Oprah Winfrey Believes If She Didn't Leave The Neighborhood Where She Lived With Mom In Milwaukee She Could Have Lost Her Life
LIFESTYLE
Oprah Winfrey Believes If She Didn't Leave The Neighborhood Where She Lived With Mom In Milwaukee She Could Have Lost Her Life
Oprah Winfrey is getting candid on one of the essential moments that turned her life around. As a teen, the TV personality moved from Milwaukee to Nashville.
Oprah’s childhood in Milwaukee
Winfrey lived with her mother, Vernita Lee, in a neighborhood called Milwaukee in Wisconsin. The media mogul who grew up in the poorest cities in America noted her childhood was full of traumatic experiences.
She endured years of abuse before moving away as a teen. Fortunately, she overcame those experiences and made a name for herself as a well-known public figure.
"I was trapped”
Oprah Winfrey is opening up to PEOPLE about the surprising turn that took place in her life. One of them was moving from Milwaukee to Nashville.
The media mogul believes that if she did not leave the neighborhood where she lived with her mother, Vernita Lee she could have been dead. She moved to Nashville to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey when she became a teenager.
Winfrey recalling that time in her life said:
When I was in Milwaukee, I was trapped in a world where I could see how dire it was. Had I not gotten out of Milwaukee, nothing would have been the same. I do believe I would have been dead at 56.
She continued:
I believe I would have been 437 lbs. I believe I would have had diabetes. I would have had high blood pressure. I would have suffocated knowing that things could have been different.
Oprah’s mother passed away
Sadly, Oprah’s mother died at her Milwaukee home on Thanksgiving Day back in 2018. She was 83 years old. Winfrey expressed her gratitude to those who comforted her family in a statement:
Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee’s passing. It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at peace.
The good news is that the media mogul was able to overcome her childhood trauma with help. Now, she is able to help others with her story.
