When Denise and her husband lost custody of their daughter on Thanksgiving Day, Denise’s mother-in-law stepped up to care for the child. She expected it to be temporary; but, while Denise was incarcerated, she was convinced to sign over her parental rights to her mother-in-law. Otherwise, both women were told, the child would be adopted by a stranger.

“I just couldn't imagine her going anywhere else,” says grandma. Her son, Denise’s husband, passed away before the adoption was final.

Denise’s road to recovery was long and difficult. Upon her release from incarceration, Denise moved into her mother-in-law’s home where the two shared parenting responsibilities for her daughter. She studied to become a certified alcohol and drug counselor and, after years of programs and counseling, decided to try to regain her parental rights.

“As far as my daughter was concerned, I'm mom; grandma is grandma. I was financially, emotionally, physically, in every aspect playing the role as mother,” she says.

Since Denise no longer had legal standing to file for custody as the biological mother, her Legal Services lawyer argued that she was the primary psychological parent, which enabled her to bring the case to court. In 2025, seven years after the termination of her parental rights, Denise was granted joint custody of her daughter by the court.