EP44: Surviving Abuse, Foster Care, and Loss

Roslyn was five years old the first time she watched her father hurt her mother. By six, he'd turned on her. By nine, she was the one raising her two baby brothers feeding them on an EBT card, walking them to school, skipping her own classes, keeping them alive while the adults disappeared. She was in ninth grade when she picked up the phone and told her friend's mom she couldn't do it anymore. That phone call changed everything. CPS came. Foster care came. And for the first time in her life, so did someone who actually showed up. In this conversation, Roslyn talks about what she survived abuse, molestation, neglect, and the years she spent as a child protecting children and what she did with it. She talks about the anger she recognized in herself and refused to keep. The drinking she walked away from cold turkey when the choice became her kids or the bottle. The homelessness she prayed her way out of days before her fourth baby was born. And she talks about 2024, the year she lost her mother in August and her son two months later. She doesn't tell this story from a safe distance. She's still in it. But she tells it anyway, because someone out there is where she was, and she wants them to hear the one thing she says she'd want said to her: you matter, and you can do better for you, because only you can. This is a hard listen. It's also a hopeful one. Built by Survivors. For Survivors. 00:00 No One Protected Me00:04 Meet Roslyn01:16 Who Roz Is Today02:23 Meaning of Survivor04:13 Faith and Motivation06:14 Growing Up Hawaii07:34 Abuse Begins at Five12:48 Molestation and Neglect15:15 Rock Bottom and CPS17:16 Foster Care Healing20:03 Losing Mom and Forgiveness23:20 Losing Son to Suicide29:22 Helping Siblings Grieve34:46 PTSD and Prayer37:47 Breaking the Cycle40:58 Healing Takes Time45:21 Parenting Without a Handbook47:54 Choosing Your Direction48:16 Institutional Help and Coping49:01 Quitting Alcohol for Kids49:55 Foster Mom Superwoman50:40 Healing Shows Up Later53:32 Marriage and Mutual Healing55:57 Facing Trauma Head On57:31 Parenting With Love59:54 Grace and Rebuilding01:02:47 Faith Gratitude and Prayer01:05:31 Kindness and Giving01:10:47 Homelessness and Provision01:16:13 Final Message and Resources Check out Irene Cares on other platforms:- Irenegpt.ai- Instagram- TikTok- Youtube