Meth baby gets second chance (New Mexico)

At first glance, you would think that three-year-old Taylor Salazar has lived a wonderful life. She has not.

“Taylor came out of a meth home,” says Cassondra Salazar, who adopted Taylor. “She tested positive for meth in her system when she was born.

“Her mother and dad were both meth users and meth distributors and makers of meth and she was in that home and that environment,” Cassondra added.

When police found Taylor, she was in the arms of her mother who was high on meth. Taylor spent the first six months of her life in that environment.

“She was inhaling all this because, right by the meth pipe and the gun, is her swinger,” said Cassondra. “I didn’t know children could live like that.”

Many children do. A sampling of children currently in the custody of the state because their parents use meth is eye opening. In San Juan County, 101 children out of 204 are in state custody because of parental meth use. That’s 49 percent. The figure goes up to 57 percent in Lea County and 59 percent in Valencia County.

Since Cassondra adopted Taylor, she believes both of their lives have changed for the better. “This little girl is my heart and everyone thinks she is so spoiled,” she says.

“Are you spoiled?” Cassondra asks Taylor.

“No,” the little girl says.

When Cassondra is asked what the future will hold for Taylor, she doesn’t hesitate when she says Taylor will be the president of the United States. When Taylor is asked whether she’ll be president she nods her head yes.

Cassondra says that she hopes telling Taylor’s story will inspire others to put aside their fears and adopt meth babies. She says with a little love and lots of work they too can grow up to live normal lives.

http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=25672&cat=NMTOPSTORIES