That's the Goal!
Hi, my name is Melissa and I am preparing to live my dreams!
As a young girl growing up learning about places like Italy and Indonesia in school I found myself strongly wanting to visit these places found in my text books.
Life has not always been easy for me and I have faced many barriers growing up. As a child I was exposed to alcoholism, drug use, domestic violence and was pulled through the court system as my parents fought to have us while dealing with their own mental health and addictions.
Needless to say, I was raised in over 25 foster homes over three states and was separated from my siblings ultimately finding myself on the streets of Brisbane at 16yo with my "Family Service Officer" saying there is nothing more they could do for me.
At 17yo I was everything statistics said I would be.. An indigenous youth, living on the streets, addicted to drugs and pregnant before my 18th birthday.
I experienced many things while on the streets, lived in underground car parks, share houses full of prostitutes, drug users and people with mental health issues. With no fixed address I was not eligible for Centrelink and I had no other choice but to simply survive.
I put all my faith in God to get me through my life and at 17yo I signed my first lease and birthed my son in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.
Over the next year I endured domestic violence in the way of Emotional, Metal and Physical abuse and was cheated on too many times to count by my sons father who couldn't/wouldnt give up his drug/street lifestyle.
With no support I went to a local womans support group which eventually gave me the courage to say enough and leave him for good.
Thinking I couldn't do life alone I very quickly became involved with someone new and in less then a year was pregnant again.
This man was an amazing and attentive father to our daughter but after he witnessed his childhood best friend overdose he spiraled into a drug binge of his own. I stood by this man and prayed for him each and every day in the 8 months he was away using and abusing drugs. When he returned and became part of the methadone program the church said we should marry and so we did only for him to up and leave without word 6 months later.
At just 24 years old I found myself on my own for the first time in my life and during this time as I raised my kids I had my younger brother and elder sister stay with me as I supported them in getting their own houses.
Just two short years later at 26yo I became the carer of my sisters 4 children and together with my 2 raised all 6 kids for 5 years on my own.
That same year my mother passed from a heroin overdose and my daughter was sexually abused by my brother while he was babysitting all of the kids while I attended a woman's conference at Church.
I have not seen my brother whom been my closest family member and whom I loved so dearly since that day.
At 27 I put all my time and effort into raising mine and my sisters kids and I had fun doing it! I was able to give all the kids I childhood I could only have dreamt of at their ages and supported my eldest niece to become the first in our family to graduate year 12.
During this time I also got my license, bought my first car, completed a diploma and worked my first job part-time.
I had the privledge to watch many milestones and made many memories with both mine and my sisters children.
In 2019 my father was diagnosed with Cancer and as I supported him through the toughest of times, I knew I was burned out and was juggling children, their commitments, my job and his care so after 5 years of caring for my sisters children I reluctantly relinquished care.
The kids went to a new foster home and although I tried to stay in touch, it was a massive loss in which I had no support and grieved for them for the two years they were in the care of someone else.
As I watched my Dad deteriorate to Cancer I also watched as the kids I once raised became addicted to drugs, drop out of school and that hurt me so much.
Realising I had no control of the cancer or the kids, I dedicated a year to God in 2020 and through the COVID pandemic I started talking to a fella!
Dating was fun and exciting and after landing my dream job as an Aboriginal Health Service Liaison the day came to meet this person I'd been talking to for so long.
David and I went on many dates and because of my past relationships I was hesitant about a new relationship and was waiting for something to go wrong. But months in it was all just so perfect.
David met my Dad and they got along better than I had ever anticipated. They both had a love for sports and when David asked my Dad's permission to marry me on the 14th of November 2021 Dad did not hesitate.
Dad found peace knowing I'd found someone whom he could see loved me and would look after me after he was gone.
Dad passed away in my arms just one month later on December 21st, 2021.
The first year without Dad was the absolute hardest. Being the only link to my childhood and with so much wisdom and knowledge I still wanted from him I was being forced to live without him.
I pushed friends away and buried myself in my work.
DHS approached me just a few short months later to have my sisters kids back in my care as their placement had broken down. Of course I said yes but without the support and still broken from my Dads death I had to relinquish care my my niece whom I'd raised from the age of 3yo.
I rode last year off not wanting to "celebrate" and "enjoy life" without my Dad but the story doesn't end there!
If going through all of this in my life (and some) has taught me anything, it is that life is way too short.
Up until now I have taken on all the responsibilities of everything thrown at me. From watching my Mum prostitute, overdose 7 times, be burned and stabbed by her jealous and narcissistic husband to raising 6 kids on my own with absolutely no support while studying and working with no one to look up to or learn on in life.
I have had to rely on myself, back myself and be my own go-to.
I now reap the rewards of all my hard work and sobriety. I have a beautiful relationship with a supportive man whom affectionately loves me even on my hardest days, I have a home and have provided stability for not only my kids for 18 years but for every member of my immediate family whom needed it through the crisis of their lives. The son I birthed at 17 is now 17 himself and is off to University this year with the intention of doing his bachelor in Banking and Finance next year (so proud as his Mum as no one in our family has ever been to university ever) and my beautiful daughter has everything I only dreamt of at her age.
But as I work to save money to travel as well as support my kids through their education to achieve their goals I know I cannot do it alone.
I have had many people throughout my life I have seen as my angels helping me get through and at times process situations I have found myself in. With all my heart, I thank these people.
But for the most part, I am a very lonely person whom could really use some help to live my crazy dream of 6 continents in 6 years.
Many people will judge and doubt me, but this is something for me, that I want to do for myself now.
My dream has always been to travel and I'm excited to be asking my friends and extended-extended family to help make this happen for me.
I'm doing this for the little girl who thought she never could!
I’m doing this for my Dad whom would have wanted me to hold my head high and do something for myself.
And I'm doing this to show our next generation that there are no barriers when it comes to our dreams. That nothing that's happened to us, that no circumstance we've found ourselves in or that the state decided for us can stop us from doing what’s in our hearts to do!
6 continents in 6 years - Will you help me do it?
~
