I Became a Burden to My Father after I Lost the Ability to Walk – Story of the Day

I Became a Burden to My Father after I Lost the Ability to Walk – Story of the Day
I was paralyzed and trapped in a wheelchair in an accident, and my father refused to be burdened with me. But then he gets taught an important lesson.

I was 19 when I was run over by a car on my way to work. For me, it was the end of the world: a screech of tires, darkness, and pain. And when I woke up, I heard the voices say I’d never walk again.

I kept asking for my father, but he only showed up three days later, looking the worse for the wear and I knew he’d been on a bender while I’d lain there fighting for my life.

She was injured in a horrible accident | Source: Shutterstock.com

She was injured in a horrible accident | Source: Shutterstock.com

My mother died when I was 12, a victim of breast cancer. I remember her as a sweet, weary woman, always cringing from my father’s cruel words, working to keep food on the table while he drank his paycheck away.

As soon as I turned 14, he ordered me to find a part-time job to help with the bills, and when I was 16, I dropped out of school and started working full time to support myself — and him.

But when my father finally arrived at the hospital to visit me, there was neither compassion nor gratitude in his eyes. The doctor explained that although my spine was not severed there had been severe bruising and compression.

I might — by a long shot — recover my ability to walk, but most likely, I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. And that was when my father walked away. He said to the doctor, “She’s over 18, isn’t she? She’s an adult, right? So she’s not my responsibility anymore. You take her.”

My father was an alcoholic | Source: Unsplash

My father was an alcoholic | Source: Unsplash

I remember my doctor’s horrified expression and my father’s gaze sweeping over my limp legs. “Useless! Useless like your mother!”

Those were the last words I’d hear from him for the next six years. A little while later I was transferred to a recovery center where I was lucky enough to be assigned to a therapist named Carol Hanson.

Family is built on love, not a biological bond, or shared DNA.

She was an older, motherly woman who immediately took me under her wing. Carol was as loving as she was demanding, and she was very demanding. Over the next year, she pushed me towards a recovery I’d never dreamed possible.

The day I stood on my own two feet and took my first step, I cried like a baby, and so did Carol. It was only the beginning, and the next few months I worked even harder, but finally was pronounced healthy.

I woke to discover I was paralyzed | Source: Unsplash

I woke to discover I was paralyzed | Source: Unsplash

It was a bittersweet moment for me. I was healed from my injury and I was walking again, but I was terrified. I had nowhere to go, no family. I was all alone in the world.

Carol walked in and found me crying. She sat beside me on the bed and put her arms around me. “Jenny,” she said to me, “it’s all right to be scared. You’re starting your life again.”

“I have no one, and nowhere to go,” I whispered, remembering other patients leaving surrounded by loving family, “I’m alone.”

“No you’re not,” Carol said firmly, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Would you like to move in with me? Just until you get your life together again…”

I was stuck in a wheelchair | Source: Unsplash

I was stuck in a wheelchair | Source: Unsplash

So I did, and it was lovely. Carol and I got on beautifully, and she gave me my own room, a pretty room, the prettiest I’d ever seen. “It was my daughter’s,” Carol explained with tears in her eyes. “I lost her like you lost your mother.”

I started googling for jobs the next day on Carol’s computer, but when I came down to breakfast there were some informative flyers on the table from the local high school announcing night classes for adults wanting to complete their secondary education.

“I think,” said Carol firmly, “that you need to go back to school so you can go back to college.”

My mouth dropped open. “College? I can’t afford college!” I gasped. “Carol, I don’t have a cent to my name and no way to support myself if I don’t get a job, and quickly.”

The physiotherapist helped me heal | Source: Pexels

The physiotherapist helped me heal | Source: Pexels

Carol shook her head: “No, Jenny, you can’t afford NOT to go to college. Listen, I will lend you the money, and when you graduate, you pay me back — just like a student loan with a bank.”

Anyway, she talked me into it, and I quickly completed the high school certification I needed and applied to the local college. I’ll admit Carol’s example inspired me to become a nurse, and four years later, I graduated summa cum laude.

I started working at a local hospital and ended up specializing in neo-natal care. One day, a TV crew came in to do a news story on a set of identical triplets and ended up interviewing me.

For a while, I was a bit of a celebrity, but the attention brought me an unwanted visitor. The doorbell rang and when I opened it, I was stunned to see my father standing there.

I became a nurse | Source: Pixabay

I became a nurse | Source: Pixabay

He looked terrible, like a bum, and he reeked of alcohol and sweat. “Jenny, my sweet baby girl!” he cried, reaching out his hands. “I’ve finally found you again.”

“Found me again?” I asked sharply, “You abandoned me in the hospital because I was useless, remember, like my mother?”

He squeezed out a few tears. “Oh my baby,” he sobbed. “Forgive me, I was frightened and in shock… You won’t turn your dad away now, would you? I haven’t been well…”

“You look fine to me,” I told him coldly, but my trained eye had already noted the yellow tinge to his skin and eyes. He had some kind of liver disorder, probably due to his drinking.

An unexpected visitor | Source: Pixabay

An unexpected visitor | Source: Pixabay

He shuffled forward. “I’m sick, Jenny, daddy really needs you…And…” he licked his lips thirstily. “And I’m broke, baby, no money for food…You’re not going to let your daddy go hungry, are you?”

“Like you left me to my fate? Helpless in a wheelchair? Guess what ‘DADDY,’ I am. Get out.” I slammed the door in his face and walked back into the lounge.

Carol looked up at me and smiled. “Who was that, Jenny?”

“Oh, just some man selling something!” I went to the sofa, sat down beside Carol, and hugged her fiercely. Carol hugged me back.

Carol adopted me | Source: Pexels

Carol adopted me | Source: Pexels

“Jenny,” she said, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. Would you allow me to adopt you? Become your mother? Because in my heart you already are my daughter.”

I started crying and I just couldn’t stop. I had been cursed with a terrible childhood, and now as an adult, I had been lucky enough to find a loving home and a parent who cherished me.

What can we learn from this story?

1. Family is built on love, not a biological bond, or shared DNA.

2. What you give is what you get, as Jenny’s father discovered.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a beautiful socialite who humiliates an old friend and ends up regretting it.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us, maybe it will change someone’s life.

I Have to Raise Someone Else’s Child While Her Mom Is Having Fun at Parties – Story of the Day

I fell in love with a pregnant woman and promised to help her raise the baby, but she decided to have fun and avoid her responsibilities. She abandoned me only to return years later to do something unspeakable.

I met Molly at college. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, but she never gave me the time of day. Molly would often hang out with the most popular men, usually on the school’s football team, but we became close friends.

She was cheerful and a great student. It was just amazing to have a friend like that, even if my feelings would always be unrequited. Eventually, she started dating Tanner, the captain of the team. He wasn’t a typical mean jock, but I always thought she could do better.

Molly didn't know she was pregnant. | Source: Shutterstock

Molly didn’t know she was pregnant. | Source: Shutterstock

A few months afterward, Molly came to my house crying. Tanner had dumped her and started dating another girl almost immediately. I comforted her as best I could, but she had really loved him. About a month after that, she discovered something life-changing.

“Mark, I’m pregnant,” she told me.

“What?” I exhaled. I couldn’t believe it. “Did you tell Tanner already?”

“Yes. He doesn’t want anything to do with the baby. He told me to get rid of it because he’s not going to be a father now,” Molly replied.

Molly discovered she was pregnant. | Source: Pexels

Molly discovered she was pregnant. | Source: Pexels

“What an idiot! I can’t believe he would evade his responsibilities like that! What are you going to do?” I questioned.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to get rid of it, but I’m in college. I can’t be a single mom. My parents are going to kill me,” she cried.

“I’ll step up. We can get married, and I’ll help you raise the baby. You won’t be alone,” I suggested without thinking about it twice.

“I can’t ask you to do that. I’m sorry, Mark. But I don’t think I’ll ever feel that way about you,” Molly said apologetically.

I stepped up. | Source: Pexels

I stepped up. | Source: Pexels

“Don’t worry. It’s not about that. We’ll get married so that no one will look down on you, and you won’t be a single mother,” I continued. It sounded crazy even to me, but I couldn’t let Molly go through this alone.

“Are you sure? That’s a lot to ask of a friend,” Molly whispered, still hesitant about this insane idea. I assured her I was serious, and we went down to the courthouse later that week. Two of our friends served as witnesses, and it was a short affair.

I helped Molly get through this pregnancy as best I could. It was difficult as we were both college students, but we would make it work together. I grew more excited every day, thinking of becoming a father.

I adored Amelia. | Source: Pexels

I adored Amelia. | Source: Pexels

But Molly was not that enthusiastic. I could tell that she missed being able to go out with her friends and enjoying regular college life. But as a mother, she had to sacrifice a lot. Eventually, Amelia was born, and she was the most beautiful baby in the world.

I adored her immediately and became her dad. Molly loved Amelia as well and settled into being a mother better than I expected. We became a wonderful little family, and no one suspected that Amelia was not mine because she looked exactly like her mother.

But Molly grew less and less excited. When Amelia was five years old, Molly broke down after putting her to bed. “I can’t do this anymore. I lost everything!” she cried.

Molly packed her bags and left. | Source: Pexels

Molly packed her bags and left. | Source: Pexels

“What are you talking about?” I asked her.

“I lost my entire youth. I shouldn’t have had a kid at all!” Molly continued.

“Molly, please. Amelia might hear you. She’s in the next room!” I said, raising my voice only a bit.

“I don’t care. I want out of this. I’m filing for divorce, and I don’t want to see any of you again,” she said, shocking me to my core. I asked her to stop and think about this, but Molly had already packed her bags and left us forever.

Amelia missed her mother. | Source: Pexels

Amelia missed her mother. | Source: Pexels

I went to Amelia’s room only to discover that our daughter had heard the entire commotion. “Mommy left?” she cried.

“Baby, your mother is going through something right now and needs some time away. She’ll be back soon,” I assured her.

Unfortunately, Molly did not return, and I became a single father. It was harder than I ever expected, and Amelia would cry almost every single night for a year afterward. But soon enough, we both got used to being on our own. My daughter was the light of my life, and I would do anything to get us through.

I did my best raising Amelia as a single father. | Source: Pexels

I did my best raising Amelia as a single father. | Source: Pexels

Molly did not call once but would update her social media often. She had the college life she had missed all this time. It was one party after another with her old college sorority friends. I felt awful seeing those pictures.

How could she abandon her child to go out and have fun? It was unforgivable. Several years after her abandonment, I saw that she and Tanner had gotten back together, which only hurt worse. This was the guy who dumped her at her most vulnerable and didn’t want to step up for his baby.

I couldn’t do anything about it except move on, but Molly decided to come back into our lives just when we were doing so well. “What do you mean you want Amelia back?” I asked when Molly showed up at my house unexpectedly.

Molly returned and threatened to take me to court. | Source: Pexels

Molly returned and threatened to take me to court. | Source: Pexels

“Molly is my daughter, and I want her to live with me. Tanner is finally ready to meet her. She’s her father,” she said nonchalantly.

“Tanner is not her father. I’m her father. I raised her all these years, especially when you abandoned her,” I said with disdain in my voice.

“Mark, don’t do this. I will take you to court for custody if I have to. That’s my child. Tanner and I are engaged. She is going to be so happy with her real family at last,” Molly continued.

We went to trial. | Source: Pexels

We went to trial. | Source: Pexels

“I’ll see you in court then,” I replied and threw Molly out of my house. Amelia was almost a teenager by then and saw how worried I was. My lawyers advised me to settle things out of court because most judges side with the mother.

But how could a judge side with Molly after her abandonment? My name was on Amelia’s birth certificate, and I saw her grow up. I was her only father. Molly’s lawyers were fierce, and our battle was harsh. But Amelia’s testimony sealed the deal.

“I only have one father,” she said, pointing at me. “My mother left many years ago after saying she regretted me. I don’t want to live with her.”

Nothing would ever separate my daughter and I. | Source: Pexels

Nothing would ever separate my daughter and I. | Source: Pexels

Luckily, the judge listened to my little girl, although my lawyers didn’t think it would happen. He gave me full custody, while Molly got visitation on the weekends. I encouraged Amelia to forgive her mother and build a relationship with her, which they did.

But she told me every day that I was the best father anyone could ever have.

What can we learn from this story?

  1. Appreciate what you have. Molly threw her family away and discovered later in life that she couldn’t exactly get it back.
  2. Some responsibilities require sacrifices. Getting pregnant at a young age is a big deal, which means that you might have to give up partying and other youthful shenanigans.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who abandoned her daughter to travel the world and have a fun time.

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