Patricia’s Story

I Don’t Want to Be the Strong One Anymore

A Lifetime of Survival: Patricia’s Story Begins

Patricia has been carrying the weight of the world since she was 14. 

When her mom got sick, she didn’t just step up—she became the mom. Managing dialysis schedules. Skipping school to make sure someone was home when her mother came back from treatment, too weak to walk. “For two years, I was the head of the household,” she says. “I didn’t know what I was doing—I just knew I had to survive.” 

Her brother has autism. Her grandfather was addicted to crack. The caregivers came and went. The abuse came and stayed. 

“I grew up in chaos,” she says. “And I stayed in survival mode.” 

She tried to fight her way out—through school, basketball, community college courses. She got into college, graduated at the top of her class, and was six months pregnant when she crossed the stage. “I don’t even remember how I did it. I was just tired. I’d been tired my whole life.” 

That baby, her son Aaron James, was everything. But even he couldn’t stop the downward spiral. After years of trauma, isolation, and suicidal depression, Patricia found herself alone again—back in California, working two shifts, separated from her son, and trapped in a relationship that turned violent. 

Hitting Rock Bottom—and Hearing God’s Voice

One day, sitting at the bottom of a pool, she thought about not coming back up. 

“I told God, ‘This is how I feel every day—like I’m drowning,’” she remembers. “And He said, ‘If you trust Me, I’ll carry you.’” 

Her son, Aaron, was standing beside the pool, eyes closed, praying. “God told me to tell you you’re not alone,” he said. “He said you’re doing a good job.” 

Patricia left everything behind and came back to Atlanta. Her dad took her son. And Patricia, finally out of options, finally out of excuses, walked through the doors of Atlanta Mission. 

“I didn’t want to go to a shelter,” she says. “But God kept saying, ‘Go. I’ll meet you there.’ So I went.” 

Healing Through Vulnerability and Hope for the Future

She found more than a bed and a meal. At Atlanta Mission, Patricia found herself. In trauma-informed classes, she started peeling back layers she’d been covering up for years. She took every class offered—not the minimum, all of them. She journaled, prayed, wrestled with God, and found healing in a community of women who’d been through the fire too. 

Today, Patricia is a peer leader at My Sister’s House, helping other women find their footing. She’s rebuilding her life—not just for herself, but for her son. “He’ll understand someday. He’ll know why Mommy had to go to a shelter. So God could rebuild her. So she could show him what healing really looks like.” 

Her most powerful investment? Vulnerability. 

“I don’t want to be the strong one anymore,” she says. “I want to be able to say, ‘I’m tired. I’m hurting.’ And now I can. Atlanta Mission gave me that space.” 

Today, Patricia is dreaming again. She sees a future where she’s reunited with her son, working in a career she loves, and building a family rooted in God’s love.