My birth parents sexually and physically abused me repeated times. On a daily basis I witnessed the horrors of my father beating my mother. My previous home was always full of strangers who were invited in by my parent to use drugs. Due to these emotional traumatic events my therapist tells me I now suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and reactive attachment disorder.

Shortly after my adoption was finalized I was rebellious and aggressive with my new parents and even ran away from my new home. My parent sought help from Albertina Kerr Centers. I stayed at Kerr for just over one week, meeting with my parents almost daily to discuss my behavior at home. With the help of a therapist my new parents reinforced how much they loved me and that they wanted me to be a permanent part of their family. Staff worked with me through this crisis to understand my behavior. I was so scared to be rejected again in my life, so my coping behavior was to not form loving relationships.  If I rejected my new parents how could they reject me?

When I returned home Kerr had community resources for me and my family so the adoption would be successful. My parents said when I came home there was a dramatic change in my mood. I am now living a dream that was unimaginable four years ago.