By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-29 18:11:23 | Updated at 2025-01-01 16:07:16
2 days ago
Amanda Rector was in crisis when she gave birth to her second son in 2004.
She was living with an abusive boyfriend, addicted to heroin and little baby Hunter was born dependent to opioids.
Without a crib or even a car seat, she was told by staff at the South Carolina hospital that she would be unable to take the child home.
Having already lost custody of her firstborn son Jameson, then two, she feared then that she would never see her baby again.
But at that point she just wanted to get out of the maternity ward as fast as possible.
'This happened at a time in my life when I was at my worst,' Rector, now 44, wrote in a self-published article.
'I had already lost custody of my first son and my life was crumbling around me so fast that it was hard to keep track of all the losses. I had become kind of numb.'
'The truth of the matter was that I was addicted to heroin,' she added.
She never dreamed that 18 years later she would find herself in her local Walmart hugging her boy for the first time.
Amanda Rector, 44, was at the height of her addiction when she gave birth to an opioid dependent baby, Hunter Bouchette, in October 2004
Days after Hunter's birth, Rector, of Orangeburg, had returned to the hospital where she gave birth with her partner after he developed an infection in his arm from shooting drugs.
After over two hours of waiting in the emergency room, it dawned on her that she may be able to visit her newborn who was sleeping peacefully just floors away.
'I got in an elevator by myself and pressed the button to take me to the baby floor,' she wrote in her article.
On her way up the then drug-riddled Rector caught a glimpse of herself in the elevator's reflective doors.
It was then that she noticed her disheveled appearance and saw how malnourished she had become, while covered with track marks and bruises.
'I could see my reflection in the shiny door and it was as distorted as my life was. I was undernourished, not clean, and still wore the clothes that were entirely too big on me,' she wrote.
Then she saw him sleeping peacefully wrapped in a blue and white blanket, identified only by his bright red hair and a Teddy Bear shaped sticker with his name on it.
Taking a moment to gather the courage to ask to see the baby she had birthed just days earlier, aware of her not-so-motherly appearance, she bravely knocked on the nursery's door.
'Do you remember me?' she asked the 'sweet nurse' as she nervously shifted her eyes to the floor, expecting a resounding 'no'.
She recalled the nurse scanning over her unkempt appearance: 'I know she saw how dirty I was,' she wrote.
'She may have even seen the bruises I had. But she didn’t look at me with disgust,' the article continued.
In 2006, she was arrested and jailed for armed robbery. She was sentenced to five years but had ended up only serving two and a half
To her surprise, the nurse said consented and wheeled over baby Hunter as 'hot tears' rolled down her face and onto his 'little blanket.'
'I was already staring down at you in your crib. You were so perfect. How could anything this perfect come from me? I started to talk to you, in a whisper,' she recalled.
'“I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down my face. “I am so sorry for this. I am so sorry. You deserve a much better mother than I can be right now.”'
'I wanted out of that room, and out of that hospital, as soon as possible. You see, something happened in that moment that caused me the worse pain I had ever felt. The ice around my heart, it thawed. It thawed and tears were the result and the piercing clarity of losing [Hunter] hit me like a train,' she wrote.
Four months later, her baby was adopted by another family who lived in town.
She recalled spending the years following his birth constantly attempting to numb the pain.
In 2006, she was arrested and jailed for five years for armed robbery - but only served two and a half.
She recalled findings Jesus her first day in prison as she began attending 12-Step meetings and joined the choir.
'Anything that was positive or healthy, I did it,' Rector told Today.com reflecting on her experience being incarcerated.
Before being released from prison, she sent her second son's adoptive parents a letter explaining that she didn’t want them to feel nervous about running into her.
She noted that her father had attended the same church as Hunter and his family.
'I wrote to let them know I going to be going to a different church than my dad,' she said. But, she never received a response.
From then on, she began noticing Hunter around town and at a cancer fundraiser with her first born son Jameson - whom she had regained custody of following a long-winded guardianship dispute following her release from prison.
'He had this bright red hair and pale complexion,' Rector said. 'I grabbed Jameson’s hand and I was like, "That’s your brother!" Right as he looked over, this happy music came on over the intercom and Hunter started dancing.'
Pictured: Amanda Rector and her son, Hunter meeting for the first time in Walmart
'We just stood there like creepers and watched him for the duration of the song,' she continued, adding: 'I felt a peace come over me. It was as if God was saying, "He’s dancing. He’s happy."'
Rector did not approach him for the same reason she had written letters but never sent them. 'It wasn’t my place,' she explained.
Then 14 years later, while at a local Walmart which she had previously been banned from for shoplifting, she noticed Jameson, now 22, chatting with a teenage girl.
The girl later identified herself as Bella, Hunter's girlfriend. She had approached Jameson to let him know that she knew his brother and that he was standing just mere feet away from them.
Rector would later learn that Hunter had become curious about his biological mother and recently discovered her identity.
'I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it was happening, I didn’t know if he was going to be mad at me and cuss me out,' she said. 'I would have been OK with that.'
Instead, her son, who was now 18-years-old, greeted her with an unexpected, but entirely welcome, hug.
'I let go first because I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but he held on,' she said of the miraculous chance encounter.
'And then we just kind of sat there and made small talk.'
Overcome with emotion and hardly able to hold herself together, Rector exchanged phone numbers with her son in the hope they would connect in the future.
'As soon as they were out of sight, I just broke down sobbing,' she recalled.
Months went by and only a few texts were exchanged, none of which amounted to anything.
Rector would later learn that Hunter had become curious about his biological mother and recently discovered her identity. Now, Rector, who just celebrated her 17th year of sobriety, sees her son Hunter 'at least once a week'
However, by what Rector described in a video posted to TikTok as another 'miracle' chance encounter, she bumped into her now teen-aged son as he was leaving her local church - a different one that he and his adoptive parents frequented.
Noticing his birth mother, he pulled his truck over to Rector and explained to her that he was ready to get to know her.
Now, Rector, who just celebrated her 17th year of sobriety, sees her son Hunter 'at least once a week.'
She now works as a certified peer support specialist helping others who struggle with substance abuse.
She also shares stories about prison life on TikTok where she has nearly one million followers.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Hunter recalled the 'incredible experience' of bumping into Rector at Walmart.
'I was in awe. We both were just speechless. We hugged, had awkward small talk and exchanged phone numbers'.
'About a month later, we ran into each other at church, and I thought I recognized her, but I got into my car and drove away. But, God told me to turn around,' he continued.
'I pulled up next to her and told her that I was ready to talk and we made plans to meet back at the church the next night.'
He added that it had been amazing getting to know his mother and brother.
