5 minute read
Areana’s Journey -A Rising Nonprofit Founder
By Areana Thompson-Birmingham Capital Region, New York
The life of a young mother never stops and there is the ability to learn new parenting skills everyday! As a young mother, I faced multiple challenges. I can remember finding out I was pregnant at 15. I had no job and had not finished high school. All I wished for was to have support from my mother and father. In my case, I didn’t have that support. My family believed I should of had an abortion. So I fought the fight with my step mother and my child’s father.
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When it was close to my due date I remember facing financial hardship, unable to buy my baby the items she needed. I didn’t have a stable place to live and went from place to place. I had run away prior to being pregnant, which left me with nowhere to turn. I can recall my step mother calling the courts and getting everything situated.
Being a mother can be very trying. There were nights I was tired and I couldn’t sleep because my newborn child was well awake. I slipped into postpartum depression. After falling into depression, I was suffering from isolation and started letting myself go. Life became overwhelming. Eventually, I went back to highschool and got a part time job. Some nights I barely saw my baby but I knew I had to do whatever it took to provide a better life for us. There were days where I would get discouraged, but watching my child grow gave me strength.
Soon after going back to school and work, I was accepted into the Equinox Youth Shelter with my daughter. We were provided with a room for a few months and then transferred into an apartment. The rent was paid for by Equinox. I was now in a program where they offered help. My case manager helped me secure insurance and food stamps for my baby and I. Life started easing up for us.
In 2017, I became pregnant with my second child. I hit a few bumps in the road. I graduated from Equinox, which meant I had to now find my own apartment. This is where things started falling apart again. At that time in my life while being pregnant, my daughter and I were hopping from place to place for months. But eventually, I got my very first apartment on my own and graduated from school. I was in a subsidized apartment, so my rent was very cheap. Things started looking up once again.
After I finished school, I secured a full time position earning double the income. It really ended up hurting me. I was cut off off of social services. This meant having to pay out of my own pocket full rent, food, utilities, car and medical bills. Things got rough again. Bills started accumulating. I lost my car, which meant I had to start using public transportation. I now wasn’t making enough money for my monthly expenses. When I think back to that time, I can recall nights where I was only able to feed my children. I would starve so that they could eat because there was only a little bit of food and it would have to last until the next paycheck. I also remember the times I had to get food from the pantry. There would be moments where I would just think that life couldn’t get any worse and then, boom! It would seem to go down hill.
When I was giving up, the only thing that made me fight harder was that I knew I wanted my kids to live a better life than me. There were also times where things were great and I felt as if life couldn’t be any better. I swear! Ultimately, I just keep going.
I tackle one problem at a time. As of now, I’m still striving for my kids. My mothering journey still continues! I have a lot more learning to do but I am willing to do anything for my babies.
The best advice I can give to a young mother is to pay attention to your mental health. If you see yourself letting go, keep fighting and seek help. Your kids deserve a happy, healthy, and strong mom. When you start feeling like you’re failing at being a mom, push through it girl! I promise, it’s a beautiful life when you get to the end of the struggle! One of my favorite quotes is by Marion C. Garretty: “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible”. This quote lives rent free in my mind and I live by it.
Lastly, my life experiences have inspired me to take steps toward opening the doors to a nonprofit organization one day. This organization will provide housing for mothers on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of themselves and their children.
I started to work on this dream in 2017 as a student participating in the Power Lunch Program produced by Mission Accomplished Transition Services. Since meeting the Mission Accomplished team they have remained consistent advocates of my mission to be a change agent. One more piece of advice, ask for and accept help along the way!
