This is Tracei.
Her ma and pa broke up when she was a baby and a few years later, her mum married a pastor, nek minnit…
How did you become homeless?
My step-dad (who was a lovely man) somehow got into crack, followed by mum. We went from a normal life, to wondering where and how we would get our next meal. We lost contact with everyone in our extended families and over ten years, moved between abandoned homes to shelters – 18 in total.
Bae, that is full on.
I remember one time we ended up sleeping right next a dumpster with rats – that made for one long night. When we did manage to get the odd hotel room, dinner was the free sugar and coffee packets from the lobby.
You’re now a respiratory therapist – how did you get your life together?
We were saved by social services and taken in by a church. We could all go to school, where I met the love of my life Wesley, who was my first junior prom date and is now my husband. After high school I went on to get two degrees.
Um, you’re amazing.
One good thing that came from my horrible childhood is that I now give back. As a teen, I joined a few charities to help kids, and remember once when dropping off donations, crying my eyes out in the carpark because I realised it was the same church that had kept my family from going hungry (tears are rolling from my face even now).
Why are you in Melbss?
I was diagnosed as having a Desmoid tumour (it looked like a third butt). After an unsuccessful operation, seeing doctors everywhere from NYC to San Fran we found Melbourne’s Dr Andrew Dobrotwir who is one of three specialists in the world to treat Desmoids by using high-frequency sound waves (HIFU) destroying the tumour without hurting surrounding tissue.
Sweet did it work?
It’s 90% gone, with no burns or scarring – normally they only get 50%. Dr D. was so amped he was jumping around with joy. I love him, his staff and yes now Melbourne. My husband, son and biological dad all came with me for support.
WHAT – you found your biological dad?
Due to all the relocating it was impossible to track us down, but finally he found me at 18yrs old and has been such a vital part of my life since. He’s such an awesome dad – and he flew us all here for the treatment.
He sounds like a proper Maddawg.
He is. And he is a Navy SEAL. He is over there – do you want to meet him?
Sprink faints from being so close to two Maddawgs at once. Stay tuned for Tracei’s dad’s Maddawgging in the next few weeks.