Close your eyes. Come on...just for a minute.
Good. Now that your eyes are closed...
Think back to the moment you were most terrified as a child. Whether you were scared of the dark or fell and broke a bone, think about how you felt in that moment. And instead of hugging you, comforting you, scooping you up and getting you to the hospital, making sure you are safe, imagine the adults around you saying, "Let her die."
No hugs, no bandaids, no trip to the hospital, no comfort.
The people you've always trusted to care for you and keep you safe now have the audacity to utter those words...
This is the story of one the kiddos we encountered last week. For her safety, we will call her Leah.
Leah's life was recently turned upside down when her own mother murdered Leah's grandmother. Once it was discovered that her mother was the culprit, the family was, for obvious reasons, distraught. Leah doesn't know her father and has no relationship with him, so when her mother was arrested and awaiting trial, Leah was left with her older brother to care for her.
Leah is 7 years old and her brother is 14. If I could show you a photo of her brother, he looks to be about 9. Leah is small for 7 and is quite thin. They clearly were not in the best care even prior to this situation, but as the story progressed, they both continued to decline.
No one knows how Leah and her brother survived the last few months. The siblings of Leah's mother, and the rest of her mother's family, did not want anyone to help or care for the children, demanding that Leah and her brother suffer & die for their mother's actions.
I know death (murder, actually) can bring out the worst in people. As hard as I try, I just can't seem to understand what would compel someone to say, well...just let them die.
I know there are cultural components at play, some things I could never understand, but at the end of the day, taking 2 lives because one life was taken doesn't make for any kind of restitution. This would only make things even worse.
Through out this awful story, there were family members who tried to help. Eventually, they were able to get the boy with his father and hid the little girl. Eventually, she made her way to us, until the family was able to arrange a family member to care for Leah.
We only had 3 days with Leah but she will forever leave an imprint on our hearts. She arrived off a bus after 10pm, and was clearly exhausted. She was ready to be somewhere and stay for a while. She spoke a small amount of Portuguese and was afraid to leave my side the first night. When we arrived home, she saw the kids but everyone was asleep. She asked to sleep in my room, and I happily agreed to have a roomy for the night.
Leah adjusted quickly, and was pleased to see lots of new friends the following morning. She loved to play with the dolls and toys in the girls' bedroom, and she enjoyed being close to the youngest kids.
Leah left to go live with her forever family after 3 short days with us. We were sad to see her go, but we know where she is and will be checking up on her often. She was happy to people she knows as family and they are well equipped to care for her.
While her story is still being written, we are so thankful for the way Leah's story has started.
Thank you for helping us stand in the middle and link this precious child to her family. We can't do this without your partnership.
Hugs,
Laura
Director @ HFTN
