My name is Aariyana. I am 19 and trying to get funded so I can obtain an attorney to gain custody of my 13 year old brother. But let me go to the beginning……

Both of my parents were dysfunctional growing up and because of this I had an unstable childhood. My parents would be absent for long periods of time and unable to care for us. I was primarily raised by my maternal grandmother up until I was approximately 10. (I understand some of the trauma behind my mother’s issues after living with my grandmother myself.) It was not a healthy household and her mental health made an impact on our lives

When I was 10 my father finally gained custody of us and while he still fell short and was an alcoholic it was an improvement. My younger siblings are not my father’s children and they were left behind. This has always bothered me and weighed on me, even as a young child.

Because of my upbringing I have done everything in my power to break the cycle that my family has continued. I graduated school and joined the military and now that I am going active duty I am in a position to give my brother a more stable home and opportunities I never had.

My mother has since regained custody of my 9 year old brother and has been sober for several years and I’m very proud of her. Unfortunately my grandmother had manipulated her into allowing her to adopt my 13 year old brother when he was 3 and while my mother regrets it, it is nearly impossible for her to legally do anything about it.

My 13 year old brother is biracial and his hair has never been cared for. He lives in squalor and filth. At one point they had no properly working toilet for about a year at least. It was to the point that the plumbing company they contacted would only come in if they were wearing hazmat suits. There are several cats and constant litters of kittens. The cats suffer from medical conditions and die regularly because of overpopulation. My brother is isolated from everyone. And now the environment he lives in has been more impacted since 2 more family members have moved in the home who have similar issues as my grandmother with hygiene and stability and the situation is more concerning.

My mother contacted the local Children and Yourh agency and they did nothing. It is glaringly obvious that there is a concern and a problem but they don’t want to be bothered. They write it off.

I want to give my brother the life he deserves and the guidance that we didn’t have just like our mother before us. I want to end the generational trauma and help heal our family. I don’t care who gets mad at me, my brother does not deserve the life he is being given due to the adults failures. He didn’t ask to be born into the mess he is in but he should have a chance to thrive. I know I am going to suffer the loss of some of my familial relationships because they’re going to get angry but I don’t care at this point because my brother comes first and should have from the beginning.

Thank you for reading this and I will post updates throughout the process if I am able to receive enough funds for an attorney.

I can’t change what was for me but I can step up for my brother.