Camia

My name is Camia
I am 4 years old
I have a twin sister and a big brother

Many people don’t have life-defining moments until they are much older
But mine happened when I was very young

They found me face down, unresponsive
Skin cold and eyes blank
In a place where I was supposed to be safe
A crib

My mom told my caseworker she came home from work
And found me like this
Dad was supposed to be watching me and keep me safe

They used CPR on me
911: Pronounced dead upon arrival
They put me on machines to help me breathe

Doctors were concerned
They did a full exam

I had broken ribs, fractures that were a week old
My parents had no explanation

I stayed a few weeks in the hospital and got better
They said I was abused, so we went to live with my mom’s sister

A few months in, I had a broken arm
They told the agency it got stuck in a bouncer

I moved again to a temporary placement
It was a lovely home, but she had too many little ones

I moved again so my sister and I could be with our big brother
If anyone could keep us safe, he could

During this time, Mom had a lot of “chores” to do
Classes about taking care of me
How to tell the difference between the good boys and the bad boys
She even got to meet with someone to talk about her feelings

Some days we got to see her
She always gave me hugs and kisses
Some days we didn’t see her
It was all very confusing

I don’t like strangers, and cried when people come near me
I didn’t walk until I was 18 months, and I still don’t say a lot of words

But on June 23, 2016, I got to go home
We got to be a family again
Mom knows how to keep me safe now, and she even left my dad
I’m really proud of her

My attorney doesn’t want me to go home
But I think that’s because she is forgetting one important thing

We ALL make mistakes
Yes, some are bigger than others
I get that

But it’s not about how you start
But about how you finish, right?