Before I was given my gift …

When I was a little girl I dreamed of going to college, becoming a teacher, getting married at 25, having 2.5 children, a dog, and going on wonderful journeys and adventures. That was my plan. When I was 20, my sister and I shared a heart to heart. I told her “I’m probably going to be a single mom.” Not the previous dreams of the little girl or many little girls’ today. I was inspired by the single working moms whose children I taught at a local Children Center. Eight years later that plan started evolving along with the gift that was given to me …

I had a little girl. She was the special gift that saved my life and brought my plan to life. When I delivered her, the doctor took a biopsy and found out a few weeks later I had level four precancerous cells and had to have surgery before they turned into the “C” word. After two surgeries, the cells were removed and the gift of my daughter coming into this world saved me from leaving this world.

Three years later her father and I grew apart. I was then that single mom I was meant to be. Very soon after, I heard another word, the “A” word; a diagnosis from a Doctor about my daughter, “Autism.” My daughter was now the teacher who I dreamed to be when I was a little girl. She speaks without words but her voice is heard from miles away. She is brave and inspiring and will never be alone. She has me and the community that continues to understand that even when you feel alone, you are never alone. My special gift has given me the journey that we were meant to be on and adventures that will never end. She is my gift, my dream, and now I can proudly say, “I am a single mom and I will never be alone.”

Keep sharing your dreams and planning your future. Do not be afraid even when you feel alone because we can get though the journey and we can do this together. A gift that will bring us together.