Kids Stories

I'm 26 with two daughters. Sadie is two and Brooklyn is three and a half.

I was 22 when I found out I was pregnant. When I discovered I was pregnant, I cried. I always wanted to have a baby, but now wasn't the best time to have it.

I'd been using heroin and crack since I was 14. I'd been in and out of recovery houses, detoxes, and treatments and couldn't hold it together long enough to do anything.

I never thought I'd stop using but when I got pregnant with Brooklyn, I thought if I can't do it for me, I have to do it for the baby. I think if I didn't get pregnant with her, I have no idea where I'd be today. Probably nowhere good.

I couldn't just go to detox because I was pregnant. I had to go on methadone so I was in the hospital for three months (BC Women’s Fir Square Program). While I was at the hospital, I met a girl and she told me about a place called Aunt Leah's, which was supportive housing for single moms. She told me about the things they do at Aunt Leah's. That they have a one-on-one worker and other workers and you live with other girls and their kids, and there are classes. They support you and teach you stuff about taking care of a baby. So I decided to apply.

When Brooklyn was born, she was healthy. She didn't have any signs – no withdrawals from the methadone or anything. After a couple of weeks, I went to Aunt Leah’s. I felt like I was at home. It was nice to have a place that you can call home.

Pam, my support worker, was there and I could ask her questions-- anything about the baby. The support was really important. If I'd been by myself, dealing with a crying baby all the time, trying to get her to settle and stuff -- it's frustrating and it's hard, especially by yourself -- I could probably have started using again.
But when I was at Aunt Leah's, there was support: there were other girls in the house, our workers were there, and we could call the pager if we needed to talk to somebody. There were so many people dealing with the same things I was and knowing what I was going through.

I lived at Aunt Leah's for nine months and then I got into a relationship. Me and Brooklyn moved in with him. I went to school for medical office assistant and administrative assistant, but then I had Sadie. We had a lot of problems with Sadie when she was born. She was in the hospital for six months and I had to learn how to change the bag she would poop into and her feeding tubes and everything, So I've actually started thinking about going back to school to be a nurse, and looking into what I would need to do that since I have a big passion to do it now.

Now Brooklyn is three and she goes to preschool and daycare twice a week and she loves doing that. She loves dinosaurs right now, so when she grows-up, she wants to be a paleontologist, and a junior conductor. And Sadie – well, Sadie is two; she's very smart and copies everything Brooklyn does, wants to be just like her sister.

I get along with my parents great now. I talk to them. We go over to their place every Sunday for Sunday night dinner. It's amazing how things have changed.

I appreciate that Aunt Leah's was around when I needed them and I don't think I could have done it without them -- they were a great support. To this day, they're still there and I can still call up Pam and she will help me or listen to me. Aunt Leah's is always there, and I get invited to all the events and everything. It's nice. It's like another family. So I'm grateful to Aunt Leah's.

I had to work very hard to get where I am, but I'm happy. I'm finally being “me” and not being a slave to drugs or anything else. It's good. Life can be good. But you just have to work at it.