DePelchin Children's Center
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Meet Myrrah

“In the tree, the air is different; I’m closer to the birds.  My troubles seem far away.”

Running away, scaling trees, holding on for dear life – that’s how 17-year-old Myrrah has spent some of the most turbulent days of her troubled life.  “In the tree, the air is different; I’m closer to the birds.  My troubles seem far away.”  Brought down to earth by the stark realities of being a ward of the state, Myrrah’s struggles have spanned the decade since she was removed from her home by Children’s Protective Services.  A nightmare of distrust, fear, and volatility ensued, putting Myrrah at risk for teen pregnancy, drug use, failure to graduate, and a life on welfare.


At risk – how at risk can one be to have experienced a life such as Myrrah’s?  Taken out of her home at age eight, step-father sentenced to life in prison.  Mother did not recognize her the one time in nine years they came face-to-face.  Moved at least a dozen times between homes for abandoned children and foster homes; placed once for one week, removed; placed next for a month, removed. Spent three months in a mental institution; finally sent to DePelchin.

At DePelchin, an epiphany occurred:  Myrrah was told by her social worker that, “It is okay to let someone care about you.  We want to give you a chance.”  Myrrah has embraced that chance and has since graduated from DePelchin’s charter school and enrolled in West Texas A&M University; as a foster child, her tuition is paid for by the State of Texas. 

Myrrah hasn’t climbed a tree lately because the air on the ground now seems different - finally stable, finally trusting, Myrrah is now at risk of a different kind: she is at risk for success! 

Thanks to friends such as you, Myrrah and other children like her will receive what they need most – a second chance.