A NSW teen whose mother locked her up every night for two years in a desperate bid to stop her from self-harming has made a remarkable recovery. Three years ago single mother Emma Parry tearfully admitted to Channel 7’s Today Tonight that she was locking daughter Stephanie Lewis, then 16, in a small wooden shed in an attempt to keep her safe.
“I don’t want to do it. I feel like I’m not doing my job as a mum because I shouldn’t have to do it,” Ms Parry said back in 2016.
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The teen had tried to take her own life 12 times and was considered a threat to herself and her loved ones, Today Tonight reported.
“This is what I call a prison because it’s what it is. I’m being locked in like I’m in a prison,” Ms Lewis said.
According to a 2016 petition to try to get help from then-NSW health minister Jillian Skinner, the family lived in a rural town more than two hours away from the nearest psychiatric service
However, after Today Tonight brought her tragic plight to the public, Ms Lewis was able to get the help she needed and has since made a full recovery.
Now 19, Ms Lewis is working and studying community services. She lives in her own home with her partner.
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She is sharing her story in the hope of being a role model to other troubled teens and credits a blunt message given to her by a nurse while in treatment as responsible for turning her life around.
“I wasn’t doing well and he told me straight up if you don’t choose to get better now you’ll either end up killing yourself, killing someone else that you care about or ending up in jail, those are your options,” Ms Lewis told Today Tonight’s David Richardson.
For Ms Parry, her daughter’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle.
“The impossible has happened … honestly had we kept going with what we were doing for any longer I don’t think we would have her today,” she said.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple-0