When TikToker Kenna (@kennareneeharper) was 10 years old, her mother tried to murder her, but she survived. Her mother struggled with addiction and substance abuse.
Kenna’s feelings of apprehension began on Christmas Day of 2006. She called her mom, who lived in a different state, to tell her that her dad and stepmom had gifted her a trip to Disneyland.
Kenna was excited, but the moment she told her mom, she could sense her emotions shifting. Not knowing why, Kenna immediately felt guilty for being gifted a trip to Disneyland.
She later flew to her mom’s house. Her mom picked her up from the airport and asked her a bunch of questions about how her holiday was. She now realizes that her mom was really just fishing for information from her about her dad.
“Up until that point, I did not understand her addiction,” said Kenna. “I did not understand the depths of what she was going through, mental health wise. I didn’t understand that a lot of things in my household were not normal. It was not normal for me to be getting out her pills.”
She was responsible for changing her sister’s diapers and also had many tardies/absences from school because her mom was unable to take her there.
While at her mom’s house, she started to develop a toothache, which happened because her mom hadn’t bothered to bring her to her scheduled dentist appointment. Kenna didn’t like to take medicine or go to the doctor’s at all because of her mom’s addiction issues.
When they arrived at the house, Kenna went straight to the bed she shared with her mom. She turned on the movie and began to doze off. Her mom still hadn’t come into the room, so she got up to check on her.
Her mom was on the phone with someone and told her to go back to bed. Feeling antsy, she got up again and crept into the hallway. Her mom was typing something on the family computer. She became angry when she realized that Kenna was peeking at it.
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Kenna had also caught sight of two glasses on the counter. They were filled with a liquid that looked like water. She finally went back to bed and fell asleep. Sometime later, her mom gently shook her awake so she could take her medicine for the toothache.
When Kenna told her mom that she didn’t want the medicine, her mom insisted that she take it. Kenna took a small sip from the glass, and it tasted foul.
“It was like the film on a pill when it dissolves on your tongue just a little bit,” said Kenna. “That taste will forever be etched in my mind. It was the most disgusting taste.”
She could see little particles of something floating around in the glass, which just made it even more unappetizing. Her mom pushed her to drink the whole glass until there was nothing left.
What Kenna didn’t realize was that her mom had put 50 to 100 benzodiazepines in the drink for her 10-year-old self to consume.
She kept declining until her mom finally convinced her. She even added juice to make it taste better, all the while knowing that she was about to poison her own daughter.
After consuming the drink, Kenna couldn’t remember anything else that happened. She woke up from a coma in a large, white room with her dad by her side. Then, she looked down at her hands and saw that she was hooked up to a bunch of machines.
Later, she had to testify against her mother at 12 years old. She was sentenced to prison. Kenna was sent to live with her dad, who was also in active addiction. Eventually, she was able to become emancipated.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
