At 19, a car accident paralyzed me, shattering my world. My father, an alcoholic who’d forced me to work since I was 14 to support him, visited me in the hospital only to abandon me, calling me “useless” like my late mother. Devastated,
I was transferred to a recovery center where Carol, a compassionate therapist, took me under her wing. Her tough love helped me defy the odds, and I walked again after a year of grueling effort. With nowhere to go, Carol welcomed me into her home, urging me to finish high school and attend college. Inspired by her, I became a nurse, graduating with honors.
Years later, my father, now sick and broke, sought me out after my TV appearance, but I turned him away. Carol, my true family, asked to adopt me, saying I was already her daughter, giving me the loving home I’d never had.
