Moth Tee

We don’t know what is in the future for us. My mom was a drug addict and dad was an immigrant. My brothers and sisters and I were told that if anybody came to talk to us not to say a word to them. I didn’t know that they were talking about CPS. If I had known that CPS was there to help me, I would have talked to them sooner. CPS moved me in with my aunt when I was 12. I was scared of the future and had no idea what to expect. I was depressed. I wanted to do everything alone because I was already hurt enough. I didn’t want to be hurt any more. My parents disowned me when I became pregnant at 16. It was a very lonely time. I was then moved to a maternity home and then to transitional living.

My greatest accomplishment is going to school and getting my car. I have done all of the necessary requirements alone.

What I wish people knew about foster care is that you don’t have any guidance. There is no safety net like when you have a family. Often, there is no one to talk to so it is very lonely. These issues can lead to struggles when you need to ask for help. For instance, I have spent time in rehab. When I got out of rehab, I had just enough money to get Xanax, but I decided to use it on my moth tattoo instead. I am glad that I made that choice. This shirt is influenced by the tattoo that I got to avoid my relapse.