A New Lease on Life
By Anaiz Garcia, Caseworker
Sandra was 16 when she came to Lee & Beulah Moor Children’s Home in August of 2012. She arrived with only the clothes on her back and a rumble in her stomach. She was brought in by her mother and a Child Protective Services investigator. Her cold stare revealed instantly that she had endured unspeakable hardships.
Sandra’s mother is an alcoholic and has been for as long as Sandra can remember. She and her sister were terribly neglected for years and it was up to Sandra to care for both her mother and her sister.
Sandra was quickly placed in a loving foster home that had only one other child. Within her first three days of placement, her foster parents arranged for doctor appointments, dental visits, and eye appointments. A week later, Sandra had her new glasses and was registered for school. There was not a day that went by that first month that Sandra was not thankful for being placed in that home. Even though she had to adjust to a new school as a freshman, she told her caseworker that she felt as though she was living in a dream.
Sandra is thriving in her new home. She has especially enjoyed celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, each for the first time in her life. Sandra and her younger sister asked their foster mother why they buy new clothes and get baskets for Easter; neither of them knew what Easter was.
For most of the 16 years that Sandra has lived, she never stayed in one place longer than a year. Last week Sandra celebrated her 17th birthday in the foster home, complete with birthday cake and candles. She stated that she could not remember ever having a birthday cake on her birthday.
Sandra is excelling at school and always has a smile on her face. She is excited about her future and looks forward to continuing her education after high school.
