“If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.” — Muhammad Ali
That quote would certainly apply to this week’s profile, renaissance woman Cecilia Garnier. She is set to take part in a celebrity-boxing event this weekend for cancer awareness, an issue close to her heart.
PGN: Tell me a little about yourself.
CG: Born and raised in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia. My mom had me at 18 so for my first year I lived with my grandmother. My mom built me a small play house in the back of the house and I used to go in there and just be in my own little world. It was the best thing ever. I was the only child at the time, so yeah, I was spoiled.
PGN: What were you like as a kid?
CG: I was a tomboy. I was always fearless and active, I guess you’d say a daredevil.
PGN: What was the most fearless thing you did, and biggest trouble you got in?
CG: Well, actually it was something my mom did. She tossed me in the water to teach me how to swim. And I did, thank God! I just saw something on the news about classes where they put infants in the water and let them go, so I guess she knew what she was doing. The biggest trouble? After my first year with my grandmother, I lived with my mom. We moved around a lot and when I was 13 we moved to Delaware. I’d just started dating my first girlfriend and I guess I was homesick. I called Philadelphia so much that my mom put a code on the phone so I couldn’t call long distance. It took me three tries to break the code. My mom’s a nurse so by 7 o’clock she’s sound asleep and it was full game for me … until my mom got the bill and it was over $2,000! I saw horns come out my mom’s head when she came into my room. She was like, “I’m going to freaking kill you!” I was like, “Oh, no! I’m in trouble.” [Laughs] So I called 911! It was crazy, she was paying that bill up until a few years ago.
PGN: Oh my!
CG: I went to four different high schools in three different states but the worst trouble I got into was when I was in my sophomore year. I always had good grades and my mom would sneak attack and check my homework — she was always on top of it — and would reward me by letting me play hooky with her to do fun things. In our family a C was like an F, so a D was unacceptable and one year I got bad grades and my mom did the worst punishment of all. She didn’t ground me, she didn’t beat me, she knew how to make me suffer the most: She took my basketball away.
PGN: Perfect. Were you involved in many sports?
CG: Yes. It goes like this: Basketball was my first love, then tennis, then track, softball, volleyball and boxing. I did some boxing and then I took a break to drive a tractor trailer, which is what I do now for a living. Totally unexpected; I was working in mental health for nine years.
PGN: What were your favorite subjects in school?
CG: Math, science and history. My mom was good in math so I followed behind her. To this day you can show me a long number and I’ll remember it.
PGN: Since you liked history, what time period would you want to go back to?
CG: Ragtime days. It was a little rough for us black folks back then, but I love the music. I’m an up-and-coming artist, a vocalist, and I love that sound. I love all the arts; I’m an actress, producer, I model, choreographer, all that. My business manager calls me a quadruple threat. In 2014, my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and they removed a 7-pound,13-centimeter tumor. After that and a lot of chemo, in 2015 she went into remission and thought she was cured. She was on Facebook thanking everyone and praising God and a month later it was back with a vengeance. Stage four. There’s no history of cancer in our family and my mom’s been a vegetarian for years, so it was totally unexpected. We tried anything and everything — I’d stay up all night researching alternative therapies, cannabis, anything — but she died in April of this year. I dedicate this journey I’m taking to her.
PGN: That’s lovely. Any siblings?
CG: Yes, I have a sister who’s 13 years younger; she’s 22 now, I’m 35. I promised my mom I’d look after her. She went to high school at the School of the Future and was at the top of her class and then graduated from Millersville with a 3.5. I love her to death. She also wants to be an actress. My mom used to go up to New York to audition for things. She’d get cast as an extra and always wanted me to come with her but I was always working. I regret now that I didn’t go and share that experience with her.
PGN: When did you come out?
CG: I came out at 16. I told my mom and her reaction was, “Oh, that’s all? Cool, I don’t have to worry about you having babies!” But then in 2005 she got “saved” and things changed a little. She started giving me the “This isn’t natural” speech. My grandmother — who is married to Jesus — didn’t even give me that speech. So I told her, “Uh, uh. Too late, you already gave me your blessing years ago! You can’t take it back now.” I recently told my sister and she was fine with it. She loves my girlfriend, Joy Lee, who is a fashion designer. It’s funny, I was mostly scared to tell my best friend from middle school, Kandace Squirrell. But when I finally did, she just said, “Cecilia, I already knew.” I’ve been trying to find her forever, so if anyone knows how to reach her, let me know!
PGN: How did you get into boxing?
CG: I was a lifeguard at the Marion Anderson Rec Center and one day I just wandered into the gym. They had a boxing ring and a heavy bag and I just started punching and going in on it. The coach, Stanley Dawson, saw me and came over and asked my name. Next thing you know, I was training with him and excelled. I had to stop for work, but I think if I kept it up I would have done well in amateur fights. My grandfather, Len Matthews, was a well-known boxer, nicknamed the “Million Dollar Baby.” They still have a picture of him in Joe Hand’s Gym down on Third Street. He’d probably turn over in his grave if he knew I was doing this. This is going to be my first fight, but I’m up for anything that has to do with fighting cancer.
PGN: First fight? Wow. I was just saying to someone that, knock on wood, I’ve never been punched before and never had to punch someone, so it’s hard for me to imagine.
CG: [Laughs] Well I’ve never been in an official fight before, but I used to be a bouncer at a club so I’ve been in a few scuffles before. I worked at a club on Delaware Ave and we’d advertise a lot of guest celebrities but a lot of times they wouldn’t show up and people would get upset. I remember one time this girl was going off because Lil’ Kim was supposed to be there but never showed. At closing time, we have to get people out by 10 after 2 a.m. or we get fined, but this girl wouldn’t leave. I said as nicely as I could, “Ma’am I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that.” She responded, “I don’t give a f—ing f—.” I responded nicely again, “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. All I know is that you have to leave now.” She did something, I don’t even know what, and next thing you know I came to and I was on top of her. I had a lot of pent-up rage that seemed to come out that day. Hopefully that will help me in the ring.
PGN: Who else is on the bill?
CG: It’ll be fun. We have Gina Marie Zimmerman from “Big Brother” and Natalie Didonato from “Mob Wives” doing the main fight. Those two are riots, especially Natalie; she’s ready to go at it. Simply Monica cracks me up too. It’ll be nice because there’s going to be an after-party where everyone can mix and mingle and we can tell people why we all felt it important to participate. Each one of us has had cancer touch our lives in some way. It feels like cancer is like the flu these days. I’m afraid of what I eat and what I breathe anymore. It’s crazy, so we’re all in for this.
PGN: It’s good that you’re raising cancer awareness for the LGBT and African-American communities, who are often focused on or associated with other health issues.
CG: Right. The LGBT community gets associated with HIV/AIDS and the black community gets focused on diabetes. And that’s messed up; cancer gets everyone. And there is unfortunately a whole range of things out there to be aware of. When I worked in mental health, we’d get kids as young as 12 coming in with anorexia, bulimia and depression. It’s such a shame. They’d just patch them up with medication and be done with it or the counselors would read them a tired, generic script about what they should do, but I tried to really talk to them. If you think about it, disease is dis-ease and I’d tell patients if you believe in the disease you’re going to live with disease. I’m not a therapist but I had seven patients tell me how glad they were that I was in their unit. I thought about becoming a nurse but I couldn’t deal with the administration; it’s inhumane the way they treat people. If you check out of the hospital for an hour and have to come back in, they start your billing from scratch. It’s terrible.
PGN: You’re a fearless fighter, but what scares you?
CG: Sharks. Sharks scare me. And I love the water. My mom’s first husband lived on a boat down at the marina and we lived with him for five years. It was the best place ever, like its own little world. If I had to go outside the gates of the marina it was like, “Oh God, here we go.” Because the people who lived in the marina were a different breed, everyone was so relaxed and chill. In America, we’re so, go, go, go, it’s terrible. Stress is a silent killer that people overlook. I think Oprah did a show about other countries and how laidback they are compared to the U.S. There was a French woman talking about how they take time to eat and are passionate about their food, but people in America don’t enjoy eating. I do. I’m a chef too and want to open a Creole restaurant and hope to do a cooking show soon with kids. Oh, and ever since I watched the movie “Arachnophobia” I’ve been terrified of spiders. Terrified! I know they do good for the world so I try not to kill them, but I really don’t like being around them.
PGN: What song always makes you happy when you hear it?
CG: Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” My mom loved that song too. If it came on in the car she’d yell, “Come on Cil!” That was her nickname for me.
PGN: Favorite body part?
CG: I have to go with more than one. I’d have to say lips, chest, then butt. Luckily I have a woman who is gifted with nice versions of all of them.
PGN: Who, aside from Ellen, has been very influential in the LGBT community?
CG: Ha! I was going to say Ellen, but if not her, I’d say that the Obamas made a big difference in the dialogue by talking about LGBT people and being very inclusive in everything they say and do. I think it really helped move things forward.
PGN: Any notable relatives?
CG: My aunt Yvette is an actress — we both went to Freedom Theater — and her father is Cecil B. Moore.
PGN: Wait, I know Yvette! We went to Emerson College together and she lived across from me a few years ago. Small world.
CG: Yeah, we have a lot of people in the arts in the family. I also have two brothers from my father, Jason and Troy, who are both tennis players. I think they’re going to be the male versions of Venus and Serena.
PGN: Celebrity encounter?
CG: I got to meet Billie Jean King when I was a kid playing at the Arthur Ashe Center. I was playing against a kid who was older than me but I was hitting the ball across the court and making him run from side to side like a puppet on the baseline. I’ll never forget the comment she made to me. She looked at me and said, “You are a tiger!”
PGN: What are you working on now outside of this upcoming event?
CG: I’ve been concentrating on my music. I auditioned for “American Idol” when they came to Philly. We had the biggest turnout in “American Idol” history. I did the whole thing where you stay out overnight and I got on camera for the opening segment. I was working in health at the time and all my patients were like, “We saw you on TV!” I made it to the second round and it was a really exciting moment. They lined you up in groups of four and it was me and three bougie girls and I had on my lavender straw hat and purple shirt and slacks. When they got to me, I sang Phyllis Hyman’s “Meet Me on the Moon.” There was a black lady judge at the table by herself and I was like, “Oh, I got her. Fo’ sho’!” and I sang that song to her like she was the last woman on earth. When she handed me that yellow ticket, I lost my life! It was one of the most exciting moments ever. If I don’t get a record deal, first I’m going to audition for “The Voice.” I already have a song on a compilation CD put out by Daniel Marshall who makes 24 carat-gold-infused cigars. Big Ray from Twin Towers put it together and it’s pretty cool. I never knew how big the cigar industry was, but they have all sorts of people interested, from Al Pacino to Demi Lovato to Nick Jonas, all the people who want to roll with the gold. In addition, my girlfriend and I are both taking advanced acting classes. We’ll graduate soon and we have some agents we are hoping to interview with. And the producer of the fight, Damon Feldman, wants to work with me doing all sorts of events in the LGBT community after this. I have a lot to look forward to.
Cecilia Garnier will compete in “Battle of Female Reality Stars,” presented by Celebrity Boxing Entertainment, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at 2300 Arena, 2300 S. Swanson St. The event seeks to raise awareness about breast cancer. For more information, visit http://ow.ly/U0o43054XKR.
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