Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, my life was full of adventure. I lived in one of those neighborhoods where everyone knew everybody, where we started friendships in elementary school that lasted a life time, and where the village was always there to help. The greatest influence in my life was my mother who instilled the values of family, faith and education. But although my mother was there every step of the way, I wasn’t interested in her lessons and took a different path that led to a road of so many self-inflicted mistakes, leaving me depressed and anxious in my young life. I became a young mother, dropped out of school and fell into a downward spiral until I finally made the decision to break the chains and turn my life around.7220 is my memoir, a tribute to the family and village that raised me...and to my children. This is my story of raising my son, Smurkio, along with my other son and daughters who have all risen to superstar status in their own way and are living the lessons of my mother that I’ve been able to pass on to them.