Alicia and Cairo first met as teenagers at a summer youth project called London’s Next Top Role Model, run by the Hebe Foundation. A few years later they found out Alicia was pregnant and they were expecting their first child. 

At the time, Alicia was finishing her GCSEs and living in temporary foster care, while Cairo had just started college. Neither had planned for parenthood, and support around them was limited. Alicia’s Mum was able to provide hands on support – but Cairo, however, remembered feeling that “I was on my own,”. 

Alicia’s social worker referred them to St Michael’s Fellowship, where they first met Lorraine, one of our Outreach Family Practitioners. 

“I loved Lorraine – I still do!” Alicia shared. “She was the direct and honest person I needed. Looking back, I struggled to take on all her advice, but it was exactly what I needed.” 

For Cairo, becoming a father brought “nerves, panic… everything,” as he tried to work out how parenthood could be possible while still in education and dependent on his parents himself, with the pressure leading to Alicia and Cairo separating and losing contact. 

Throughout this time, Lorraine remained a constant source of support. 

“She became my favourite person in the room. Knowing she had also been a teenage parent made me feel like this is possible. She was superwoman to me.” 

Alicia completed her GCSEs and attended St Michael’s Outreach groups for young parents, with fond memories of Lorraine’s Cook-Up group. 

Nathan was born and for the first few years, Alicia was a single parent. She says she had to grieve the loss of being a “typical teenager,” but from the moment Nathan arrived, her focus became building a stable life for him. 

Alicia found ways to balance motherhood with building her own identity. Lorraine helped her navigate the need to socialise, earn money, and see herself as more than just a young mum. Alicia managed to secure a job and started beauty therapy at college, with child-care for Nathan being covered by the Care to Learn scheme. 

“Lorraine was instrumental in creating a stable life for me and Nathan,” Alicia says. 

A few years later, Alicia and Cairo reconnected and Cairo slowly began building a relationship with Nathan. No longer living with his family, he felt ready to make his own decisions and was determined to, in his words, “learn how to be a dad to my son.” Though nervous and unsure, he slowly built trust with Nathan. 

Alicia welcomed this. “Nathan felt like my child… but he was also his. I thought, this is brilliant, this is all I wanted in the first place.” 

Keeping Nathan at the centre, they rebuilt trust and communication, allowing their family to grow stronger together. 

Later, Alicia and Cairo found themselves expecting twins. With Lorraine now supporting the whole family as they prepared for this new chapter.  

However, during a scan, they were told the heartbreaking news that one of the twins would not survive beyond birth.  

“There was no way we weren’t coming home with our two babies,” Alicia shared. 

Cairo struggled to process the news but felt he had to stay strong for Alicia. Throughout the pregnancy, Lorraine was a key source of support advocating for them during appointments and helping them understand what was happening. 

Jeremiah and Ezekiel were born prematurely in May 2019. The births were traumatic and made even more so once doctors shared the news the Ezekiel, who was able to come home, would likely not live longer than 6 months beyond the NICU. 

Cairo said he felt pressure to simply “get on with it.” His workplace offered no paid bereavement leave and told him they would need to terminate his contract, leading him to resign. Alicia’s employer, thankfully responded with compassion, telling her to return only when she felt ready – highlighting the unfair differences in bereavement support depending on your place of work. 

The following year was a blur. The family were living in temporary accommodation that was rat-infested, while trying to process the loss of their son Jeremiah and care for Ezekiel’s medical conditions. Lorraine managed to secure the family housing just 2 weeks before Alicia gave birth, providing them family with a place they could finally call ‘home’. 

Because of COVID restrictions, Alicia had to choose between Cairo and her doula as her birth partner, a painful decision after the trauma of her previous pregnancy and birth. But with Cairo by her side, baby Samia was welcomed into the world. 

Six years on, the family continue to flourish, with St Michael’s having been a constant support throughout all they’ve been through. In more recent years they’ve learnt to navigate neurodiversity within their family, making adjustments to ensure everyone’s needs are met. 

“We just want our children to be the best versions of themselves,” Cairo says. Routine is central to family life, giving the children notice of changes and making sure each child feels supported in the way they need to learn and grow. 

Alicia and Cairo have proudly continued their own education journeys. In the last year Cairo started university to become a primary school teacher, while Alicia has just completed a postgraduate certificate in neurodiversity and is preparing to begin a Master’s exploring disability in the workplace. 

They both describe St Michael’s Fellowship, and especially Lorraine, as a key source of strength over the 10 years. 

Their current hopes and dreams are to complete their degrees and for their children to grow into whoever they want to be. Nathan, now 11, wants to be either a scientist or a doctor. Ezekiel has just turned seven and is thriving, despite once being given only six months to live. And Samia, “…she just wants to be everything!”