
grandfather is a very infamous man, and died in prison. I still wonder if I
should ever tell him the whole truth!
5) My
aunt, and I, married brothers; they've since divorced, but for a few years, my
aunt was, also, my sister-in-law, and my husband's brother was his uncle; their
kids are my cousins, and my nieces and nephews.
6) I met my husband when I went on a blind-date
with my aunt and the brother's best friend. (The best friend ended up marrying
Drew's sister...LOL...they also divorced, so out of the three marriages that
happened in one year of each other, we are the only ones who've made it! Our
15th wedding anniversary is on April 21st!!)
7) I
am a die-hard University of Utah fan!! My daughter is 1/4 Ute Indian, and was a
U fan, until her teacher, and my mom, brainwashed her into becoming a BYU fan!!
8) I
LOVE NASCAR!! My dad used to race, for his first Father's Day, we gave him a
barrel of racing fuel! He used to work for a company that built engine parts
for NASCAR; I've met several drivers, and been in their million dollar motor
homes!! I love Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and my husband even looks like him!!
9) My
dad has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Pompe Disease, there are only
7 people in Utah that have it! At Rare Disease Day, I had the pleasure of
meeting 4 of those amazing people! On March 21st, my family is walking in the
MDA walk, and our team (Parading for Pompe) has already raised almost $2,000!!
10) Syndi
Knowlton and I could seriously be long lost sisters, we have SO MUCH in common,
including our own medical issues! Being apart of Utah Kids has been the most
amazing and rewarding experience for me!! I can't wait to head up the committee
for the Empty Stocking Fund this year!!
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