Here's a story about a young American woman who fought for her rights in Saudi Arabia, challenged the monarchy & triumphed. This woman is my mother. She is an international badass who has been evacuated from wars on navy ships while crooning babies to sleep (including baby me) /1

It's 1978. She was working at King Faisal Hospital, which treated the royal family. She & my dad had moved to Riyadh two years before. King Faisal was the ONLY decent hospital and she decided to work there because that meant we got access, as outlined in her contract /2

She was heavily pregnant and returned home from the market to find Royal Guard vehicles surrounding our home (not in a compound). The neighbors looked on, terrified & curious as she was whisked away. /3

It turned out, King Khaled had an ear infection. In Saudi Arabia, the king does not come to you, you go to the king. So they escorted her to the hospital where she packed up her clinic and they headed for the palace./4

As they entered the palace gates a bunch of his grandchildren were on the stately front lawn with a fake, giant snowman blown up. They were singing Frosty the Snowman (it's mid-summer & blazing hot, mind you). /5

She had taught herself Arabic & was fully functional in the language. King Khaled is refusing to look at her and have a direct conversation with her as she asks about his symptoms because she is a woman. But he has no choice. She is the only audiologist in all of Saudi Arabia. /6

She treats him. Then in 1980, when she is pregnant with my brother, King Faisal hospital reneges on her contract. They say "no, no! Only the hospital's male staff will be able to have access to the medical system from now on." /7

Hospitals in Riyadh at that time were terrible — stray cats coming in & out, fires started by families cooking for their loved ones seeking treatment. Loosing access to King Faisal Hospital was a big deal. Guess what? King Khaled gets another ear infection /8

Royal Guard comes knocking. She says "nu-uh. Won't see him till my contract is reinstated." And: boom. It's done. She is a woman of steel, challenging the system & righting wrongs, even in an autocracy. For this I am thankful, not bc she's my mom, but bc she's an awesome woman /9