Dealing with Adversity
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Oprah Winfrey didn't Fly to Success Straight Away

Oprah is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. You might know her from her talk show.

THE STORY STARTS HERE...
It all started when Oprah was born. She was born into the hands of a teenage mother and father. Very soon after her birth her father left and Oprah and her single mother moved and lived in poverty for the first 6 years of her life. As a child, Oprah was bullied because she wore dresses made out of potato sacks. This was because her mother did not earn enough money to afford proper clothing for her daughter.

Oprah and her mother lived with their grandmother for the first 6 years and her grandmother was helpful and unhelpful at the same time. Oprah's grandmother taught her to read before the age of 3 but used to hit her with a stick if she misbehaved or didn't do her chores.

Oprah and her mother moved again and Oprah would go back and forth from different houses and family members. When Oprah was 9 she started to be sexually assaulted by her cousin, uncle and family friend. This continued for many years and would have been a terrible and frightening situation to be in.

Oprah ran away from home at the age of 14 and fell pregnant soon after. She gave birth to a son but he died shortly after birth. She then continued to struggle with schools fees and poverty related issues until her mother sent her away again to live permanently with other family members. They put her into a school with a better education and Oprah took this opportunity which helped her become who she is today.



HOW SHE OVERCOME THESE HARDSHIPS...
Oprah was a strong girl and never gave up easily. She didn't have much support and connection with her family so she decided it was up to her to make the most of her life. She wrote in her autobiography "For every one of us that succeeds, it’s because there is somebody there to show you the way out. The light doesn’t necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was teachers and school." Oprah realised that the support that she needed didn't need to come from family but that it could come from others, including God. This helped Oprah through because she knew that there was something or someone there to help her at all times.
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