Your childhood sounds so sad and lonely. You must have felt so helpless. It literally brought me to tears here at work reading this. I want to scoop up little FTS and hold her! You deserved better than that. You deserve better.
We all have to play the cards we're dealt, right? You were dealt a **** hand, but it sounds like you made some excellent plays.
I love hearing how moms get themselves through school despite all the odds. I put myself through school too. I really believe this is one of the best things I ever did for myself, even if the debt is liable to last longer than I will.