Struggling to stand, let alone walk through the courthouse, Cherish Perrywinkle's mother battles not to lose the two little girls she has left.
DCF removed 5-year-old Nevaeh and 4-year-old Destiny from her home several weeks ago.
Perrywinkle says she's beginning the fight of her life.
"It's the darkest cloud I've had over my head ever and I can't shake it," she said.
But the custody fight is just beginning. Attorney Patricia Parker is representing Rayne Perrywinkle's little girls pro bono.
She's recommended that the girls' memorial fund be audited and requested Rayne submit to a drug test immediately after the hearing.
"It's not uncommon in these court proceedings," she said.
Rayne isn't the only one fighting for custody. The girls' father Ahron Pearson has a hearing Aug. 20.
Their grandfather says he's making his own case.
"I have my own home. I have my own business. I'm more than financially capable of taking care of them," said grandfather Thomas Pearson.
As the fight for who cares for the girls rages on, their attorney says they are in good hands with a family friend, getting ready for the start of the school year.
"What we really want is to make sure that the girls have all the services they need and that the family has the services they need so that if a reunification takes place, the girls will be absolutely safe," said Parker.
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