The Girl Who Looked Too Much Like Her Mother

For The Hayters: The Stories We Survive · Nov 1, 2026 · 57m

Trigger Warning: This episode includes child physical and emotional abuse, domestic violence, self-harm, drug use, teen homelessness, parental mental illness, and strong language.

Liz's story doesn't start with a fact. It starts with a few different versions, all told by a mom who doesn't always tell the truth. By nine, her mom was gone. By 15, her mom told another woman she could keep Liz if she got to keep the car. By 16, Liz was out on her own with a black trash bag and a Lion King pillowcase.

She's my neighbor and my chosen family, and I thought I knew her story. I didn't know half of it…