Hey, I’m Piper Henry. I’m 18 years old, and right now I’m in the hospital after a series of seizures that doctors believe are tied to trauma and years of nonstop stress. And I already know exactly where that came from—my mom.

Growing up, I didn’t have a loving or stable home. I had a mom who made everything harder. She was emotionally and physically abusive, always yelling, blaming, hitting, and tearing me down. I wasn’t allowed to have feelings. I had to stay quiet, act fine, and pretend nothing was wrong, even when I was hurting the most. That kind of pain doesn’t just go away. It builds up, and eventually, it breaks you down. That’s what landed me here.

When I was a toddler, CPS got involved and took me away from her. My grandparents, my heroes drove all the way from Maryland to North Carolina to come get me. They fed me, clothed me, and gave me love when no one else did. They’re the reason I made it as far as I did. They stepped up when no one else would, and I’ll never forget that. But eventually, I was placed back with my mom, and everything I was healing from came crashing back.

Even now, lying in this hospital bed, she’s nowhere to be found. No calls. No visits. Just me. I’ve had to carry myself through every storm and I’m still standing. But I’m tired. I’ve always tried to handle everything on my own. I’ve never wanted to be a burden to anyone. But right now, I can’t keep pretending I’ve got it all handled.

I just graduated high school. I got accepted into Mount St. Mary’s University where I plan to major in Sports Management and start a wrestling program. That’s something I’ve dreamed about for years and something I want to build from the ground up. But I’ve got medical bills now, no financial support, and college is coming fast. I’m trying to get the basics: tuition, supplies, dorm stuff but after everything that’s happened, I need help.

My grandparents have done everything they could, and they’ve always believed in me. But I’m at a point where I can’t ask them to carry more than they already have. So I’m turning to you, anyone reading this because I still believe in something better. I still believe I can make it out of this. I just need a little support to get there.

Every donation helps whether it goes to medical care, school, or just giving me a chance to breathe. And even if you can’t give, just sharing this could change everything. People like me, kids who were dealt a bad hand but still fight like hell to win anyway, we deserve a shot too.

Thank you for reading. For seeing me. And for maybe being the reason I finally get to start over.

—Piper

This GoFundMe will help cover:

• College essentials

(books, supplies, bedding, clothes)

• Transportation and moving costs

• Medical bills and therapy

• Basic living expenses during her transition