Michael Custos: Just Trying To Make The Best Of It

Send us Fan Mail Jayne Amelia talks with former foster youth, Michael Custos. Michael Custos is a writer and father who grew up in group homes throughout Southern California. His life changed when Kelly, a Court Appointed Special Advocate, entered his case and remained long after her temporary assignment ended.  So he wrote a book about her. Michael went on to spend more than a decade in sales while building a career and a family from the ground up. His book, "Her Name Was Kelly", published in September, 2026, tells how Kelly became his legal guardian and remained his family for the next two decades. He wrote the book to honor her and to carry forward what her life proved: consistency is not a small act when a child has learned to expect everyone to leave. Michael hopes the story reaches the adults who wonder whether their presence truly matters, and the children who need to know that their beginnings do not decide their endings. THE STORY "By nine, Michael had lived in more homes than birthdays. Violence from the people meant to protect him. Indifference from the people paid to care. Group homes where silence kept you safer, and the only constant was the next move. Survival wasn't given. It was negotiated. Kelly entered his life as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. A temporary role. Document the case. Attend the hearings. Move on. She didn't. The assignment ended, but Kelly remained. Birthdays. Court dates. The visits nobody required her to make. Within a few years she was his legal guardian, and she stayed for the next two decades. Loyalty that outlasted every failure along the way, including his own. In a life defined by leaving, she was the exception. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As an adult and now a father, Michael faced losing the one person who chose him, every day, when no one else did. "Her Name Was Kelly" is the story of what one person can mean to a life the system wasn't equipped to save, and what it means to be chosen." "Her Name Was Kelly" website. "Her Name Was Kelly" can be purchased here, as well as other book outlets. See bonusbabies.org to learn more about what we are doing and please donate to support us by making a 100% tax-deductible contribution. EVERY PENNY OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION GOES TO RECORDING AND PLATFORMING THESE STORIES.  Yeah! IG@bonusbabiespodcast TW@BonusBabiesPod FB@BonusBabiesPodcast