Andromeda’s Story

Andromeda’s story is not necessarily the easiest to hear. For those who see her now, they see a smart, successful mother of two, working on her Bachelor’s in Healthcare administration and striving to give her children the best childhood possible. But this is just where we pick up now. It’s imperative to relay where Andromeda began to understand the obstacles she’s had to overcome to arrive where she is now.

Andromeda is from a small town in Southwestern Kansas. She was raised in an abusive home where seeing her father beat her mother and siblings was a regular occurrence. When Andromeda’s parents eventually divorced, she found herself confused, scared, ashamed and, for the first time ever, aware of just how warped aspects of her childhood had been. To further complicate things, Andromeda’s mother, who during this time developed a severe alcohol addiction, had a little girl when Andromeda was 19. Andromeda assumed a large part of responsibility for her little sister and stepped in as a mother figure. However, it was always clear to her that she needed to get out and away from that environment; later she was able to move into her own place. During this time Andromeda became pregnant with her own little girls, whose father was her then on-again off-again boyfriend. She and her boyfriend tried to make it work, but eventually would end it permanently. This left Andromeda with two small children, and no real place to turn.

The final, devastating blow for Andromeda came when her brother, whom she had recently moved in with, committed suicide. They were incredibly close and she blamed herself for not seeing the warning signs. This misfortune set Andromeda’s life into an out of control spiral involving losing her job, losing her apartment, and a substance dependency… that was until she had the opportunity to move to Colorado and learned about Warren Village. She knew she needed to get herself happy and move her daughters into a safe, stable environment. Warren Village was the key to achieving this.

Now, Andromeda and her children live at Warren Village and are happy and healthy. Her children are flourishing. Andromeda goes to school, volunteers in the offices at Warren Village and works to make the future as bright and secure as possible for her and her kids. Part of what she enjoys about Warren Village and the programs and support offered is that she is able to break the cycle of parenting she was shown as a child. Andromeda has taken several classes on parenting and even dating classes so she can demonstrate to her children the kind of positive relationships to have in your life. Further Andromeda, who was raised in an environment where she was taught to never ask for help, feels that although right now she is dependent on the assistance provided by Warren Village, she is doing this to better herself and will one day be in a position where she can return all the assistance and support she has received to others. To her, Warren Village is not a hand out but rather a hand up, and she has learned that it’s ok to ask for help when needed.