I hit rock bottom and I did not know how bad it was. When I ran away, I ran to the inner city where I found a spot in an old abandoned warehouse. This old woman took care of me and protected me from everyone that wanted to do bad things to me. She gave me drugs constantly and I was constantly high or drunk.
In exchange for her protection and help, I went out begging for money. This was easy to do and the rich people that came by just threw what coins they had at me like I was an animal on display. The older people were nicest as they gave me money and felt sorry that I lived on the streets.
You would think I would be humiliated about begging on the streets or living in a warehouse. I was a mess. I was dirty and smelled. My clothes looked old and dirty. My hair was in a mess. It is hard to explain how I felt. But imagine that you didn't change your clothes in a month. Imagine you didn't take a bath. Imagine that you slept in the dirt and you can have an idea of what I looked like.
The thing was that I did not care. It was like I gave up and just wanted to forget everything by being high and drunk. When I had filled my body with drugs or whatnot, I was no longer Lourdes Aires. I did not have to worry about school or contracts. I knew I was an addict and this meant I could overdose myself at any time. I thought that this was what Hollywood has done to me. They slowly made me an addict. I did not see any future for me and lost all hope. When you lose hope, you know you are at a place that has no happy ending.
The old woman showed me an old newspaper one day. It was a picture of me begging on the street. The headline was “Lourdes Aires, from Child Star to homeless junkie”. The woman wanted to know if I was famous. I tried explaining that Lourdes Aires was dead. The woman could not accept that and told me she did not want the drama that she was taking care of a washed-up celebrity. She told me to find a new place to sleep.
So I walked around and I became worse as I walked around. My body needed its dose of drugs. I felt like I was dying. I ended up at the graveyard for some reason that I did not know. Maybe I thought it was a good place to die. I collapsed to the ground and stayed there for a day. I was moaning and groaning as my body was shaking and felt like it was being twisted. I would be cold one minute and the next minute it would be like a heatwave. I was in so much pain. My mind was crying out to find some drugs, but I could not move. After what seemed like a lifetime of agony, I would just go unconscious. Then I would wake up and the whole cycle would start again.
I was sure I was dying. I even said a final prayer that God would forgive me and my parents would. I hoped my fans would not follow my example.
When I woke up, a similar face was looking down at me. It was Emma (the girl from the private school) and her mom. Emma asked what happened to me? I moaned and asked why she was here?
Emma told me they were coming to a funeral. She helped me stand up and we walked to the other side of the graveyard, where we hid behind a tree. One of the wretch girls was being buried. She took an overdose of some drugs at the school. I could hardly stand and then reality hit me. She was just a year older than me and is now dead because she took too many drugs. I looked at her parents crying and felt sorry for them. I imagined that it was me that was being lowered in the grave.
Emma's mom knelt down beside me and put her arm around me. She said, “If you can breathe, then you have hope,”
After the funeral, we kept sitting under the tree. I kept looking at the grave and could not believe that a girl I spoke with was under all that dirt. Emma told me that she left school and was at a much better school. Everyone was shocked at the death of one of its pupils, and the staff was blamed at turning a blind eye to it. Emma was much happier now, as she could stay at home and she was not ignored at school.
Then she told me that she read I was homeless. Her mom spoke with my parents and they have been looking for me every day. I told her the whole story from being a child star to being homeless. By the time I finished, Emma was in tears.
Her mom told me it looked like my body was on withdrawal from the drugs and booze. She said I could not do it alone. She offered to take me home and help me through it, as she was a nurse. She was sure that my parents would agree.
For the next two weeks, I stayed at Emma's house. I went through hell. I had seizures. I had the flu. I was depressed and I was so restless. At the worse of times, I was begging or bribing for anything that would stop the symptoms. Emma and her mother were very patient, and with compassion and stubbornness, they helped me through the agony. I was encouraged to be strong and show myself that I could control the addiction.
Mom and Dad visited me every day. They promised that they no longer fought. In fact, Mom apologized for being such a stage mom and said she just wanted me to be happy and have a normal life. I, of course, said I was sorry for everything. I couldn't name everything that I did. It was a huge list.
At the end of a few weeks, I was up and felt great. Emma's mom told me that being a recovered addict was for life. I just had to remember that people loved me and that I am stronger than I thought.
Mom told me I will always be an icon in Hollywood, however now was my chance to be a teenager. I was not to worry about the future. Very few teenagers knew what they wanted to do with their life. Dad agreed, saying that I should use the time to learn, have fun and become the best person as I could.
One day. Emma took me to the hospital that she worked at. The children's ward surprised me as these children were so sick. Some were dying and yet they smiled and were so positive. The knew who I was and thought it was great a celebrity visited them. So I sat down and read them a story. Afterward, I spoke with them and played with them. This experience was so humbling and it felt like it was the best time in my life. I got permission to come every day!
Of course, the media somehow found out that was helping at the Children's ward. I did not want this attention or plan it. It meant that the media loved me again. They called me a saint. It was big news, that a child star is now helping others in need. It was like the completely forgot when they called me a has-been and a homeless addict.
Then something strange happened. A studio wanted me to do a film. Mom was excited at first, but then told me it was up to me. I had to think about it a lot. I missed doing films, and I missed the fame. I was also afraid. Hollywood nearly killed me!
In the end, I agreed to do the film. It was under my conditions. Emma was to be there with me, so I did not feel alone. There would be no tablets or directors telling me how much to eat.
The film was about Queen Elizabeth I as a teen and the hard life she had. It was fun doing it. Emma was so much fun and we were like pranksters on the set. Emma even had a small role in the film. The film was a blockbuster, the top-grossing film of the year and nominated for most Oscars.
After the film was done, I started going to school with Emma. They didn't care who I was, and they were not jealous. It would be a lie if I said that I never craved for some drugs, but then I remembered how happy I was without them.
Mom came into my room and put a contract before me. It was a huge contract that would mean many films and a lot of money. Mom admitted it was the contract that she dreamt about. However, the choice was mine. I gave her a hug.
I thought a lot about the contract. It would be something that I was good at doing. However, I have also been finding out other talents I had. I based my decision on what made me most happy. I told Mom and Dad what I decided and they told me they were so proud of me. Mom even said she would help with the press release we would send out.
Press Release
I would like to thank everyone for the support and the love they gave me during my career at Hollywood. I had success and I had failures. Hollywood bosses and directors have done things to me that should never be done to any child. After I could not get a contract, the morals and examples shown to me at Hollywood meant that I went downhill when I was suddenly a has-been. It is no secret that I ended up as a runaway and homeless addict that had no self-respect and no hope. I was close to death!
Thanks to family and friends, I have turned my life around and no longer take drugs or drink. I even did a movie, which meant that I now can say yes to a contract again.
We should protect child stars and make sure they are treated as Children, No Child deserves to lose their childhood.
I go to school now and love learning. I love being a normal teenager and love my best friend Emma. I also love my fans, so it has been a hard decision. I decided to do what makes me most happy. I am announcing now that I am officially retiring from Hollywood, as I want to continue being a teen and having fun and learning! My hope is that one day I will be a nurse. This is one of the important jobs that we need people to do.
Despite I am retiring, I may come out of it from time to time, If I am offered a film I really want to do. The important thing is I am in control of my life now, and I am full of hope!
The End
Hope you liked this story. Feel Free to like it, Share it and leave a comment. You can visit my profile for more stories
ns 15.158.61.51da2
