Meet mother of seven, Carol Campbell – faith and determination makes her stronger

She grew up in very difficult circumstances, faced various odds as a teen and had some difficult struggles as a young mother. This is the inspiring story of a young mother who was able to overcome many difficulties with an unshakable faith in God and fierce determination to ensure that her children did not suffer the same fate as she did. She worked hard and braved the worse. Today she is happy that she never accepted defeat.
Forty-two-year-old Carol Campbell is a mother of seven. She’s always pleasant and helpful. Carol works at the Marian Academy as a cleaner and lives near to the Sea Walls with her family. Born in High Street Georgetown, she grew up among four sisters and three brothers.
Her mother owned and operated a small Beer Garden. She was ably assisted by her husband; Carol’s step-father. He died when carol was 12 years old. This sudden death caused her mother to become frequently ill. Her blood pressure began to fluctuate dangerously and she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Eventually the business had to be sold. The family moved to another location in High street.
One negative spin-off of the business was the neglect of the children. All of Carol’s siblings, like Carol, were never able to benefit from school. She does not remember why this was so. When her mother sold the beer Garden, the woman took in washing in order to feed her large family. School was never a serious consideration.
Circumstances caused them to move to Craig on the East Coast of Demerera. There at the young age of fourteen or fifteen she met and began a relationship with the father of her first two children. At this young age she began the journey of motherhood.
Things were not working smoothly for her family so they were forced to go to the North West District for a short while. The family returned to the East Bank just in time for her first child to be born; her only daughter. She and her family lived for four years in ‘Busbee Dam’. Then she migrated to Georgetown.
It was a tough life for a young girl. She started working at the Catholic Guild. Very soon after arriving in the city, she found herself in financial difficulties. For many years to follow, she seemed to be stuck in this morass. Her mother gave her what little assistance she could. This only gave the slightest ease to her complex situation.
As her family grew, things got progressively harder. She was now living with her present husband, the father of her other five children. When her second step-father died, she accompanied her mother to the mortuary to view his body. When she exited this facility some time later she became very ill; a condition that lasted seven years. Doctors were consulted but they found nothing wrong with her.
One day while she was in the depth of depression and illness, a close friend invited her to church. She decided to accept the invitation; a decision that changed her life forever. She and her friend journeyed to Bishop London’s church where she found salvation. She recalls that she sat at the back of the congregation when she entered the church.
The woman praying at the front of the church suddenly walked down to Carol and began praying for her. The sick woman testified that she felt something leaving her body. That was the day she accepted Christ into her life. She left the church healed and healthy.
Since then she has had her share of struggles with family relationships and finances. In a house with eight mouths to feed life remained a challenge. After the bishop’s church moved to Ocean View then to another location in Georgetown, she lost track of it.
This chain of events steered her towards the Brazilian church. As soon as she began attending this church, her life’s circumstances made a dramatic change for the better. It has been improving ever since, she told the Sunday Chronicle.
Carol lost her eldest son at age 21. She has rededicated her life to Christ and to the success of her family. Even though her mother did see education as a priority, Carol’s approach to this is the exact opposite. No matter how hard she has to work, or how much she needs to sacrifice, Carol ensures that all her children receives the best education she can afford. They are all doing well in school.
This dedicated woman continues to make sacrifices for her children to achieve their goals. Already two of them have made serious career choices. One wants to be an Accountant and the other has elected to become a Mechanical Engineer.
Her love and generosity stretches beyond her immediate family. Her nephew who lived with her for many years have benefitted from her respect for education. He has completed secondary school, benefitted from the necessary lessons and have written and passed 12 subjects at the CXC Examinations.
Her husband drives a taxi and is also a devout Christian. Carol declares, “Once you believe in God and have faith, He will never let you down. What He did for me, He will do for you.”
She continues to exemplify the life of a woman and mother who refused to stay down. With faith and courage she overcame great odds to ensure that her family stayed together and her children had happy, successful lives.

 

by Neil Primus

 

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