When Jason was 13, he won first place in a writing contest sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Social Services. The essay question was, "What advice would you give to the person you were five years ago and why?" Below is his award winning response, as first printed in the Spring 2001 South Carolina YOUth Connected.
Five years ago, I was just a confused and scared little boy of eight years old. I had lost all that I had ever known, yet believed that my mom would somehow change and that she would do the right... [more]