When Karina Melendez was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. By 15, her family's financial strain had brought her into the foster care system. What could have been a story of loss became something far more powerful — a testament to what happens when the right people show up at the right time. In this episode of Every Step of the Way, host Georgia Booth and co-host Rhonda Braxton, VP of Health and Wellness at Children's Aid, sit down with Karina to trace her journey from medical foster care patient to Columbia University graduate and soon-to-be licensed social worker.
Karina's story is bracingly honest — about the anger she carried toward her mother, the years she spent trying to do it all alone, and the moment a therapist handed her a phone and changed everything. It's also a story about resilience as something relational, built not in isolation but through the people who refuse to let you disappear. Georgia and Rhonda use Karina's experience to widen the lens, speaking candidly about the social determinants of health, the pressures facing families today, and why safety net services are not a luxury — they're a lifeline.
Key Takeaways
[04:14] — Karina entered foster care at 15 through Children's Aid's medical program while in remission from bone cancer.
[06:59] — Rhonda explains Children's Aid's Medical Foster Care Program and its core philosophy: focus on possibility, not limitation.
[11:53] — Karina's mother shaved her own head in solidarity during chemo, refusing to let it grow back until Karina's did.
[14:40] — Karina reflects on how her mother's post-illness struggles led to homelessness and foster care, and cautions against blaming individuals over systemic pressures.
[18:11] — The hardest part of Karina's journey wasn't the cancer — it was the damage done to her relationship with her mother.
[20:22] — Karina shares what she learned through social work school: resilience is relational, built through other people, not in spite of needing them.
[23:30] — A therapist handed Karina the phone and made her call her mentor Eva — the moment that brought her back to Columbia and turned everything around.
[27:14] — Karina's message to students in foster care: progress, not perfection — and don't be afraid to lean on your people.
[27:51] — Karina redefines success: "Being in a place where you can turn around and help someone else behind you."
[47:05] — Each guest shares a symbolic object; Karina's are her high school and college diplomas, hanging on her wall at home.
[53:38] — Rhonda addresses the social determinants of health and how Children's Aid works to connect families to wraparound resources.
[55:32] — Georgia calls on citizens and elected officials to protect safety net services for families who are struggling right now.
Resources Mentioned
- Children's Aid — childrenaid.org — Provides foster care, medical foster care, mental health services, school-based health centers, food and nutrition programs, and more across New York City.
- Children's Aid Medical Foster Care Program — Intensive case management for children and teens with complex medical needs, including nurse case managers, physicians, and behavioral health support.
- Health Connections — Children's Aid's healthcare home, part of the Health and Wellness Division overseen by Rhonda Braxton.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — Referenced as the hospital where Karina received her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Administration for Children's Services (ACS) — The New York City agency through which children enter the foster care system.
- Columbia University — Where Karina completed her undergraduate degree.
- (Coming next episode) Children's Aid Community Schools Program — Schools as environments that support the whole child, not just a place for learning.
