In this emotionally charged interview, KARAMO speaks with a guest (Speaker B) who recounts being abandoned by her mother at age 12. The mother disappeared for five months, leaving the child and a sibling without contact. The guest was taken in by her aunt, Camby, who cared for her from age 12 until about 18, a period of seven to eight years. Camby recently died of cancer, leaving the guest feeling isolated and yearning for a reconnection with her mother. The guest explains that the mother left for a man, later struggled with drug addiction, entered rehab, and attempted to regain custody, but the aunt prevented this due to the mother’s instability. The guest expresses a deep desire to rebuild a relationship with her mother now that her aunt has passed. Throughout, KARAMO offers empathetic, supportive responses, acknowledging the guest’s pain and honoring Camby’s memory.
Chapters
What happened? You said your mom abandoned you?
Yeah, so when I was 12 years old, me and one of my siblings, it was around nighttime, we woke up, my mom was gone. Down to her toothbrush, everything was gone.
And you're 12 at this time?
12 years old, yes.
Okay.
She didn't contact anybody for about 3 months. We didn't know what was wrong with her, if she was okay, if she wasn't okay.
Were you close to your mother before she left?
Oh yeah, best friends.
Best friends.
Close. Like best friends.
Are you her only daughter?
Yes.
Wow.
I'm the other girl.
Oh my gosh, so beautiful. Yes. So how long was she out of your life for then?
For about 5 months. I had moved in with my aunt.
Is that who took care of you?
Yes.
Okay.
She took care of me from 12 to about 18. That is my aunt that took care of me.
Oh, she's beautiful.
For about 7 years, 8 years.
Thank you. What's making you emotional looking at that photo?
She just died of cancer.
I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. Oh, that's raw. That's raw.
Now that she's gone, I really do need a connection with my mom.
Yeah.
I don't have anybody anymore. That was all I had. I would really love to be close with my mom again.
Yeah, you want that relationship?
Yes, really bad.
Did your mother ever tell you why she left?
No, but I know that she left for a man. It wasn't good. He just wasn't a good man for her.
And when she tried to come back in your life, what happened?
My aunt did not let her. We figured out that she was on drugs and we had sent her to rehab and she was supposed to be there for only 6 months But she liked the environment and she was healthy and she was not on drugs anymore. So she decided on her own to stay.
Yeah.
And she stayed for a year. And then she came back and wanted custody again. And she did not let her have it 'cause she wasn't stable enough. Mm-hmm. During that time, my dad had left. So we had no choice but to stay with my aunt. And at that point, it just made me feel like I had nobody. They both left.
I get it. I know that you just lost your aunt. What was her name?
Camby.
I just wanna honor Camby right now. Seriously, she was a great woman. And yeah, we should honor Camby. We gotta honor her.
