My mother was a prostitute. Actually, she was a drug addict who prostituted herself to pay for drugs. I was born three days before her fifteenth birthday. My mom used to leave me at a dive bar in east Baltimore while she turned tricks. Sometimes she'd leave me for days at a time.
The owners of the bar bought me diapers and food. I spent so much time there that they started raising me then legally adopted me when I was six.
I had learning delays and ADHD as an child. My first significant mental health challenge occurred after I had my second baby. I suffered post-partum psychosis and was admitted to Sheppard Pratt hospital. I was readmitted later because I wasn't taking my medication. The second time I had 15 rounds of electroshock therapy.
Read the rest of Jessica's story of triumph and recovery
HERE.
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