I Beat Cancer to Hold My Daughter Again — But She Said, “You’re Not My Mom.”
While I was fighting cancer, I left my daughter Hazel with her father, trusting it was temporary. As I struggled to survive, my calls went unanswered and my letters were never delivered. Then divorce papers arrived — and he took full custody.
When I finally saw Hazel again at the fair on my court-ordered day, she barely recognized me. My wig slipped off, and she whispered, “You’re not my mom. You’re just a bald lady.”
Someone had turned her against me.
Her stepmother claimed Hazel no longer asked about me. But at school, Hazel submitted a painting about a girl following the stars to find her mom. She remembered.
At her art contest, a video played of our memories — and I read the letters she never received. The truth came out: they had been hidden.
Hazel saw me in the crowd and ran into my arms. “Mom!”
That night, she won first prize for Following the Stars. I beat cancer — and I got my daughter back.
Love always finds its way home.
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