Healing Makes Changes, Changes Turns into Growth

By Eunice Rios Ramos

Having a family is the most important thing in a child’s life, especially having a bond with their parents or siblings. Luckily, some people have that, but not everyone. Unfortunately, Gina Pedroza’s life took an unexpected turn which tore her apart.

Pedroza is a junior at Yerba Buena High School and lives her life as a normal teenager. You’d see her at school with a smile, but when she goes home, she remembers someone very important to her.

Gina’s aunt, Teresa, has always been in her life and has raised her since she was a little girl. As a kid, Gina never really had a connection with her mom due to being a single mother and working a lot. “She is a single parent with 3 kids and she has to get more money to support us. She had to work long shifts, like 13 hours of work,” said Gina.

Her aunt was dependable and would always be around her. “My aunt would take care of me while my brother and sister were at school. From being a baby till 4th grade she took care of me most of the time,” she said.

When she would have a bad day or when she’d just to hang out, Gina and her aunt would always go to the flea market and buy fruits. Teresa would buy fruits, share it, and walk around the flea market with Gina.

When life seemed to be perfect, something happened and Gina’s happy life turned into a sad one. “She passed away and from then on I lost all that happiness I had on and from there, all my mental health just completely went downhill,” said Gina.

Her smile was gone and so was her happiness. Gina lived her life with no one being by her side, not even her mom. Her aunt was her guardian angel and without her, she felt lonely.

Gina fell into depression and did things she shouldn’t have done for a while. As time passed, she realized that what she did was wrong so she found a way of coping. She would read poems or chapter books and write. “During that time I loved writing about everything and reading. I was obsessed with books. Reading and writing helped me a lot.”

Although reading and writing helped, she still felt overwhelmed because she still kept all those feelings inside her. She knew she had to tell someone because it was too much for her.

In middle school, she’d had counselors to talk to her, but it didn’t help as much until she told them what she went through and how she did things. Her counselors gave her a card for therapy.

When she mentioned it to her mom, she was shocked and surprised on why she didn’t tell her earlier. Then, they decided to go to therapy. “I was the person who wanted to go to therapy, but when it got to the point to go there and talk, I was very hesitant and I didn’t want to talk at all. It was hard for me about how I felt about my mom,” Gina said.

“Our first session in therapy, she began to cry whenever I’d talk about my aunt and how she was there for me and my mom wasn't. She had this envy for my aunt because she was there for a quarter in my life.”

There weren’t really people in her life, only her aunt. Since her mom worked a lot, she didn’t have a bond or close connection with her. “I felt alone because I didn’t have that relationship with my mom. Having a relationship with your parents is super important because if you don’t have friends you at least have your parents,” she said.

Four years later, Gina and her mom started building their relationship by going to therapy and by telling each other how they feel. Even though they’re not really close, they are at least still trying.

“In order for myself to heal, I had to go through this process, even if I didn’t want to. I wasn’t comfortable opening up to my mom because we always start with an argument, but I’m grateful because of therapy.”

Everyone goes through struggles in life, but that doesn't mean you should do things to yourself. It’s always best to talk to your parents, an adult you trust, a counselor, or a therapist. The only way of healing is by working on yourself first.