To say that soul singer Vivian Green has been to hell and back would be putting it mildly. In the five years since her sophomore release, Green faced every parent’s worst nightmare: her newborn son, Jordan, was not expected to live due to the diagnosis of a mysterious and rare illness. The news was enough to drive her to contemplate suicide.
“When he was born I was told he would die in seven days and that [if] he [lived he] might be mentally retarded. He was late to walk and talk and he wouldn’t eat for a year and a half. At that point I definitely didn’t want to be here. I don’t think it can get any lower than that,” she reveals.
Adding to Green’s woes was her difficult breakup with Jordan’s father and his subsequent abandonment of their child.
“It was his choice not be in Jordan’s life even knowing his condition. If he can walk away from a child like that, then I don’t want him in his life. I know people will get on me for that statement but I stand by it unless he does a metamorphosis,” she says.
Dealing with the pain of abandonment and Jordan’s condition left Vivian with no other choice than to ultimately find solace in her faith.
“My spiritual growth skyrocketed. When most doctors have no idea what to do you have no choice but to believe God knows what he’s doing. I realized that he chose me to be this child’s mother so he thinks I’m strong enough to handle it.”
Green’s prayers haven’t gone unanswered. Jordan is now proving to be a miracle child and is developing at a healthy rate.
“He is now regular and amazing. He took his first standardized test and tested off the charts. I want him to be a surgeon but he wants to be a rock star. There is not a child like him in the world with his condition so all we can do is follow him,” she says.
Vivian’s journey has left her more inspired than ever before with a new outlook on life as evidenced in the title of her new album, Beautiful.
“The album is titled Beautiful because I feel that way on the inside. I look at my son and think that he is so beautiful. I’ve never been happier with my life,” she says. –souleo
