03/08/2026
I entered foster care at 6. Do you have a child? Can you imagine? CPS and the cops came and picked my up from my moms apt. No one Helped me pack. I put my barbie sneakers, my blankie, and a change of clothes in a trash bag. My mom didn’t hug me or even flinch. Little did I know that moment would define everything that happened in my life’s plan. I went through a few foster homes. I wasn’t the “perfect” child they wanted. I was then placed into Juanita Ferguson’s foster home. I stood at the screen door as the caseworker drove away. I started crying she took me to my room grabbed me by the hair of the head and slung me into the wall telling me “we don’t cry in this house.” I’ve looked back to that day and it angers me but through everything I wish I could thank her. You won’t ever catch me crying. That home cut a chunk out of my heart and molded me into the human I would become. She had us at church everytime the doors opened. Teachers, principals and the people at the congregation knew about the abuse. At 16 after 10 years of abuse I was done with this life and never wanted to wake to another sunrise again. One phone call saved my life from a kid at school and something had me stop what I was about to do. I ran away from that home and went straight to Trinity County Jailhouse and told them EVERYTHING that was going on and they told me I would never have to go back. Fast forwarded about 12 years I had my son. Never did I ever want to be a parent because I was scared of becoming my mom or the woman from the foster home. I had to learn to control my anger. I had to learn how to be a mom. I had the greatest examples of what I didn’t want to be. Like every adult we try to figure out why we’re here, our purpose or why we have survived.
