Unwanted & Unloved

My biological mom was an abused teenager who was six and-a-half months pregnant when she gave birth to me. Abused physically, mentally and emotionally by my father, my mom tried to abort me with a wire clothes hanger because she did not want to raise a child who could turn into a monster like her then-husband.

Left in the hospital, I was born malnourished and suffered from chronic asthma that nearly cost me my life. I weighed one pound and a-quarter and wasn’t expected to live. My brother was 2 years-old when I was born.

A victim of physical abuse, Lynn was severely beaten by my father, and could no longer walk or talk, and needed 24-hour medical care, until he passed away from his injuries. Having no parents to turn to, Ms. Bessie Fisher, a nurse working at the hospital where I was birthed, was told that there was sick baby girl had been abandoned and was asked if she would care for me.

Without giving it a second thought, Ms. Fisher took me into her home and heart, and slowly nursed me back to health. She fed me high quality health foods that nourished and strengthened me, provided a safe, and happy environment, and gave me my very first experience of real love.

Momma Bessie treated me like family, and her older children and friends cared for me, as if I was their own. Momma Bessie loved me so much, that she decided to adopt me. Her plans were thwarted when my mom started coming around and expressed that she wanted me back. Determined to help my mom, Momma Bessie invited her into her family and supported her every step of the way in getting legal custody of me. After a couple of years with Momma Bessie, I was placed in my mother’s care.

Even though she was unable to adopt me like she planned, there is no question that Momma Bessie’s love, compassion and dedication carried me through some of my darkest moments, even after being removed from her home as a toddler many years earlier. Momma Bessie was the first person who taught me that I mattered, and that I was worthy of being cared for.

Being Momma Bessie’s foster child was a blessing in disguise. Although I was placed in foster care again at the age of 13, she gave me courage, compassion, and the resolve to never give up. Because of one caring adult, I’m now able to be of service to others in crisis. Momma Bessie is proof that one person can truly create miracles and impact an entire community.