My Life Was Flipped Upside Down and I Thank God

It had almost been a year since the death of Jayden’s mother. He now faced violence in his new home with his father in a poor area of Detroit. Jayden never knew what April 14, 1996, would bring to him.

That day he went out to the movies with his girlfriend Michelle. They drove back to Michelle’s house and Jayden walked home at around 8 that evening. He began to hear gunshots on his way home. They seemed to get louder and louder as he got closer and closer to his house. His eyes would never be able to unsee what he had seen that night at his father’s home… his father lying there dead with a bullet through his head. He cried and cried all night long not knowing what would come to him next. He felt as though everything would go wrong in his life after this day, losing both his parents just at the age of 16.

Jayden went to school the next day as if nothing had happened. Ms. Tanner, his counselor, called him into her office. He filled up with panic expecting to hear something like, “I heard about last night, we are going to have to talk to an official and take you to a foster care facility.” He was shocked when she congratulated him for outstanding performance in his classes. He thought, finally, something good is going to happen.

He returned home to find his older brother, Jack, telling him to pack his stuff. They were selling the house and Jayden was forced to move to Miami with Jack and his fiancé Emely. Jayden wanted a way back home after a week of living in Miami. His brother and Emely were drug addicts and Jayden felt like it was a bad environment for him.

He made new friends at his new school not knowing what one of them would do to help him. His new friend Colin opened up to Jayden and told him about his past life. Colin was abandoned by his birth mom but he was later adopted by his new parents. Jayden saw the opportunity for him to get a better life. He began to look into foster homes and adoption facilities.

He built up the courage and on his 17th birthday he told his older brother, Jack, he was moving on with his life. In just a year, Jayden faced many difficulties. He lost both his parents and was forced to move with his brother who is addicted to drugs. He got the help he needed even though it was hard and now has found happiness with his adoptive parents William and Karen.

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