Oscar’s Story
There is no question that the early years of our lives shape us. But they do not define us. Oscar’s life is a testimony to that. Born in the Dominican Republic to an alcoholic mother, Oscar was taken in by his grandparents when he was just 1 year old. His grandparents worked long hours to support their children and grandchildren, and Oscar was left alone most days with his uncles.“Under my uncles’ care, serious things happened to me,” Oscar says. “I fell out of the bed many times, suffering head injuries. I also would be bitten by ants all over, and as my uncles did not feed me, I spent long hours of intense hunger.”At age 6, Oscar started working after school, helping his grandmother do the laundry at a local motel. As the little boy lugged heavy buckets of water and large baskets of wet bed sheets through the streets, he heard the whispers of the neighbors. Mocking him for being abandoned by both his mother and father.These are the events that shaped young Oscar’s life.
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