-
Tyanna was born
Tyanna was born into a poor community in Hyde Park in the South Side of Chicago -
Tyanna meets Latrell
The two 16 year olds meet at friends party. She is in her sophomore year of high school while Latrell is a freshman year dropout. Latrell introduces Tyanna to marijuana at this party where she tries it. -
Latrell and Tyanna start dating
By this time, both are hooked on marijuana and continue to party all the time. There is easy access to the marijuana and alcohol from older friends. -
Tyanna has her 1st child
Tyanna and Latrell are pregnant with a baby boy. She has her baby boy her senior year of high school. They name him Jerome Marcus Walker. -
Latrell starts dealing
To pay for Jerome, Latrell gets into the dealing business because he can't get a good paying job. He starts to deal methamphetamine drugs. Tyanna does not approve of this method to get money, but this was their only way -
Latrell dies during drug deal
Latrell has an underage buyer come to his home because he is watching Jerome. The buyer shoots Latrell leaving baby Jerome unattended and scared. Tyanna comes home to see her lover bloody on the floor and her baby boy screaming in the corner. -
Tyanna has 2nd child
Tyanna has her second child, Jazmyn Rose Walker. She starts to become scared about how she will support her children. Her parents disowned her since she was a teen parent dating a druggie. -
Tyanna starts using drugs
To cope with her many problems, she starts using methamphetamine and other drugs. Jerome learns at a young age to be self dependent because his mother is always under the influence. Tyanna is using the money left over by Latrell's dealing -
Jerome starts 1st grade
He is a book smart and street smart kid that excels in school. He has a lot of potential in school, but most of his time is dedicated to taking care of Jazmyn, his younger sister, because his mother is always high on drugs. -
Tyanna starts dealing
In order to support her family, she takes over Latrell's drug dealing. She becomes a known dealer for methamphetamine and makes a lot of money. -
Tyanna gets arrested
Tyanna gets dragged out of her home for having 2g of crack on her. She is serving a 25 year sentence for possession of drugs. Jerome and Jazmyn are now on their own with no help at home. -
Jerome drops out of school
Jerome drops out of 4th grade to take care of himself and his sister. He starts to steal from stores to support the two of them. Jazmyn is still in school due to the help of neighbors and friends. -
Jerome starts dealing
After having been caught up with the law for stealing from different stores, Jerome decides to start dealing marijuana. His older friends get him into the business and he starts to make a lot of money to support himself and Jazmyn. -
Jerome and Jazmyn see Tyanna in jail
Finally, Tyanna gets to see her children after 4 years. She has aged a lot during her time in person and become extremely thin. Tyanna has been in and out of depression throughout her years in maximum security prison, but after seeing her kids, she becomes even more depressed knowing she won't be there for them growing up -
Jerome and Jazmyn move
Seeing what happened to his mother, Jerome stops dealing and decides that him and Jazmyn need to move away from their neighborhood. They go find their grandparents to see if they will support them. -
Grandparents welcome them in
Finally finding their grandparents, the couple was more than happy to take them in, but unhappy with their daughter on how her life turned out. The grandparents let them stay in their home and made both kids to finish out the school year- Jerome finishing 8th grade and Jazmyn finishing 6th grade. -
Jerome graduates high school
After his grandparents constant pushing of him to go to school, Jerome finishes high school in the top 20% of his class. He works at a local restaurant as a waiter and is looking to go to a community college for law enforcement. -
Spreading their awareness
Jerome and Jazmyn both attended a local college to become police officers. After working in the force, both decided they needed to help stop drug use in teenagers, like their parents. So, they now go to different high schools telling students their life stories and how they can save themselves now and in the future by choosing to say no to drugs -
Tyanna is released from prison
Tyanna is finally out and is amazed at how her two children have grown up. Even though her parents are still not supportive of her, she was still thankful they helped out her children. As of now, Tyanna is working at a grocery store at $7.00 an hour and still lives in Hyde Park. She barely hears from her children and her parents, but they do send her money every couple of months to help pay rent. -
Jazmyn starts a family and career
Jazmyn moves to a Chicago suburb to raise her new family and become a social worker at a local high school. She still hosts drug prevention programs and gives seminars about saying no to drugs. Being separated from her brother for the first time was rough on Jazmyn, but they still keep in touch on a daily basis. -
Jerome goes back to being a cop
Jerome gives up on speaking about drugs to teens and goes back to becoming a police officer in South Side Chicago. He is in charge of drug enforcement and loves his job. He focuses on stopping drug flow within young adults.