I was born in 1992 to a single mother. I stayed with one of my older sisters, who was only five years older than I was.
My mom’s boyfriends were often abusive, and she struggled with drugs and alcohol for as long as I can remember. We were very poor, and some days I didn’t know when I’d eat next. I would climb onto the counter and search the cupboards, often finding nothing but peanut butter to eat.
The police came to our house many times because of violence and neglect. When I was five, an officer asked if I wanted a cookie. I didn’t know it meant I was being taken away. We picked my sister up from school, went to the DHS office, and then to a foster home with nothing but the dirty clothes we wore.
At first, I thought it was temporary just “daycare” until my mom came back.By the time I turned six, I understood that no one was coming for me.
That same year, my sister was moved to another home. Losing her and my mom at the same time was crushing. I cried myself to sleep for years.
Foster care wasn’t safe either. For seven years in one home, I was neglected, abused, and controlled. If we made a mistake, meals were taken away or we were locked outside all day. One foster brother hurt me physically on more than one occasion. I prayed every night for God to bring me back my family or give me a new one.
At eleven, I told DHS I wanted to be adopted, but not by the family I was with. I never saw my mom again. At thirteen, I moved into a home where adoption was promised, but that also ended in abuse. They called me “unadoptable,” and I remained in the system well into my twenties.
At twenty-one, I was kicked out of my foster home, not because I was in trouble but because I was no longer bringing in money. I called a friend from nanny school, and her family took me in. That’s when I learned adults could be adopted.
On March 27, 2015, at twenty-two years old, I finally got my forever family. They told me, “We know how important it is for someone to stay in your life.”
God hadn’t forgotten me. Adoption was the start of my healing. I’ve had to forgive, face the past, and accept help. My life in foster care taught me to treasure people, value simple things, and never lose hope.
