Thanks to the touching care of a complete stranger, Amanda got a chance for a happy life. After 30 years, she found her to say “thank you.”
Amanda Joseph from New Bedford was left to her own devices from an early age. Her mother, who was addicted to illegal drugs, often left her alone with her younger sister for a long time. And the girl’s father was not known. At the age of 4, Amanda was assigned to a preschool, where a bus took her every morning. The driver, Katie Neves, noticed how Amanda was going to school. It was obvious that no one cared for her, no one combed her hair in the morning, did not collect her briefcase and did not put breakfast in it. Katie didn’t know all the details of the girl’s life, but she felt sorry for her and began secretly helping her. She agreed with Amanda that she would pick her up before the other students, and before the shift started, she dressed her, braided her braids, fed her. Seeing how poorly the girl was dressed, Katie bought her new clothes at a thrift store.
The woman could not help the whole family, and when one morning she saw a one-year-old child waving at her through a broken window, she realized that it was time to ask the authorities for help. Amanda and her younger sister Crystal were taken away by the guardianship authorities. The girls spent the next six years in a foster family, with very good, loving people. During this time, their biological mother gave birth to another daughter, Cassandra. When a woman was diagnosed with a fatal disease, she refused parental rights and gave the baby away, begging the guardianship authorities for only one thing – to find a family that can shelter all her daughters at once.
Fortunately, there was one. 10-year-old Amanda, 6-year-old Crystal and 5-year-old Cassandra found themselves in a new home that became their home. The foster parents had no experience in dealing with children who had suffered psychological trauma, so they acted by trial and error. But they gave the girls the main thing – love and a sense of security.
Amanda grew up, got married and became the mother of a girl, Evelynn, and a boy, Remy. Together with her family, she moved to Somerville, where she began attending a women’s aid group organized by a local church. There she told the story of her childhood and memories of her kind angel – Katie, thanks to whom her life changed so dramatically. Other women offered to help Amanda find Katie. The story was posted on Facebook, and Amanda immediately began receiving dozens of messages from strangers, whom the school bus driver also helped once.
Katie and Amanda met–thirty years after their last day together. It was a very touching moment, and both women could not hold back their tears. Amanda was able to personally thank Katie for the care she gave her as a child, and for what an inspiration she has become for many people. Katie was touched by her words, although she didn’t think she had done anything special. She had no idea how much she had influenced Amanda, and did not know that it was thanks to her that Amanda went to work at school and now tries to pay special attention to children from poor and disadvantaged families. However, according to Katie, she always saw that her ward was a special girl who needed a chance, and was happy to provide it.
