Winnie McCoy
Winnie McCoy was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on November 22, 1967. Her mother was a South Carolina native and her father a Connecticut native who had gone to war at a very young age and was a well-known war veteran.
Her life started at the age of five, where she was spoiled and devious. She went beyond her teenage years and began using drugs at the young age of thirteen. Although she was using drugs she still attended school and played sports.
She become pregnant and had her first child when she was 18 years old. After that, she stopped using marijuana and began to smoke cocaine. Winnie would sell her body in order to support her addiction. She even experienced countless rapes from her son’s father. One month after her son was born, she became pregnant again. Once she gave birth, she left her home and starting using drugs again.
Winnie would hangout in the streets until one day she got caught by her son’s father. She was forced to sell crack, heroine and pills. She decided she couldn’t take anymore so she left him and met a Colombian man. She felt very important around him, but at the same time she considered herself homeless because she wasn’t at home with her children taking care of her responsibilities.
After Winnie’s father died unexpectedly in 1988, she decided to admit herself into a rehabilitation center in 1989. Unfortunately, after she went back home the lifestyle she carried in her past became her present again. In 1999 things began to change. She decided to “stop, listen and learn” because both of her parents were now deceased. Winnie has been clean since January 1, 1999 and has been able to raise her children who have successfully graduated from school. Winnie is a prime example of a woman who has endured a lot in her lifetime, but with her perseverance and dedication she has been able to pull through and become the successful woman and parent she is today.
