Summary

This chapter begins with the birth of the author. Ward is born when her parents are living in Oakland with her father’s mother. She weighs only a little over two pounds at birth, develops blood tumors, and requires surgery for a growth in her abdomen. Doctors believe she will not survive or that she will have developmental problems.

After she is released from the hospital, Ward’s parents move into an apartment. In pictures from this time period, Ward is almost always dressed in red.

When she is born, Ward’s father wants to tell the doctors that she will make it because she is a fighter. Ward’s family comes from a long line of people who fought for survival. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothy, raised seven children in a tiny house and saved money to expand the house to four...