Megan Jensen had a difficult childhood. The majority of her life, her mother was either on the stree
Megan Jensen had a difficult childhood. The majority of her life, her mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges. Megan was shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all except one. By age 10, she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. Then, she brutally stabbed another girl with a box cutter and ended up in juvenile home for some of the most violent young offenders in the country.After her release, 19-year-old Megan appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”alongside another troubled teen, Shanae. While Shanae told her own story –murdering another girl after the two got into an argument – and shared remorse for her violent actions, Megan seemed much more guarded.As Oprah questioned Megan about her current situation and plans for the future, the teen grew visibly agitated. Abruptly, she halted the conversation.“Excuse me,” she said. “I don’t want to do this no more.”Then, she got up and walked off set. Oprah later told her she was the first person she had interviewed who had ever walked out on her.That was 11 years ago. “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” recently followed up with Megan to see what had happened after the show.Today, the Baltimore native is living in North Carolina and acknowledges that she wasn’t in a good place during her “Oprah Show” appearance. “I was really, really, really confused at the time,” Megan says.When she originally returned to Baltimore, Megan’s life went downhill.“I started using cocaine, I was strung out on drugs – bad. I was just doing anything to kill myself, honestly,” she says. “I didn’t know how to love anybody or to depend on people because I never had anyone stable enough in my life to actually show me that kind of love and compassion.”Megan had given up, and even ended up back in jail. “I just lost all respect for myself,” she says.Then, everything changed when Megan got pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter and moved to North Carolina in an effort to start anew. “I decided to change some of my ways because I didn’t want the system raising my child,” she says.Filled with a new sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life together, pursuing an education and focusing on her family.“I am halfway through my Associates in Arts degree. I have three lovely kids,” she says. “I’m happy now.” -- source link
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