Stranger #5

Stranger #5-

As I'm driving up Castor Avenue, I happened to look across the street. I guess it should be known that I have no system going about who I approach. I'm not out to try and find any distinct looks. It doesnt matter to me about gender, race, attire or anything related to physical appearance. It's hard to explain but simply, something inside of me just sparks when I see someone that I want to go up to. Today, this woman was cleaning outside of a coffee shop. She was all by herself, just sweeping up all of the cigarette butts off of the ground. I kept driving but I decided that I actually wanted to say hi to this woman. Maybe it would make her day? Maybe not. I wouldnt know until I went up to her. I pulled over, parked my car, and walked right across the street.

Meet Jennifer Porcher. She is 34, and a mother of two. She has a 14yr old daughter who goes to a local middle school and she described her to be very independent. Her name is Jada, and she graduates this year. She also has a 3 yr old son who she claims to be going on 30. Jennifer is a home health aid, and takes care of her disabled husband 7 days a week, 11 hours a day along with working. She lives next door to the coffee shop on the second floor; she helps out the owner and cleans when she needs her to. Jennifer began to tell me about her husband who had surgery 2 years ago on his knees. He needed his knees replaced and the doctor who performed his operation messed up. He can barely walk, but she states that every day he pushes himself to move. She has been trying to find a lawyer to file a lawsuit against his doctor but no one in Philadelphia will touch their case.

Jennifer has been with her husband for six years and has been married for two. She opened up a bit and admitted that she was an addict, and this is where her and her husband had met, in recovery. Her addiction as well as her husband was to heroine and cocaine. In her own words "ya know, the norm." Her husband spent 15 years in federal prision (she didnt go into why) and came home in '06 and thats when they had met. She also told me that awhile ago, her mom was an addict too. During her time of drug use, her daughter was taken away from her for 3 years, and at that time, it really woke her up. She wanted her daughter back, and got clean. She has been clean for 10 years.

"Keep on holding on. There are blessings that you have to look for. You know, waking up every single day is a blessing itself"- Jennifer Porcher