NSV Radio #3 Wellness Series's Story

Bonita

I had to grow up quickly. My mother had me at 16, and I was raised mostly by my grandparents. My father was in and out of prison during much of my childhood and was murdered when I was just 12 years old.  

Making my childhood even more challenging, my mother exposed me to an adult lifestyle at a very young age. As a result, my life evolved into a fast track of drugs, alcohol, and men. 

Pertrina

Pertrina was born in Washington, D.C. to high school sweethearts who divorced when she was young. Her mother remarried a man who provided financially for the family. Pertrina lived in a beautiful home, attended a good school, and went on nice vacations. As a teenager, Pertrina was victim to a violent sexual trauma that she kept secret for more than 40 years.

Jewel

As a child, Jewel experienced family trauma and abandonment. Life was hard at home and as a teenager, she looked to escape any way she could.

Jewel got married at age 17, left home with her new husband, and had her first child. But her marriage didn’t work out as she hoped. Her husband struggled with drug addiction, and Jewel suffered through years of verbal and physical abuse.