MPW.69 / 2017 Living One Second at a Time by Allison Zaucha
Photographer
Allison Zaucha Ambler, Pa.

Team Cox

Story Summary

Eldon mom Kim Woods has had a challenging life, but her hopes lie in her energetic five-year-old son Dawson and living, as she says, “one second at a time.” After 38 years surviving sexual abuse, addiction, incarceration, and death, Woods puts her children's future ahead of the grief and anxiety that come with a history of abuse.

When Woods’ husband was recently arrested and court appointed to a treatment program, Woods and Dawson had nowhere to live. While Woods saves up for a new place, the two are staying with her daughter McKayla, 19, and her boyfriend Dennis, 18, and the couple’s four-month daughter Paisliee, which makes for cramped quarters and occasional chaos. Woods works long days cleaning rooms at the Eldon Inn saving up to move into a home for her and her son and a more peaceful future.