Meet Ro

“It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That is how winning is done.”

Rocky Balboa

As a self-professed, “tough chick,” I spent the majority of my life proclaiming that I was “strong” while pushing past my perceived limitations and testing my own strength. Yet none of the iron I’ve lifted, punches I’ve thrown, nor being awarded the crown of “Ms. Fitness New Jersey” even came close to preparing me for the “strength” I needed to survive the trying “prison wife life.” My name is Rosanne and I have been entangled in the abnormal world of prisons for longer than I’d like to admit. My “other half” is a federal inmate who, for the last twelve and a half years has been paying for his troubled youth by slowly chipping away at a 213-year prison sentence (for a string of robberies where no one was hurt or severely injured…you can read more about his specific story here. The laws were unjustly piled and stacked against him, costing him his life…our life. Its mind boggling, perplexing and unfair….yet its the cold, harsh reality of the (still beautiful) relationship that he and I share. In a situation where most people would have become bitter, we’ve managed to pull together and fight to survive.

To me, being a “prison wife” is more than a title, it’s a lifestyle. With that said, I’d like to clarify that Adam and I are NOT married. Though we’ve been together for a long time, I won’t marry him while he is in jail. I have absolutely nothing against prison marriages, my choice has more to do with our unique situation. He’s serving this crazy, unjust 213 year sentence, so I never want to give up our fight to get him beyond those walls someday. They don’t have parole in the federal system and he’s out of “appeals,” it is truly an uphill battle. I don’t ever want to become complacent with this lifestyle or start to give up…Marrying him is definitely worth the fight!

I work full time and spend my evenings in the gym, outdoors running sprints, spending as much time as I can with my three nieces and nephew (aside from Adam, they are the loves of my life) and working on a few online endeavors. I’ve always had a gift for not only “seeing the world through rose colored glasses” but helping others to do the same. Being the second oldest of six siblings has made it easy for me to lend my hand as a “big sister” to the world. Encouraging, empowering and mentoring has always come naturally to me.

Love and Hugs,

Ro