I Am Determined
“I was in an abusive relationship and I felt like I had nowhere to go. Some days he chose to drink over putting food on the table. I didn’t know how to explain to my son that we didn’t have anything to eat. I gave my son the choice to stay with his dad or come with me. He said he wanted to be with me, so we both went to a shelter. Some days at the shelter I would sit down and cry. When the workers asked me if I missed home, I would say, ‘No, when I walked out that door, I was done’ and I would always tell my son, ‘I am going to work as hard as I can to get us out of here.’ I was recently housed thanks to a housing program in the city and I work night shifts at a temp agency to get by. My biggest challenge is gaining full-time employment. When criminal record checks are done, the door gets slammed shut in your face, but I am determined and hard-working. My son is thriving now and that makes me happy. He loves football and welding. I want him to have an education, have his welding and have his sports. KidSport gave him funding to go to football camp and he is doing so well. Right now, I have to be patient and I have to keep going.”