Marisa didn’t just save me that night — she saved my future. ✨
I was nine years old, shaking with fear, certain that the deputy who walked through the door was there to take me away forever. 😔

But Marisa didn’t stand over me with questions or orders. She sat down beside me, opened her arms, and spoke words I had never truly heard before: You’re safe. 🤍🫶 In that moment, the fear loosened its grip, and for the first time, I felt seen — not as a problem, but as a child.

When there was no home for me to return to, she didn’t disappear. She stayed. She checked in. She showed up at school. She remembered my name, my worries, my small victories. Day by day, she became the one constant I could count on. 🏫❤️

And then she did something far beyond duty, beyond a badge, beyond expectation.
She chose me — completely.
She adopted me. 👩‍👦✨

Today, I carry her last name.
Not because she had to…
but because she chose to love me. 🕊️