More from Radio Rookies
Best Couple
(00:04:48)
From: Radio Rookies
When seniors at a small public high school in the Bronx cast their votes for "Best Couple" they chose a pair they admire but who definitely defy the stereotype of best couple.
Stuck
(00:08:55)
From: Radio Rookies
Kaddeem Wright enjoys reading philosophy and arguing with his friends about history and politics. With his smarts and innate curiosity about the world, Kaddeem seems like a ...
My Mother vs. The Streets
(00:08:20)
From: Radio Rookies
In the past, hanging out with boys has gotten Jacuyra into trouble. But as a 16-year-old who doesn't often think about the consequences of her actions, Jacuyra would love ...
I'm Not Emo
(00:09:08)
From: Radio Rookies
Like most of the kids in her school and on her block, 16-year-old Josetta Adams used to listen to hip-hop. But when she slipped into a depression, Josetta started listening ...
Read a Book
(00:09:24)
From: Radio Rookies
Keith Harris had a secret when he started school in the U.S. for the first time: he didn't know how to read and write.
Home Alone
(00:07:27)
From: Radio Rookies
Krystle loves her mom very much and she feels guilty about how hard her mom has worked to provide a good life for them, but Krystle sometimes wonders if all the work hours ...
The Chernobyl Disaster
(00:08:17)
From: Radio Rookies
Rookie Reporter Irina was born in Belarus 6 years after the Chernobyl disaster. She has always seen herself as a Chernobyl victim, but the more she learns about the effects ...
My Mother's Disease
(00:09:37)
From: Radio Rookies
17-years-old Vikky Cruz struggles to cope with her mother's illness, a rare genetic disease called neuroacanthytosis, and the ways it's taken over the mother she once knew.
Money Stress
(00:09:17)
From: Radio Rookies
Rookie Reporter Erikka Diaz, like many of her neighbors in South Bronx, has lived in poverty her whole life. Her family knows well the anxiety that comes with constantly ...
Incarcerated Parents
(00:07:43)
From: Radio Rookies
15-year-old Keith Tingman remembers his tenth birthday better than any other birthday before or since. That was the day he watched his mom get arrested.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Last year at a routine check-up, 15-year-old Raymond Henderson decided to tell the truth. When his doctor noticed bruises on his neck, Raymond admitted that his stepfather was abusing him. The Administration for Children's Services took Raymond and his sister Monica from their step-dad who’d raised them since their mother's death 13 years ago. Now they’re living with Ophelia, the home health attendant who cared for their mother as she was dying. Ophelia wants to give Raymond and Monica a permanent home. But faced with a decision that could shape his entire future, Raymond isn't sure. He worries that letting Ophelia adopt him would mean cutting ties with his old life and family.
Broadcast History
WNYC Morning Edition - December 16, 2008
Transcript
HOST INTRO: The last story of this season's Radio Rookies series comes from Raymond Henderson. At age 15, Raymond is struggling to make a very grown-up decision: he was raised primarily by his father, but last year he was placed in the foster care system. Raymond's foster mother is no stranger—she's been helping to take care of him for most of his life. And now she’s offering to adopt him. But for Raymond, and many foster kids like him, the idea of adoption can feel more like a burden than a blessing.
NARRATION: I want to tell you about this lady.
OPHELIA: Hi Raymond.
NARRATION: Her name's Ophelia, but when I met her I was too little to say it. Then I called her Ophie, now I call her Oph.
RAYMOND: So now I'm living with you right?
OPHELIA: Yes, because I always wanted you guys to be with me.
[sounds of moving into new apartment]
NARRATION: Oph was the home attendant that took care...
Read the full transcript
Additional Credits
Kaari Pitkin, Senior Producer
Sanda Htyte, Associate Producer
Marianne McCune, Editor
Related Website
Of 3 purchasers of this piece...
- 5 also bought:
Just Another Fish Story (00:08:28) - 4 also bought:
Julie the Amtrak God (00:03:00) - 4 also bought:
Scared (00:03:00) - 4 also bought:
(I have not yet begun to rot) (00:07:05) - 4 also bought:
City X (00:22:33)
