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Melissa’s Diaries: Teen Mom

Teenage Diaries Revisited Listen to Melissa's diary 16 years later »

Melissa never meant to get pregnant. But after 12 years of living in the foster care system, she’s trying to build the family she never had. As an 18 year old, Melissa recorded an audio diary as she gave birth to her son Issaiah. Over the next two decades, Melissa and her son faced many challenges, from eviction notices to a life-threatening medical diagnosis. Melissa recently recorded a new “grown-up” diary chronicling her life as a single working mother and introducing listeners to teenage Issaiah.

Melissa and her son Issaiah in 1996 / Melissa and her sons Issaiah and Tyron in 2013. Photos by Radio Diaries and David Gilkey/NPR.

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