A Family’s Journey to Athletic Wholeness

Tears to Tears is the story of a young girl that takes up the game of soccer at a very young age. During her journey of learning the game her family quickly realizes that she possesses a special talent at playing the game. This talent leads her to move quickly from playing at a recreational level to seeking the opportunity to play at a club level. During her exploits the family becomes consumed with the enjoyment of watching her play, and marvels as she continues to excel at the game and earns the opportunity to play for some of the top club teams in the country. Her continued hard work and dedication enable her to reach numerous personal and team accomplishments at the local, state, regional and national level. The future seems extremely bright for this rising star. Suddenly, in one moment the entire world seems to change when she is injured at a national event. The family soon learns the unthinkable has happened and she has torn her ACL. The injury not only changes the life of the young girl, but in an unexpected twist the family dynamic is unbalanced as well. It is often easy to recognize the pain, anguish and depression that the athlete endures when experiencing a traumatic injury, but it is often overlooked on the impact that such an injury has on those around the athlete. Thus, the healing, recovery and rehab process for the young girl becomes a challenging process for the entire unit and everyone must do some soul searching to successfully make it through the event. The young girl and her family fight through the process and are rewarded by her triumphant return to the field.

Daphne Alyce Antoine is married to the love of her life Richard Mc Laurence Antoine Jr. of twenty-one years and a mother of two beautiful daughters—Da’Jhana Denyce Antoine, thirty-two years old, and Denae Devyne Antoine, nineteen years old. Daphne received a Bachelors of Science degree in Human Services from University of Phoenix in 2007. In addition, she has also received a Masters of Science degree in Human Services from Capella University in 2010. Lastly, she has completed a significant number of units toward receiving her doctorate in Psychology from Capella University. Daphne had always had a passion for entrepreneurship. She is also the owner and CEO of The Wedding Veil and Beyond, a wedding and event planning and consultant business. Daphne has been recognized as a top consultant in the Inland Empire by the industry’s leading bridal magazine. She enjoys spending her spare time with her family, shopping, attending Major League Soccer games with her husband and following the college soccer career of her youngest daughter. Daphne has two furry babies that have also stolen her heart—Gucci and Mufasa—her pure-bred toy Pomeranian dogs.