“The woman who gave me life, did not give me birth…taught me love when I hated the world and myself…” poignant words penned by Keisha Brissette, as an ode to her foster mother Charmine Johnson-Garwood, who means everything to her, what she is today and the life that she has. “I am what I am because of what she taught me,” Brissette said. “My childhood was rough and abusive,” recalled Brissette, abandoned as a child and brought up by her grandmother. BOOKS AS AN ESCAPE Growing up in Jubilee, a community in St James, survival was an uphill task for Brissette, who sought refuge in Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. “My only escape from the challenges, where I saw girls in the community having babies were my books, I never wanted to go that route,” she said, with a glimmer of teary sadness in her eyes. Brissette’s challenges were numerous but she managed to stay afloat and keep her sanity and integrity intact. Faced with a daunting task and an equally uncertain future, her took a turn for th...