BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – She was at the top of her career and excited for what was to come, but everything changed when one South Florida mother got pregnant with twins.
Tranea Cannon, 34, was struggling to make ends meet until a local organization stepped in to help.
Local 10′s Nicole Perez got to chat “Mom to Mom” with the inspiring woman who has overcome so much with the help of “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies.”
Cannon was once a top 20 contestant on season 14 of “American Idol.”
She felt like she was on top of the world, pursuing a career in singing.
“I really love my music. I was pursuing my music career in Atlanta,” Cannon said.
But things took a turn.
“I made a mistake,” she said. “I say it’s my mistake -- I made a mistake and got pregnant.”
Cannon moved back home to South Florida to stay with her parents.
“I didn’t like it, but I had to make that choice for the health of my babies, because I was pregnant with two babies,” she explained.
But as life would have it, doctors told Cannon she had vanishing twin syndrome.
They were grappling with how to remove the nonviable fetus while keeping the other still alive.
“One passed away and God blessed me to also keep the other one, which is Titus, and he’s really a blessing. I wouldn’t change it for the world, so I can take back that mistake. He’s a blessing from God,” Cannon said.
Cannon ultimately put her career on hold to focus on raising her son, King Titus Carson.
“I really had no clue what to do,” she said. “I was home with my baby. After five months, I had to figure out where to place -- I didn’t have daycare -- had nothing.”
“I was in a really depressed state of mind, so that’s when God led me to HMHB,” Cannon explained.
“Here at HMHB, we focus on pregnant and parenting women -- give them all the support they need from parent education, wellness, emergency, basic needs, medical education so that way we know mom and baby are safe and we have a healthy mother and baby at time of birth,” said Dawn Liberta, executive director of HMHB of Broward County.
Cannon says after getting in contact with Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, they immediately got her the help she so desperately needed.
“I don’t have to pay for daycare. She blessed me with daycare, which is $298 a week, which is a lot of money. I was flabbergasted because I didn’t think it was real. I didn’t think there was an organization to help me,” Cannon said.
Her life began to change. Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies not only helped her with daycare funding, but also with diapers, wipes, educational tools for her son and weekly check-ins to see how she’s doing.
“God has sent me a foundation of guardian angels, which is HMHB,” Cannon said.
“Thinking about where you were when pregnant and are now, what do you say?” Perez asked.
“I say I was like at a 3. I’m at a 12 right now because I have my own place, I have my beautiful son, I’m gonna start my music career again -- nothing is going to hold me back,” Cannon said.
Cannon said without the organization, she doesn’t know where she would be.
“I would like to just give them a big hug and say I love them and I’m thankful and grateful for everything they’ve done for me, because if I didn’t have them, I don’t know where I would be, or if it would be possible because I was at a really low totem, and just looking back and thinking about it, I’m just grateful,” Cannon said.
“It’s an amazing path to watch our moms coming in and getting services they need and becoming their own, and really embracing the programs and services, our staff and seeing them soar,” Liberta said.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies also holds a special place in Perez’s heart. In 2021 and pregnant with her son, she was fortunate to visit with other expecting moms and had the chance to talk about what was on their minds.
The new moms also were surprised with gift baskets with every baby item you can think of -- something HMHB says comes from the support of the community.
And they’re still growing, helping around 3,000 families every year.
Their annual Mother’s Day luncheon helps bring in the funds they need to continue to serve the moms in our community, which is something they say is paramount.
“I don’t want to turn anyone away,” Liberta said.