The boy no one loved

The Boy No One Loved is a true story of a 5 year old child who made the only decision he felt he could. It is a story of neglect, abuse and betrayal but most importantly, of the scar left on a child who never knows love.

At the tender age of 5, Justin has been left responsible for his two younger brothers (aged 2 & 3). Their mother is an addict who, like so many others, is focused on her next fix and she will do anything to get that.  What money she gets goes toward her needs rather than her three young boys. There is no food, there is nothing clean and there is no love or protection for these kids.

Desperation leads Justin to the drastic measure of setting fire to his house! What a terrible decision for a baby to have to make but little Justin is no longer a baby. Three children, no one knows who might be their fathers and no one to care.

This is the catalyst for social services to step in. The mother sells out her oldest child to save having all of them taken  So Justin begins his carousel ride from one foster home to another. By the time he is 11 he has been through 20 foster homes. The damage done to him is so severe that no one can manage him. Casey and Mike Watson are his very last hope.

Casey and Mike made the decision that they want to try and help children just like Justin. They have immersed themselves in a program that can hopefully do that. After much training and planning, they take Justin in on a 1 yr program  They are not to be counsellors. They are to be a family to Justin.

I read this true story with tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart for the damage “humans” can do without any idea of what it can lead to.

Foster parents and people like Casey and Mike are a unique breed. To open your home and heart to the sort of challenge they faced is such a wonderful gift; few have it. I am the mother of two children (now grown) and I struggled to deal with the problems associated. I could never have managed the issues Justin had with my own children let alone a situation like this.

Social workers, psychologists and foster parents need so much more support than they receive. The great ones like Casey and Mike deserve our deepest respect and thanks as they may be the only ones that can turn lives from destruction.

This is apparently the first of Casey’s stories. I am torn between wanting to read more about the lives they change and wanting to turn a blind eye to the sickening path that leads these children to her door.

The Boy No One Loved and Crying for Help are available as 2-in-1 collection from Dymocks.