LaReeca Rucker
The Oxford Eagle
From the archives Jan 11, 2015

It has been three years since Taylor Goode has spoken to his mother — three years since she’s heard the sound of his voice. And sometimes she cannot bear to look at photos of her children when they were young and thriving.

“I usually get upset, so I don’t get them out a lot,” she said. “I miss it and want it back for them so bad.”

But Jennifer Potts is thankful that both of her boys are still alive and with her. “I know things can get worse,” she said. “These two kids have every right to be whiny, complaining and ill, but they are never down. So I try to stay positive and in a good mood, because they are.

“It is what it is, and there is nothing we can do about it. I just try to take it day by day the best I can. I have my days though. I have days when I cry sometimes all day long. But for the most part, it’s our new normal. I’ve almost lost both of them, and they are still here. I’m just thankful for that.”

Potts attended Potts Camp High School, but left school when she was 16. She married and gave birth to three sons — Tyler, Taylor and Tucker, who are now 15, 13 and 9, respectively, shortly afterward.

While pregnant with her last child, Potts became a certified nursing assistant. Her first job was at Graceland Care Center, a nursing home, in Oxford. Then she became a CNA and a rehabilitation technician at an assisted living facility in Holly Springs.

In the mornings before going to work, Potts got her three sons ready for school and daycare. Taylor lived life “wide open.” He could outrun any of the neighborhood kids and turn flips on the trampoline. But everything changed when he became 5.

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