nikki's story

There is no better person to describe a child than their mother. On May 29, 2021, my daughter breathed her last physical breath on earth. She called me excited about our upcoming vacation and expressed how good she felt supporting her oldest daughter by babysitting her granddaughter. The last two weeks of her life were filled with joy, love and laughter. Her last two sentences to me and her bonus dad were, “I’m going to clean my room” and “I love you”. Minutes later, I got another phone call that the police and paramedics were called and they were unable to resuscitate her.  We buried her a month before her birthday.

“Nikki” loved who she loved and without conditions. She was the definition of a “ride or die chic”. She was driven by protecting those who she knew needed protection. From a stranger in the street to her own mother. Her heart knew no bounds. However, she could not seem to take control over her addiction. Although her heart shone brighter than the sun, there often seemed to be a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. In her teen years, there were numerous counselors, psychiatrists, drug treatment facilities and the like. All provided temporary or no help in Nikki overcoming this lifelong battle. There were hospitalizations, a television intervention, and even jail.

Despite the unpleasant difficulties, Nikki always knew the power of prayer and she accepted Christ as her savior. In the last two years, she began to pray more, and joined me in a group of committed, saved and set apart Christians. In fact, the day before her passing, she prayed for herself and every woman on our prayer line.  She and I prayed and wrote in our journals asking God to deliver her from the strongholds of drug addiction, mental illness, depression, low self esteem and every symptom and sign of HIV.   On May 29, 2021, God answered our prayers—His way—His Will.