We all love disappearing into a great tale, and sometimes there’s nothing better than a true, real life story to leave us amazed.
So we’ve gathered these stunning real life stories to leave you gobsmacked and just a little bit astounded.
The woman who discovered she had been kidnapped
Imagine growing up surrounded by the love of a brother, loads of cousins and a stern but ultimately loving mother, only to be told that your mother kidnapped you some 26 years ago.
That happened to Netty Nance, except the person who discovered the truth was herself.
In 1987, Netty was just 19 days old, and she wasn’t called Netty. Her name was Carlina, and she had been admitted to a Brooklyn, New York, hospital at just weeks old because she was running a high fever. Then, at about 3am on 4th August, a woman disappeared with the infant.
That woman was Ann Pettway, and she had been posing as a nurse on the infant ward for weeks before she kidnapped Netty. She had been pregnant but suffered a tragic miscarriage, and in her grief, fearing that she would never have a child, she decided to take someone else’s.
She and Carlina, now renamed Nejdra Nance (after a boyfriend Ann had at the time), moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where they lived in anonimity.
As a teen, Netty began to wonder why she didn’t have any of her mother’s features. She had heard some family members gossiping about the lack of resemblance, and that got her thinking. But it wasn’t until she had heard own child that she discovered her mother had been lying to her.
Netty needed to provide her birth certificate to get pre-natal care, and when she supplied the one Ann had always used, she was told by officials that it was a forgery. When she confronted her mother, Ann broke down and admitted she wasn’t her real mother. But the lies didn’t stop: Ann claimed that Netty’s mother was a drug addict who gave her up willingly.
That story didn’t satisfy Netty, however, and she began searching missing children databases in 2005 to see if she could find anything. It wasn’t until 2010 that she found a case she found promising. “I saw a photo that looked just like my daughter Samani as a baby with dates that matched up.” She contacted the authorities, and after a DNA test confirmed she was Carlina, she was reunited with her biological parents, Carl Tyson and Joy White.
Shortly afterward, Ann turned herself in to the police, and she is now serving a 12-year sentence for her crime.
Still, although Ann lied to her for years and despite the fact that Netty is close to her birth parents, Netty insists she thinks of Ann as her mother and harbours her no ill will. “I have a child myself and I know what Ann went through growing up and trying to have a child. I know she’s sorry for what she did, but she didn’t know how to stop it… The thing is, if I had all that anger in me it would be me who would suffer and it would stop me from living. So I let it go. And now I have two mums and two dads and my life is richer now because of that.”
Scottish teen goes from homeless to the opera hall
Glasgow’s own Charlene McKellar went through more than most people in just a handful of years, but that never stopped her from achieving her dream of becoming an opera singer.
When she was just 11 years old, Charlene’s father died, and, estranged from her mother, she was forced to live with her aunt and uncle. Although her aunt and uncle were loving and caring, she moved in with her sister as soon as she could – when she was 16.
But then her sister fell on hard times, leaving the pair homeless. In Charlene’s own words: “My sister was streetwise and she showed me some places to go. We moved around several bridges but set up near the sheriff court because it was quiet and nobody else went there.
“It was smelly and scary and there were rats everywhere – and I hate rats.
“It was cold. You’d never get a good night’s sleep. I remember the wind and the rain all the time, even though it was spring.
They tried to make a home of the spot they found, bringing a bed and a wardrobe over from a local market. Still, they had to carry their clothes and other things around with them all day.
During all of this, Charlene prioritised her education. She would wake early to walk to a homeless centre in the middle of Glasgow to get a shower and a meal. Then she would walk to school. For her, school was a welcome break from the fear and uncertainty of the street, and she was rightfully proud when she earned seven Standard Grades.
She credits the homeless centre, Lodging House Mission, with her success. They got her in touch with social workers, day and night centres, hostels and youth charities. That’s how she fell in with Glaswegian choir Givin’ it Laldie. The choir has toured all over the world and even works closely with the Scottish Opera, which is how Charlene came to the attention of Lissa Lorenzo, the Scottish Opera’s emerging artist director.
Today, when she’s not singing for international audiences, Charlene is working closely with youth outreach groups like Who Cares Scotland and Quarriers to help other young people get their lives back on track. But even that’s not enough for her. She says, “I’d love to have my own project working with young homeless and people in care… I see people struggling and all I want to do is pick them up and take them home with me.” Judging by her success so far, we’re sure she’ll get her own project soon enough.
Essex police get told off for blasting Sound of Da Police
On a much sillier note, two police officers have made headlines after revellers on a night out in Essex captured a police car blaring the hip hop song Sound of Da Police, by KRS-One, on video. The video was then posted to YouTube, where it generated lots of views and plenty of debate.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that the officers had “inappropriately used the patrol car PA system”, but it’s unlikely the funny officers will face anythign more than a telling off. Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston told BBC Essex, “It’s a question for the Chief Constable, but if someone’s sense of humour got ahead of their judgment then maybe it’s forgivable, but let’s have a look at the facts.” As a result, the officers got “words of advice” from a senior officer – and a funny story – for their silly stunt.
These amazing real life stories have been by turns shocking, inspirational and just a little funny. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments!
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