00:00I really dislike being known as the girl who was re-aged and lived in her own apartment at seven years old.
00:09I don't like being known for the little girl that was helpless and was beat and starved and all that.
00:17I don't, because that's not who I am. That's just what happened to me.
00:21It is definitely a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my seven-year-old self, I should have been dead.
00:39But people don't know what happened in that house.
00:43They tortured me.
00:46I was abused.
00:50Christine is the real monster.
00:52Christine tried to overdose me and everything like that, and I don't see how somebody could survive that,
01:00especially with me being so small and being so reactive to medicine and stuff like that.
01:05To me, it's surprising because I feel like I shouldn't have survived that.
01:12I'm thankful that I did, but I really feel like I shouldn't have.
01:18I was six years old when they adopted me.
01:21But the Barnetts did a petition to change my age to 22 years old.
01:24I literally lost my childhood.
01:28I definitely feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts.
01:33Christine coached me to say I'm 22 years old and I tried to murder my parents.
01:40Like, who says that?
01:43Like, why would you do that to your child?
01:46Because I remember it being so repetitive.
01:49And for a while, I believed it.
01:53For a very long time, while I was in the apartment that the Barnetts put me in, it got to the point where I kind of started believing it.
02:00Living in the apartment at a really, really young age, I just knew what I was told.
02:11I didn't really understand why I was being put in the apartment.
02:16I didn't understand why I was alone in the apartment.
02:20I just knew, like, I guess I had this instinct in me to just push and survive.
02:26Because all I was told was, you're 22 now.
02:29Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22.
02:33And just leave it at that.
02:36Natalia, you still need to be on your wall.
02:39I wish I understood, but all I understood was that she was my mother at the time.
02:44I really hate saying that.
02:49I just had to listen to her.
02:52She was the authority.
02:54Are you sorry about what she did to me?
03:00I'm overly sorry about what she did to you.
03:03I am sorry I wasn't stronger and didn't stop her.
03:06The most he ever did was just be there and watch me get beat.
03:11That's how he hurt me, by being there, knowing it, and not taking me out of that situation.
03:18Because he had just as much custody as Christine did, and he didn't do anything,
03:24all because he was a coward and didn't think that he would ever see his boys again.
03:28Well, what about your daughter?
03:31What about your so-called daughter that you claimed you wanted?
03:35What about her?
03:37That just shows where your priorities lie.
03:42It's with your kids, but it's not with all your kids.
03:45And that's why Michael has never been a father to me.
03:50I'm so sorry.
03:53I forgive you.
03:55I will say, forgiving Michael was a little, like, the tiniest grain of salt easier to forgive than Christine.
04:05Only reason why is because he was, like, the accomplice, you could say.
04:14Christine was the main perpetrator.
04:16It took me some years to forgive, and it took me a little longer with Christine.
04:23I have not talked to Christine, nor will I ever, for as long as I live.
04:29Because, yes, I forgive her.
04:34But no, I never want anything to do with her.
04:39I can forgive, but I can never forget.
04:43The fact that I had so many people in my life that, you know, were there and were supposed to protect me and supposed to defend me.
04:56The fact that they didn't hurt a lot, especially the Barnetts.
05:02They might as well have gone away with murder.
05:04There was no justice.
05:06That's how I'm going to say it.
05:08There was none when there should have been.
05:10It was pure hell before I met them hands.
05:12The petition should be granted that the adult's name should be changed to Natalia Grace Renee Manns.
05:18And that the petitioners, Antoine Corey Manns and Cynthia Mary Renee Manns, from this day forward shall be known as her parents.
05:25They've showed me what a dad and what a mom really is.
05:28And, you know, actually showing me love.
05:31I remember for, like, I think maybe like a year, year or two, I was still in survival mode for a while.
05:39And I remember my parents had to sit me down and be like, you're not going anywhere.
05:47And no, I was not legally their child at the time.
05:51But I felt like their child and they showed me what love is.
05:57And like I said, just because we have our problems and anything like that doesn't mean they don't love me.
06:06I do believe they still love me a lot.
06:08I kept telling her, you need to go before you get killed.
06:12The Manns are a cult.
06:14We need to get her out of there.
06:16Oh, there she is.
06:18In December of last year, you had the DePaul rescue in the wee hours in the morning at a church.
06:26What was going through your mind in that moment?
06:29I was just really nervous.
06:32And I'm like, at first, like we pulled up and we just see headlights are like, huh?
06:41It's just like it's just headlights blaring.
06:44And I'm like, who could be in that car just blaring their headlights?
06:49And then I thought that they weren't there.
06:53So, like, I went in and, you know, you would always go to the bathroom before service started.
07:01And then I remember the last thing I told my sisters were I love you and you guys go ahead.
07:07And then I saw them pull up and Mac jumped out.
07:09And I'm like, oh, my gosh, she's actually here.
07:12My heart started pounding.
07:13I was terrified.
07:15I was completely terrified.
07:17And then, like, once I got in the car, I was like, I need to text my mom.
07:21I need to let her know that I did not get kidnapped or I'm not dead.
07:24Because I knew the moment she realized I was gone, those were going to be her thoughts.
07:30And so I just texted my mom and said, I'm OK.
07:35I'm sorry I am doing this like this.
07:38But I'm with the DePaul's and I'm safe.
07:40She was so sad.
07:41And, like, I could tell, like, how genuinely sad she was.
07:46And, like, yeah, I was, like, 20.
07:48So the little birdie had to leave.
07:51But she literally told me, she's like, you were supposed to be my forever baby.
07:57And she's like, you're still my baby, but you were supposed to be with me forever.
08:02And I'm like, I got to spread my wings.
08:08That was a very emotional time.
08:12And I do believe it could have been done better, thinking back on it now.
08:21There's actually been a few things that I've learned and that I've kind of grasped from just being with each family through the years.
08:33With the Barnetts, it's my love and protection of kids and compassion.
08:42And also, like, the listening.
08:45Like, listening when something's wrong with someone and just being there because I never had it.
08:52With the Manns, I learned about how to be a mother.
08:57How to, you know, knowing how to be able to take care of myself, you know, and my future kids and even my husband one day.
09:12And I can thank my mother for that.
09:17And I can thank my dad for, like, my persistence in studying.
09:25And just like the, all the, some people say the boring stuff, but it's actually really not.
09:35Like the learning and like having that crave to like want to do something.
09:41And then, you know, being with the DePaul's and learning that I am more capable than what I originally believed.
09:53I am capable of being able to drive a car or because like I was told, like, I don't think you'll ever drive.
10:02But being with the DePaul's, I've learned that I can do anything I put my mind to.
10:08I can have a car. I can, you know, become a teacher.
10:12I can be able to do all these things and still know how to adapt to it and how to figure out the best ways.
10:25I got diagnosed with two types of anxiety.
10:30Situational anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
10:35Also PTSD, actually.
10:39And those all stem from just stuff that has gone through in my past.
10:46And it is definitely a hard thing to deal with, especially getting overwhelmed and everything like that.
10:58Like even today, like my anxiety is a little high.
11:05And I, I'm the type of person that hides it until I get too overwhelmed and it explodes.
11:12And I did that for a while thinking I can just get over it.
11:16Like I could just deal with it on my own without getting some medicine or without getting a therapist again.
11:23And it got to the point it exploded and I had a big panic attack.
11:27And I scared Nick and Vince.
11:29And they was like, look, we need to do some tough love talk.
11:33You need a therapist, like seriously.
11:36And I was like, yes, I do.
11:38So I called my doctor and she did put me on some medicine as well.
11:44It was working for my anxiety, but it was causing really bad, vivid nightmares.
11:51And I already suffered from nightmares.
11:55They were as consistent as they recently have been.
11:59So I got switched to another one, but that one's not really working.
12:04So it's like I'm going through a trial and error with medicine right now.
12:08And I am working on getting on to therapy.
12:12I'm on a waiting list for in-person sessions.
12:16So I'm trying.
12:19When I meet somebody and they want to get to know me and I want to get to know them,
12:27it's going to take a while for me to get close to you, to feel like I can trust you.
12:36And one of my biggest things is don't make a promise you can't keep.
12:43Because I've been promised things way too many times.
12:46Because I've been promised things way too much in my life that have all been broken.
12:51And the only way I will accept a promise is when I see that you are committed to it.
13:00That you are going to prove to me that what you told me is true.
13:10I have to see it in order to believe it.
13:13And from there, I will let my guard down a little bit.
13:21I still won't be that trusting.
13:24So it's just a learning process for both whoever I meet that wants to get to know me and I want to get to know them.
13:32Or vice versa.
13:34One thing I've realized is I may be little, but I have a lot of big dreams like any girl ever does.
13:42I'm a girl that loves kids, that wants to one day have kids of my own and get married.
13:50I've even almost planned out my whole wedding.
13:56To whoever the guy is, I've already got it mostly planned.
14:05I love the little things.
14:07Like literally, you could get me a chocolate croissant and I will be happy.
14:12You could get me a book, I will be happy.
14:16Just getting a little manicure, I am happy.
14:21You do not have to get me expensive things.
14:24You do not have to get me anything extravagant.
14:28The biggest gift for me is just having someone there with me.
14:34It's just the little things for me.
14:38I have a lot of goals for my future.
14:43I'm already in school, working on getting my GED and learning to drive and all that.
14:52I want to become a teacher for grades from kindergarten to second grade.
14:59The reason why is because I love working with kids.
15:06I think I fully knew that I wanted to do it when I was working with my sister when she was being homeschooled.
15:14Both of my sisters actually.
15:16I loved it. I really did.
15:22I want to be able to be a teacher, to be able to encourage those kids.
15:28Know that in my classroom, you will always feel safe.
15:31You will always feel encouraged.
15:32You will always feel like you can do anything you put your mind to.
15:38There's no expectations.
15:40You're expected to do this or else.
15:45Just try your best.
15:50I personally actually don't like being filmed.
15:55I don't.
15:57I don't like all the extra camera attention.
16:01You know, being on a TV show.
16:05It feels kind of weird having people know my story and knowing who I am.
16:12Sometimes it kind of throws me off guard when somebody walks up to me like,
16:17Hey, aren't you from a TV show?
16:20And I'm like, yeah.
16:22But it's also really encouraging.
16:28And it is a really good feeling to hear some of the stories that people will message me about their lives and what they went through.
16:39And it feels so good to know that I actually encouraged people and I inspired people.
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