My name is Samantha, and I am a mother who has been fighting for her children for nearly five years.

On December 14, 2022, my life changed forever when my daughters were removed from my care. Since that day, I have lived with an emptiness that I cannot fully put into words. My children are not just a part of my life—they are my heart, my world, and a part of who I am.

My daughters, Karalyn, Kaydence, Kelsey, and Kendra, were taken from me, and I have spent years trying to understand how a mother can lose her children and then feel like she has so little power to bring them home. I have continued to fight, continued to ask questions, continued to look for answers, and continued to hold onto hope even during the moments when I felt completely broken.

I am not claiming to be a perfect mother. I am human, and I have made mistakes. But I know how deeply I love my children. I know the bond I have with them. I know that giving up on them is not something I am capable of doing.

I have been told things that have made me feel as though the door to my children has already been closed. But I cannot accept that my children should simply become strangers to me while I am still their mother and still fighting for them.

I also became a mother to my son, Dawson, and I am fighting for him too. I want my children to know that their mother never stopped loving them. I never stopped thinking about them. I never stopped wondering how they were doing, what they were feeling, whether they missed me, or whether they wondered why I wasn't there.

There are birthdays, holidays, special moments, and ordinary days that I wish I could have shared with my children. There are memories I wish I could make with them instead of only remembering the ones I already have.

I have cried more tears than I can count. I have felt anger, heartbreak, confusion, guilt, fear, and hopelessness. But underneath all of that is one thing that has never changed:

I love my children, and I want the opportunity to fight for them.

I am asking for help—not for someone to simply take my word for everything, but for someone to help me understand my rights, find the proper legal resources, review what has happened in my case, and help me navigate the system the right way.

I am asking people to listen to a mother who refuses to stop fighting for her children.

I am asking for resources, guidance, legal assistance, advocacy, and people who are willing to help me understand what steps I can legally take to reunite with my children.

I don't want revenge.

I don't want to hurt anyone.

I don't want to destroy anyone's life.

I just want my children.

I want the opportunity to be heard. I want the opportunity to present my evidence. I want the opportunity to understand the decisions that have been made regarding my children. Most importantly, I want the opportunity to work toward bringing my family back together in a safe and healthy way.

If you are a parent who has experienced something similar, an attorney, advocate, organization, social worker, counselor, community member, or simply someone who believes that families deserve to be heard, I am asking you to please reach out.

Maybe you cannot personally change my situation.

Maybe you cannot bring my children home.

But you might know someone who can help me find the right path.

For nearly five years, I have carried this pain while continuing to get up every morning and keep going.

I am tired, but I am not giving up.

I am heartbroken, but I still have hope.

And no matter how much time passes, I will continue to love my children.

Karalyn. Kaydence. Kelsey. Kendra. Dawson.

Your mother has never forgotten you.

I am still here.

I am still fighting.

And I am still hoping that one day, I will be able to hold my children again and tell them:

“Mom never gave up on you.”