Most people find that having a name is the simplest way to identify themselves. However, one Houston woman has gone nearly four decades without one.
Since her mother did not name her at birth, she was given the name “Girl” when she was born on November 11, 1985, at Jefferson Hospital in Houston. Nine months after her mother’s death, she was left without a legal name. Her birth certificate still shows the name “Girl” to this day.
READ ALSO: The girl with the world’s longest name whose birth certificate is 2 feet long
Despite her best efforts, she has encountered several obstacles in her attempt to have her birth certificate changed from “Girl” to the name she has always gone by: Sandra Wardlow.
“It’s been real trouble,” Wardlow told Fox 26 Houston. “If I get one place to do one thing, they won’t do it until another place does this or that. It’s frustrating.”
The fact that Wardlow does not have a Social Security card, even though she has a driver’s license, makes it more difficult for her to get SNAP payments.
“They’ve now sent me a paper stating my name and social don’t match,” she explained. “How can I bring them something that I never had?”
Wardlow, who was raised by her mother’s first cousin, never formally changed her name. Why she doesn’t just use “Girl” for her legal documents may be a mystery to some.
“Even if I wanted to leave it as ‘Girl,’ they will not give me a Social Security card that says ‘Girl,'” she explained.
Wardlow is unable to take a family cruise due to her circumstances, but her highest priorities are still obvious.
“I’ve been in this world for almost 40 years, and I don’t have a name,” she remarked. “For someone to tell you that you don’t exist, or you have to prove your citizenship to some places and you literally cannot.”
The City of Houston is now helping Wardlow go through the legal process to officially change her name.
Fox 26 Houston reports that if one needs to change their name legally, then these are the requirements.
READ ALSO: Why Uganda is preparing to register cattle by issuing them birth certificates
