For the first seven years of her childhood, Marleea Hawthorne happily and appropriately occupied the role of youngest child in her family. And she played the part well – demanding and attention-seeking, Marleea thrived as the baby of the family, curiously discovering the boundaries her parents set and how far she could push them. Things changed shortly after she turned seven and Joey, a half-brother from her father’s affair, became a member of the family. Immediately, Marleea was bitter and angry. She had always been the youngest, the darling, the apple of her parents’ eyes. A younger brother complicated things, not only for Marleea but for her mother as well. Marleea spent Joey’s visits trying to bully him as much as possible, from breaking his things to hitting him and once, even cutting his hair without him knowing. The introduction of another child born from an affair was too much for Marleea’s mother to handle and within six months of her new brother, Marleea’s parents had divorced.

Marleea and her older sister lived with her mother out of convenience, Ryan’s busy schedule making it difficult for him to be the primary caregiver for two young children. However, visits were common and when Ryan couldn’t be around, he bought the affection of his children with presents and gifts, rarely emotional connection. That lack of emotional connection manifested as rebellion, at least for Marleea. As middle school rolled around, she made it her mission to get the attention of her father however she could, and as an adolescent, that meant sneaking out, wearing too much make-up and even slaps on the wrist for shop lifting. Every time she did something wrong, Marleea was on the receiving end of a phone call from her dad where he expressed his disappointment. Regardless of the type of contact, Marleea was always happy to hear from him, happy to know that her father existed as a person outside of his birthday cards and over-the-top presents.

Able to right her behavior by the time high school came, Marleea joined sports teams and participated actively in school, immediately finding that good grades and social activities attracted much more attention from her father than getting into trouble did. She played varsity basketball and lacrosse, participated in student government and even settled into what initially seemed to be a picturesque relationship. Marleea accepted a seat in the Biological Sciences program at the University of Denver, as well as a position on the women’s basketball team. Marleea excelled, passionate and interested in what she was learning, her educational costs covered by a partial athletic scholarship and her living expenses footed almost entirely by her father. During her sophomore year, Marleea and her boyfriend (the same one she’d seen in high school) split, Marleea tossing him to the curb after a particularly dramatic encounter. Determined to thrive, she excelled in school and continued to play basketball, graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in spring of 2014. Immediately, Marleea launched herself into a physical therapy graduate program, determined to be self-sufficient in adulthood.