WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Marlene - Creating Change Posted on 17 May 15:27 , 1 comment
I entered the orphanage system when I was 14 years old. I was a troubled child who grew up in a dysfunctional family. At 12 years old, I had a drug addiction which eventually led me to overdose; and was hospitalized in critical condition. After that, I decided I didn’t want to continue down that path and I wanted to do better. I decided to sober up in a rehab center, but due to my age, my family decided to place me in an orphanage in Ensenada, Baja California, where I met Corazon de Vida. At first, I was very uncomfortable with how caring they were towards me since I was not used to having that in my family. Their interest in my well-being exceeded my expectations. In the orphanage, I was given responsibilities that taught me how to be independent and grateful for the little things in life. 
CDV reached out to me once I was out of the orphanage to check up on me and see if I was interested in going to university. I explained my situation and they offered to pay any school expenses I couldn’t handle as long as I stayed in school. I began studying communications but after a year I dropped out of school, of course, CDV would not allow that! They reached out to me again and convinced me to go back to school but this time for marketing. I decided on this career initially because I wanted to focus on Sports Marketing since at that time I was on a soccer team. 
Currently, I am working for Corazon de Vida as their Social Media Content Creator & Community Manager. I have a beautiful baby who is almost a year old, and my favorite thing to do is spend time with my daughter and our pets. My heart could burst at how thankful I am for all the help that CDV has given me.
To everyone that has donated, I send a tremendous thank you, your donations are being used effectively and are making a huge impact in our lives. Even now, when I look at my daughter I realize that I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t thanks to all your support.
"My troubled inner child cries with happiness because you gave me the tools to be a better person and make better life decisions, not only for me but for my daughter." - Marlene
Comments
Lisa Littman on
What a beautiful story of resilience and commitment. It shows that love conquers all and makes us better humans. I can see that you will pay it forward with your daughter and with everything you do! I wish you good health, happiness and lots of love through out your life. What an extraordinary human you are and what a gift to influence and give inspiration to others who may need help, hope and a better vision! Carry on and lead by example!Job well done!