Stand with Bree: Legal Aid for Miyanna & Makynlee

Hi everyone, I’m the oldest sister Bree who currently has temporary full custody of my two youngest sisters Miyanna & Makynlee. I recently started to speak out on TikTok about our story, and a lot of people asked if we had a current gofund me. I made one a while ago when the abuse was getting really bad and I was still homeless at the time due to our abusive narcissistic mother.

Fast forward to now I recovered from homeless and we’ve been living in our own home since Aug 31st, 2024. My sisters have been with me since June 10, 2024. I filed for guardianship at the courthouse September 11, 2024. Our first court date was September 27th, 2024. I was granted temporary full custody since the girls had already been with me for so long and both parents stated that they could not care for their kids. Mom was evicted and was living with friends. Dad has not been active in their life for almost 3 years now and even when given the chance to have them he said he couldn’t. Obviously someone has to have guardianship of them so I got it. Since I have temporary full custody I decide on if they talk to or see mom & dad. Dad still does not call. Mom is persistent on seeing them despite how abusive, and neglectful she is. We all went no contact with mom and this past month has been the most peaceful month we’ve ever had.

This has been a long journey with fighting for my sisters. Almost 5 years. For the first 2 years my sisters lived with me full time from Aug, 2020 - Feb, 2022. Mom & their Dad got divorced. I had to step up because both parents didn’t want to be healthy parents.

I dealt with a lot of abuse from our Narcissistic mother verbally, emotionally, and mentally. She acted as if she was invincible and she could do whatever because she is the mom and has legal rights. I also dealt with a lot of disrespect from their dad and that side of the family. Me being the first to break generational trauma’s and curses you can imagine the heat I got and the fire I constantly had/have to walk through.

I took a mental health break and moved to AZ for 6 months with the goal to take care of myself and then go to court. I went no contact with mom. On Oct 16, 2022 mom had caused a serious car accident on the highway going over 70 MPH she asked my 9 year old sister at the time to hold the wheel so she could fix the window instead of pulling over. Mom ended up using her knee’s lost control of the SUV and flipped multiple times with my sisters and thank God they were okay but mom was trapped under the SUV for 30-40 minutes and had to have 2 emergency surgeries done on her arm. I left everything in AZ to come back to IL mainly to take care of my sisters because we didn’t know how long mom would be in the hospital. At the time I did not know the truth about the accident and that mom caused it because my sisters were told to lie and were scared to tell me. I ended up being the main caregiver for our mom and my sisters despite how abusive she was because I felt like it was the right thing to do. It lasted 2 weeks and she put me on the streets.

I was homeless and slept in my car for almost 2 years from Nov, 2022 - Aug 31st, 2024. That is when mom became the most abusive, and neglectful because she knew the only person that would do anything was homeless and couldn’t go to court. Mom was in and out of physical abusive/toxic relationships that my sisters were exposed to. She would leave my sisters home alone even through out the night. My sister Miyanna was 10 at the time forced to take care of Mack who was 7 years old. There was often no food, and I constantly had to bring groceries or food. They missed a lot of school due to everything going on at home. Mom would always be sleep or not home so my sisters were taking care of theirselves while also being abused and neglected. Mom would often keep me from seeing them and talking to them because I was speaking out about the abuse. Multiple DCFS cases were opened on her and investigations. Mom also got in trouble with their school for making them walk to school in below zero weather by theirselves when I could of given them a ride but she wouldn’t let them so the school also reported that to DCFS. She physically abused our youngest sister the most for anything, especially crying. Miyanna would always try to stop it but then she threatened to start hitting her too. She is extremely abusive verbally, and emotionally. Both my sisters mentioned suicide while living with her. They’re used to being yelled at, cursed at, and left alone to deal with all the trauma she has caused because she never takes accountability and feels she has done no wrong. Towards the end her physical abusive relationship got worse and my sisters started to see him slap mom which Mack has nightmares almost every night because of it. It was the hardest thing to go through while being homeless because I didn’t want to call DCFS and my sisters go into the system and be split up and in foster care. It would of taken so long to get them back so I was trying to beat the clock. I would get hotels and airbnb’s to keep them safe. I would take them to school and pick them up. Take them to the doctor and do everything that I could while being homeless and not having legal custody.

I ended up beating the clock and thats how I got them in June. Mom feared that her boyfriend would kill her, and her kids. She was too deep in her abuse to recognize the danger if was to her kids. Her boyfriend tried to kill her twice while my sisters were with me. She filed a police report and got an order of protection but then went back to him. Thats how I was able to keep them with me because I knew she was still with him and I refused for my sisters to be there. She knew all it took was one call to the police or DCFS. The 2nd time she pressed charges and he is in custody but still puts me & my sisters in danger.

I’ve been fighting for my sisters without a lawyer and it has gotten me this far but we need a lawyer at this point. The judge just see’s it as us going back n forth so I feel my voice has lost its value. Our last court date Oct 28th, 2024 the judge stated the law in Illinois is that as long as a parent is alive, able to take care of the child’s day to day needs, and willing to be in the child’s life then thats all that matters. We all know the law protects parents more than it protects children. It doesn’t matter how many times DCFS has been called. It doesn’t matter how abusive, and neglectful they have been. It doesn’t matter how unhealthy they are for the children but most importantly it doesn’t matter how the children feel. I don’t understand why children’s voices are not allowed. This is their story.

I refuse to believe that the system will fail my sisters. This is the part of the story where things can be prevented but instead kids are forced to go back into a home that is neglectful, abusive, and nearly killed them. I stand tall in my faith no matter what. No judge, no system has a say so over God. God has seen it all. God knows what my sisters have endured. God see’s the fire I continue to walk through everyday just to find peace, and to finally be free.

Please continue to pray for us, and pray we can get a good lawyer to finish the rest of the race for us I can’t afford one and it would be a shame if money determines what my sisters deserve. I can’t even imagine what life would look like if my sisters have to go back. I refuse to think about it. This can’t be it.