Spending the night in juvenile detention wasn't the worst thing to happen to seven year old Teresa. Her much anticipated summer vacation from Florida to California turns to years of abuse when her mentally unstable mother abducts her and three of her eight siblings to settle in the slums of San Francisco's Tenderloin district. At the age of seven, she was left to fend for herself... and her family.

During her time in San Francisco, young Teresa fantasized of a better life. Observing how the other half lived, she never let go of her dreams as she forged her way from homelessness and abuse to become a physician. At a young age, Teresa learned that with hard work and determination, you can get what you want in life.