NPPF

Title: Mother Story Description: “My kids’ fathers aren't present at all, not one of them,” said Jasmin. “It’s sad to know that two of them have the opportunity to be there and they're not, and the one that was there, got killed.” Zy’Rah Hernandez-Ruffin was 8 months old when her father was killed in a shooting. She never got to know him, yet her mother, Jasmin Vega, goes the extra mile to make him present in her life in whatever way she can, through stories and stuffed animals. As a single mother, her day-to-day life can be hectic, but Jasmin is dedicated to making sure her children grow up to be successful, and a good educational environment is at the forefront. First Caption: Jasmin Vega sits with her daughter, Za’Ryah Hernandez-Ruffin, 11, at the gravesite of her father, DeaVoghn Hernandez-Ruffin, who passed away on June 18, 2012, when Za’Ryah was only 8 months old. The mother and daughter went to his grave at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 23, 2022, as a gift for Za’Ryah’s 11th birthday, on the 24th. “It just hurts,” said Jasmin. “I know what it was like not to have my father around for a period of my life. Like he was active, very active. But then he went to prison for 10 years and I yearned for him. Like I literally yearn for him. So to have him and lose him. That hurts but I knew I was getting him back but to know that my daughter doesn't even remember a hug or kiss anything from him that bothers me and it bothers her so badly.”