Jazsmine's rough road to success
Donation protected
I come from little to nothing, I’ve slept on the floor, on the couch, and at some points I’ve
had nowhere to lay my head. I’ve gone to sleep without eating. I’ve owned only one pair of worn
down shoes. I’ve worn the same clothes for days. I’ve stood outside and begged people for spare change or for their leftovers. I’ve been passed from home to home and taken away from my mother for years. The times I spent away from my mother were the worst times of my life, because it didn’t matter what my mother did or how she did it, she loved me and I loved her. Today my mother is my biggest supporter.
My mother was born into addiction and so was my father. My father wasn’t around enough to care for me when my mother couldn’t, so I’d just go from home to home until my mother was capable of caring for me. I’ve been with my mother since I was in eighth grade and
it's just been me and her since. Even though it has been tough, we get through it and support each other. She makes sure I stay on top of my A game, and I get her through her struggle of
addiction, Even if it's just the small things like I make sure she takes her medication before bed
and before we leave the house; She makes sure I’ve got my homework turned in on time and
checks up to see how my grades are and if i need extra help she reaches out for me. We’re
practically a support team for one another.
Seventy percent of my family struggles with an addiction of some sort. Crack cocaine,
heroin, pills, and alcohol. Scientifically, I’m susceptible to addiction because my mother and my father are addicts. People around me even doubt me because “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree." I’ve always had this dream of going to college getting my degree and just the thought of having the chance that my family didn’t due to drugs and alcohol makes me want this opportunity for myself even more. Growing up surrounded by toxicity makes me want to seek something better for myself. Perhaps if they see that it’s possible to make it out, they’ll realize that anything can happen even when the odds are against you. My whole life has been based on struggle. I’m still struggling, but why stop, why give up? Every day I think about giving up or I think maybe this fight is just too hard, but no fight is too hard. With pain, comes gain!
Organizer
Jazsmine Gaines
Organizer
Asheville, NC