BIANCA LONG

A mix of all the above. 10 years of foster care on and off the first 10 years of life was an adventure to say the least The system truly fails us kids, so many of us deal with abuse in many forms The system is supposed to HELP children, hence the name child protective services… and every single day kids are lost and forgotten while in the system. By the time I was 5 I had learned how ugly this world truly can be. At almost 30 I still have scars from the abuse Every day I have to unlearn the of negative thoughts and comments put on me as a kid

What would you say your true splendor is in your life?

Having a pure heart, despite the battles I’ve fought Would you like to describe a moment where you felt like your life change for the better?

My life changed for the better when I decided it was MY life and no one else’s. Only I have to live it, might as well live how you want instead of how others think you should

If there’s one thing you wanted to tell your younger self that only your older self as large what would it be?

If I could tell myself anything it would truthfully be. find YOUR voice. The sooner you realize your voice has to be the loudest in your head, the happier you are.

What would your chains be in life and how did you break out of it?

My chains are being a child of addicts. You’re expected to turn out EXACTLY like the rest. Being a foster child, the world expects you to be a mess Everyone is always so shocked when I tell them I have no history of drug use despite the environment I grew up in But the truth is, I never wanted to be a product of my environment. You have a choice to make every day, you can choose to be the statistic or the exception. I make a choice everyday to be better than I was yesterday