“N Street Village has been a lifesaver. If I don’t belong in my biological family, at least I have found my chosen one.”
By Marina Lopes
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Magnolia Becerra spent 25 years grappling with relentless hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. But by the time she arrived at N street, her greatest struggle was the isolation that came with her mental illness.
Growing up in Mexico, Magnolia’s family viewed mental illness as a weakness and never accepted her condition, she said.
“I was never supported,” she recalls. For years, she straddled the line between reality and illusion, until she found the right medication. Then, at 32, everything changed when she discovered she was pregnant. “I couldn’t believe it,” she remembers, “Me a mother.”
Determined to secure a better future, Magnolia moved from Mexico to California, where her daughter was born. However, when her doctor advised her to stop medication during her pregnancy, her symptoms came roaring back. By the time her daughter was three, Magnolia’s condition had deteriorated so severely that social services revoked her custody. Losing her daughter was the most painful moment of her life, she said, yet it also became the catalyst for her mission to rebuild and fight for reunion.
Her journey led her to N Street Village and the Pat Handy Place for Women, where she finally found a sense of belonging. “For the first time, I was in a place where my illness wasn’t something to be ashamed of,” she explains. Today, Magnolia remains focused on healing, holding on to hope that one day she will be reunited with her daughter. “N Street Village has been a lifesaver,” she says. “If I don’t belong in my biological family, at least I have found my chosen one.”