My sister, Mary Anne, is the youngest of five (5) of us siblings. There were two (2) of us girls and 3 boys. She never knew our mother when there wasn’t sickness, poverty or horrific things going on in our lives or at our house. The only unconditional love she ever knew was from our grandmother. Mom was always moving us from house to house. Grandma always lived in the same house and not much ever changed. She was always there for us. There was the time Mom was in the hospital for multiple weeks due to burns all over her upper body. Then the Cancer came and came and never stopped. I think Mary Anne was in grade school when mom was first diagnosed. Our father was in and out of our lives: he was a Merchant Marine that travelled the world and sailed the seas. However to us he was mostly an abusive alcoholic. He was quite scary the older he got and he was only 48 when he died of Acute Alcoholism in some hole in the wall in New Orleans. The odds that any of us would ever survive any of this were slim. Our mother died a few years later of cancer which was probably magnified by the stress in her life. The odds that Mary Anne would ever survive and be a productive adult were slimmer. She was basically an orphan at a very early age.
However let me tell you! She has not only succeeded as being a healthy productive adult but an amazing parent. She has raised three (3) children to be independent and happy. Her oldest son Dylan is employed by the Federal Prison system and does whatever is needed to help his mom out! Her oldest daughter Leah is graduating from Law School in May. Her youngest daughter Maggie is graduating from Ohio State in May. Who woulda thought Mary Anne could and would grow up and graduate and raise these three (3) beautiful children.
There was not anyone in Southern Illinois that thought any of us, especially Mary Anne would ever grow up to be anything. We were too poor, too cold, too hungry, too alone, too misguided to ever make it. Some thought our brothers might be ok as they were very handsome.. we were just their sisters.
She did and her children are the proof. I think a big shout out to Mary Anne for surviving the unsurvivable childhood she had to endure is long overdue. I am proud of her and all of her children! You did good!