Danae Wellington Sheffield City College
Maria she's my influence, she gave me passion and I am going to embrace that.
Category "A woman who has influenced me"
Danea Wellington
Sheffield City College
Picture Fiona Firth Editor of Star newpapers business monthy magazine and winner Danea Wellington.
A woman who has influenced me, so many women I could refer to but only one of them has really popped in the front of my mind and it plays on my conscience daily. My cousin Maria died at 104 years old distant cousin, she was my role model, my mother, my bestfriend and my gaurdian angel rolled into one. When I was born my mum said she was the first person to hold me, she drew across with olive oil onmy forehead and kissed me. She morphed me into the person I am today and without her I don't know where i would have ended up.
She cooked for me, made my bed, took me in as her own child because she didn't have any of her own. We were inseperable, every single second, minute, hour day and month I spent with her it was like we were in our own world no-one could interrupt or break us. She got me into music, began teaching me how to play the piano when I was 3 till I was about 5, I enjoyed it so much never wanted to stop really but then I guess I had to after she died. She died a few months after my 5th birthday, I remember hearing the phonecall her carer was making and I didn't believe I ran over to my cousin's bed side and tried to wake her up, I was in denial it was like my heart had sunk, my whole world fell apart, a piece of me had dissapeared into vast nothingness and I was never the same girl anymore.
Everything went downhill for me it's like without her in my life i was like a rotten fruit that needed to be thrown away, I couldn't even recognise myself and what I had turned into. I moved from Jamaica to England when I was 8 and things got worse, I didn't have anyone there I mean I had my family but all I wanted was Maria and she wasn't there so I wasn't satisfied with any thing that showed any sign of care for me, I was on my own, I was a void to the world. Things started to pick up after I reached 15 years old but inbetween that time was a worldwind of bullying and torment both racial abuse andphysical abuse by kids I went to school with, attempted suicide cam eknocking at my door and that seemed like the only solution at the time till I woke up and saw my mother and little sister at my bedside, my little sister questioning my mum what wa wrong with me and why she was crying.
I just started to get my life back on track, why so late some people would ask and to be quite honest the reason is that I promised my self and Maria that I was going to turn things around and become a strong young black girl and prove anyone who's ever doubted and me hurt me wrong but to also put a smile on my cousins face while she's in a better place, I'll do it for her, I will make it for her because music is the only way I can express my pain and love her, she's my influence, she gave me passion and I am going to embrace that.