What defines a mother? Is it biology, or the decision to show up consistently, selflessly, and unconditionally when others need you most? For Karen Brown, customer service manager at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company Limited, motherhood was not something she had planned. It was a responsibility placed before her, and one she accepted with grace.

In 2020, her life changed in an instant. After the tragic loss of her brother, she assumed full guardianship of his three children. She describes this period as one of the most challenging of her life.

“It required strength I did not know I possessed,” she said. “But it also filled my life with purpose and love.”