LIVE LIFE BRAVE POST – “Be your own kind of person & make a change”

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

I am a 20 year old mother to a one year old son. I grew up as a “normal “child, playing outside riding my bike going to school and smiling. I was very successful at sport making it quite far in both netball and sprints, even getting accepted into a sports orientated school for netball and 400m sprints. It wasn’t till I turned 13 everything changed. My life suddenly became not so normal I was kicked out at 12-13 and housed jumped between friends and family for quite some time. I never got the chance to continue with school it was near impossible with such an unstable life. It was nearly 7 years ago I was drugged by me at the time “best friend” , I spent some time in hospital and begging my family to have me home, I looked at life in a whole new aspect after that. It was a massive wakeup call and that life is precious. I finally went home and after a day or so in a family argument I was made aware that in 2003 ( 5 years old) I was adopted by my mother’s husband and the other kids 2 brothers 1 sister, were not my full blood relatives they treated me differently growing up and it all made sense after that. I found my real dad and he tried to be a part of my life for a brief time then took off leaving me with nothing and no one at this time I started to believe I wasn’t worth it even my own family left me. My aunty that I had never met took me in and gave me some shine of hope she sent me to school and gave me the life I needed and wanted, it was unfortunate I didn’t have all the support I needed I was put straight into grade 11 with no past educated other than year 7 and a fail in grade 8 it was a massive jump and I needed to start working to make ends meet so I started working 2 jobs. I met a lovely guy, moved in with him & have worked so hard to build a life for myself & the people I loved most.

That’s where I stand today with a life that I built for myself and now for my son

HOW OLD WHERE YOU WHEN YOU FELL PREGNANT AND HOW DID YOU FEEL

I was 18 going on 19 and it’s a bit of a happy / sad story. I have a condition that effect my cervix so it was after 3 years of trying to fix my condition it unfortunately come down to that I needed to have surgery done on my cervix, this would mean that It would become very hard for me to carry a baby full term. I would have to make it to the 12 week mark, have surgery and then I would need a c’section. I accepted that because after 3 years of having a horrible cervix I just wanted it fixed. It was a couple weeks before my surgery and I had a positive pregnancy test, this was probably the best day of my life. I didn’t think twice of becoming a mother and nothing or no one was stopping me, yes I was a teenager and still a kid myself but nothing was stopping my only chance to give motherhood a crack. I’ll never regret having my son it will always be the best thing that’s happened to me, he gives me so much purpose.

WHAT MADE YOU COME BACK TO SCHOOL

I was trying my best to get into the air force and I was going so well and it wasn’t till they informed me that the position I wanted I would need to have my QCE, I knew I didn’t have that and I am a mum at the age of 20 I needed to do something to be someone that my son can look up to and proudly say that’s my mum.

WHY IS SCHOOL IMPORTANT TO YOU.

All though it was tough at the beginning I had to jump straight into senior year of school & I doubted my ability to do it – I am not passing every subject and going for sports captain. School is important because it opens so many opportunities. All though school meant going to the air force for me, it now means that I will be well educated & be able to go places I never once thought of.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

The future for me … when I first went back to school the future for me was all about the air force but school changed that for me. I will graduate senior year, I will then follow that with University studying to become a  physical education & secondary school teacher. Being someone, my son can proudly stand next to and say “that’s my mummy”.

The moral of my life story is no matter what life hands you or throws at you, you will always choose your destiny, you are what you make yourself. I am a pure example of that. Just because you grow up around self-centred people does not mean you have to become that, be your own kind of person and make a change. My favourite line I keep saying is, I’ll make the ones who said I couldn’t look like fools and the ones who stood by me I’ll make you proud. Nothing will stop me, not a bad life or a bad day will ruin my future on this place we call earth xox

Billie