Mimi Konoza was born on a U.S. Army base, raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and grew up near Washington, DC, where her father worked for the government. She attended the International School of Bangkok and graduated from The George Washington University in DC. On 9/11, she responded to the Pentagon.
On 9/11, Mimi was teaching at the Arlington (Virginia) Fire Training Academy and responded to the Pentagon to serve as the Forward Area Triage Officer. For twenty-three years, she worked as a firefighter/paramedic for various fire departments (Prince William County & Arlington County) outside of Washington, DC . Over the years, she received multiple heroism/valor awards and commendations, including an Operation Noble Eagle battle ribbon.
In 2004, she crushed her hips and was given a 50/50 chance of survival. She pulled through and had to have both hips totally replaced, ending her fire & rescue career. A year later, she retired on Line-of-Duty Act (LODA) disability.
