14-year-old Oceana has battled her fair share of demons and needed a pick-me-up, so Satan’s Little Helper sent her on a spa day to give her that special feeling
Oceana has had a tough upbringing and, by her mum Jamie Lee’s admission, seen and experienced things that no child should have to. When she was three, Oceana found her mum unresponsive after a domestic violence episode.
“The first thing I saw when I regained consciousness was my baby trying to put my congealed blood back into my ear,” she says, fighting back tears.
“I had Oceana when I was only 16 and she had it tough from the get-go, because I was just a kid raising another kid! I was so young that I didn’t have my whole life together and she and her brother even spent some time away from my care.”
Putting others first
Despite it all, Jamie Lee has raised a young woman who is kind, selfless and thoughtful.
“She always puts others ahead of herself. When my kids were taken off me, all she was worried about was being a good big sister and she just wanted to look after her brother.”
Oceana has also played an important part in looking after her mum, who has uncontrolled epilepsy because of the domestic violence incident.
“She’s amazing when I have a seizure. She knows how to make sure I’m still breathing and when to ring an ambulance. She’ll also phone other family members to let them know what’s going on.”
That caring attitude makes it even harder for Jamie Lee to see her girl experience the worst at school.
High school trauma
“I’ve always told her to be herself and not change who she is just to fit in but that has meant she’s been horrifically bullied at high school. She’s faced physical violence and terrible verbal abuse, which seriously affected her mental health.”
Jamie Lee eventually pulled Oceana out of school and, with the help of an online educator, is home-schooling her. She’s doing heaps better, says her mum, and now has dreams of being a chef in the Navy!
“She’s a great cook. She’s the only teenager I know who can make eggs benedict perfectly. She poaches the eggs and makes the hollandaise sauce from scratch – and it tastes amazing!”
A special day out
When Satan’s Little Helper heard Oceana’s story, we knew we had to do something to reward her for her resilience and put a smile on her face. So, a gift voucher for a local spa was sent her way.
“She’s a whole new kid,” says Jamie Lee. “When she came home from the spa, she was beaming and said she feels brand new! It was a very emotional moment for me; she really deserves to feel good about herself.
“To a lot of people, a spa day might be a small thing, but it meant the world to her! It gave her such a confidence boost.
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