We Heal, Restore, An Uplift our youth through our mentoring program in a unique way that's structured to help deal with violence that was life changing and to restore HOPE in their lives Or, the fact that she would wait for hours on her birthday, just for her favorite chocolate cake to arrive from me. Those are some of the good times I remember about Jamyla. My life has been far from a fairy tale
, but I’ve always accepted everything life had to offer. As a child, you would never imagine losing your parents. I witnessed the tragedy of my mother’s death and the only thing I knew about my father was his name and what he did. Being only eight years old and having no parents took a toll on my life. I had built-up anger and frustration because I felt alone. I’ll never forget the nightmare of seeing my mother take her last breath. I lived with my grandmother until I was old enough to start working and becoming the man I needed to be. I wasn’t perfect, but I needed to be an example for someone who was watching me – my firstborn son James Bolden Jr. I didn’t know how to be a father until I became one. I was a teenage father, and I had my son to think about, in addition to graduating, my track career, and working towards honors and scholarships. I had a great future ahead of me, and God had great plans for me, too. In 1997 I was shot several times, in both shoulders and in my thigh, off Natural Bridge Rd. That instantly ended my track career and almost felt like the end of my life. After trying to get my life back right, I had my second son, Kendall Bolden. I was happy and satisfied with my two boys; I never imagined having a girl. She reminded me so much of my mother. Having a girl was not part of my life plan, and me having Jamyla made me look at life so differently. Having a girl changes your way of thinking, and it made me want to get my life right with God all the way. God blessed me with my beautiful wife Victoria Bolden in 2011. A couple of years later we had a son, named Elijah Bolden. My wife had two kids from a previous relationship. God started opening doors and helped me get my life back on track. I had a beautiful wife and six amazing kids. July 4th of 2015 was the last time I spent with my kids as a family. The weekend to enjoy the fireworks, outdoor fun, and bonding most of all. I never thought that would be the last time bonding like that with my daughter. On August 18, 2015, I went to work like I normally do and have done so many times, and then went home. Around 9:00 that night I received a call that Myla had been hurt. I didn’t know what was going on so I drove over to her mother’s house to make sure everything was okay. I got out of the car and was looking around, but no one was telling me anything. I tried to enter the house to look for my daughter but the police turned me around without knowing who I was. I tried telling them that I was her father, but they wouldn’t release any information at that time to me. I rushed over to Children’s Hospital only to wait for 3 ½ hours, until I found out that she had been taken to Christian Hospital. There were three people at Children’s Hospital with – my pastor and two cousins. Finally, my daughter was brought to Children’s and when everything calmed down they let me see her. She was already dead when they brought her in but they were trying to bring her back. Seeing my nine-year-old’s lifeless body reminded me of what I had seen with my mother’s death. As they kept trying to revive her, they stuck her with needles and brought her back for just a moment, just for her to see that her daddy was still by her side. She looked at me and she had tears in her eyes, it was like her soul was crying out to me and I immediately asked God to fix this! Fix this situation so that my daughter can live a happy life, so my life can go back to being the same. On August 19, 2015, at 1:30 am she was pronounced dead. I feel like God let me feel her one last time, let her spirit run into my chest and hold me. When she released, I released, and I feel cold to the world ever since. Telling her siblings was hard for me to do because they’re just kids, and I knew they wouldn’t really understand. Losing my daughter was a stepping stone to inspire other men to be in their children’s lives. Nothing lasts forever, so cherish what you have and appreciate it for what it’s worth. I want to inspire people to help families to stay together and be in unity, to inspire each and every one of you who has been through the same type of thing, or worse, and to keep the streets safe for children like mine and yours. This life-changing experience is what inspired me to create this foundation, to help other like myself, and to help make dream a reality. “Unsung Angels” will be a remembrance to Jamyla and inspiration to me and others. If God wasn’t walking with me through this journey, who knows where I would be or who I would be. I want to give back, let people hear my story, how I accomplished what I have with all my ups and downs, and trials and tribulations. Everyone has a song, just a different tune. Let’s let these angels sing their song.
