From Pain to Healing Continued
Written by Terrance Dunn - 1/30/06

One day I had to go to the after school basketball program which was sponsored by BPC. Toward the end of the program that day, I started to become a handful and did things that I should not have done. I began hitting other students in the head with basketballs because I was tired of the other kids picking on me since I couldn’t shoot like them. I would also jump on and off the gym stairs. When I would get tired, I would do rotten things just because I wanted to go to sleep. The man in charge of us told me that he was going to tell my mom what I had been doing. Because my real mom was abused when she was a child, she didn’t think that how she disciplined me was at all harmful. When she disciplined me, she used a belt and hit me all over my body. When the man threatened to tell my mom what I had been doing, I became overwhelmed with fear.

My initial response was to run a way, so I did. I ran all by myself to the police station. When I was younger ,I was taught that the police were here to protect me, so I knew if I would run to the police station I would be safe. Even though it was only around the corner from where I was, it took me about three hours to get there. Because I was so young, I had no sense of direction and I ran from and hid from everyone who looked at me because I thought they were going to get me. I then remember walking up a lot of steps to a lady officer who asked me where my parents were. I was silent. I didn’t want to say anything to her until I was fed. I hadn’t eaten anything all day and I was so hungry. In order to get something to eat, I told her I refused to talk unless I got some food.

Twenty minutes passed while the officer was drilling me with questions, but still I was silent. Finally, I was taken to a police cruiser. The officer who was in the cop car told me he would take me to McDonald’s if I told him my name. I agreed to do so, and they bought me a cheeseburger, fries, and an orange shake. Once I had finished eating, I was taken to Children Services, while I waited for my mother to arrive, I enjoyed watching cartoons. Once my mother arrived, a social worker came and got me. We were put into a room and discussed how she was mistreating me. The things we talked about were how she whipped me with belts, extension cords, brooms, sticks and shoes. She was told she had to sign a promise note saying that she wouldn’t beat me anymore in order for me to go back home with her. She refused to sign this because she was determined to punish me for running away. I was then sent to live with my grandmother.

I was once told that you don’t know someone until you live with them, I found that out to be true about my grandmother. She was so loving and kind when I went to stay with her while I was still in my mother’s care, but when she became my new legal guardian, I felt like I was living with the devil. I was about nine years old when I went to live with my grandmother. During the time I stayed with her I slaved all day long. From 5:30a.m. to 10:30p.m., I was forced to scrub down the house, do the dishes, wash down all the walls, cupboards, and shampoo all the floors. Also, I had to help watch the younger children that stayed there. I would have to cook for the other children, as well as dress them, bathe them, and keep them occupied by playing with them. My aunt lived with my grandmother, as well, because she is blind. I tended to my aunt as if she were a child as well. Often times they would abuse me. They would hit me with anything they could get their hands on, like extension cords, belts, brooms, or even shoes. There came a day when my aunt and grandmother finally got tired of me and called “Children Services” to take me away. “Children Services” came and took me and sent me to live in a group home called “Safe Landing.”

I stayed in Safe Landing for about three weeks. Then I was sent somewhere else because the maximum someone could to stay there was about a month. So when my time was up, I was sent to another group home called “Dave’s Place.” I hated it there; it was nasty, dirty, and smelled horribly. This place should have been condemned. “Dave’s Place” had roaches and mice, too, so they used to have the house sprayed continuously trying to rid the it of the pests. There were only three kids that stayed there other than me. I could not stand to live there, so I acted up to get myself into trouble so I could be sent somewhere else. They sent me to live in a receiving unit, which was on the campus of Children Services. I stayed there for about eight months. I had some good times there, but I had my share of bad times as well. I used to runaway a lot because there was no one there who loved me and I had no one to turn to. When I ran away I just ran until I couldn’t run anymore.

One day I ran away and ended up at a church. At the church, I started talking to a man who I thought was very nice. He took me in, and I lived with him for about three years. The man had six other sons that also lived there, and every night they would beat me until the day I no longer lived there. Eventually I had gotten used to them pounding me every night, and soon just tried to fall asleep hoping they would leave me alone. Luckily, my social worker came up to my school one day and told me that I was leaving that horrid foster home and that he was going to put me into another one. I was so happy that day because I had faith that things were changing, and would be getting better.

The foster home I was put in next was in Brimfield. This is the place where I was able to begin to heal from my bruises and learn about life. The lady who took me in was named Charlene Walker. She was a sweet, loving and caring person. Not only did she have three children of her own, but she adopted six children and also fostered four other children at this time. The way she treated all of us was different. She would talk to me about my problems and how I was going to correct them. Also, we discussed how I could become a better person. I learned about the reading and comprehension disabilities that I had as well. This place was like a real home and here I was safe. After all of the things I’ve had to endure, I am still standing strong. From all that I’ve been through I’ve learned that no matter how bad things can get, holding on to your faith and never giving up on your dreams are key to succeeding in the end.

So you ask the question what molded me in to the person I am today? Well this is only half of it. I have been in love on a regular basis and my heart has been broken a lot, so know trust is a hard thing for me. Because many people did not want to respect me for who I am and my disability I have lost a lot, but what pushes me to be the best today is when I was growing up I was told by my own parents and family that I would be a bum on the street, so now, to prove them wrong I work for Yellow freight as a freight handler, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior, and a Resident Advisor for Summit County Children Services Board, and a volunteer for Coalition of Ohio, I have been attending the University of Akron for about two years for a degree in Criminal Justice and may become a social work to help others like me. Ten years from now I want to have my own mansion and family and leave it to the utmost.
 

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