news & updates Our Work in Trenton Mabelin's Story
| Mabelin's Story |
 |
 |
 |
|
How would you react if your 16 year old daughter told you she was pregnant? According to Mabelin, who lives in the East Ward, "shock" and "disappointment" were two of the milder terms that described her parents' response to the news that she was going to have a baby. Tension at home was high throughout the pregnancy, but Mabelin was thankful that at least she had a place to call home. "I really thought I was going to be alone," she recalled Shortly after her son Angel entered the world in October 2005, her baby's 19 year-old father exited their lives. He has not returned. When her prospects and options seemed to be at their lowest, one phone call changed everything. That call, from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, offered Mabelin help from a program called Children's Futures. Mabelin felt like someone had thrown her a life preserver. She signed up for Children's Futures at the East Ward Family Support/Parent Child Center at St. Francis Medical Center near her home. And Mabelin says it was a great decision for her, Angel and her family. After first assessing the home situation Children's Future's staff worked with Mabelin's family to move from an environment of blame and shame to one of total support. With that in place, a host of East Ward family support workers like Marisol Weaver-Henderson helped Mabelin and her son obtain health insurance, find physicians and even secure transportation to appointments with doctors. During those doctor visits, Mabelin was given books to share with Angel about numbers, letters and colors. Now, Angel asks his mom to read to him every day. "I love him so much. Angel dances, talks and laughs and loves to pretend he is driving the car," Mabelin said. And with the family's renewed closeness and their support, Mabelin has been given the time to earn her GED, attend Mercer County Community College full time and even work more than 20 hours a week as a cashier in a local pharmacy. "It has been hard, but Children's Futures gave me the opportunity to change my life for the better," she added. |