listen to me, linda

Born three weeks premature on January 13, 1987, to John and Min-Ji (Mindy), Jasmine Eun Parks was a tiny baby at 5 lbs 15 oz. The birth of their only daughter should've been a joyous time for the Parks, but instead, Mindy slipped into severe postpartum depression weeks after Jasmine was born. Unable to cope with the anxiety and the intrusive suicidal thoughts, Mindy began to distance herself from her daughter and husband. Worried that she would one-day cause harm to Jasmine, Mindy began seeking treatment for her PPD in hopes to be a better mom to her beautiful daughter. The therapy and medications, however, only prolonged the inevitable; just two months shy of her first birthday, Jasmine's mother committed suicide. Never approving of Min-Ji and John's marriage, the Cho's blamed John for the death of their youngest daughter and shunned their granddaughter and son-in-law. Days after the burial of his wife, John relocated back to his hometown of Boston, MA with Jasmine.

Growing up the only daughter of a widowed sports journalist, Jasmine idolized her father in the same way many young boys dreamed of being like their role model. Unlike the girls her age, she found herself consumed with learning the rules of every sport and playing catch with the other boys in the neighborhood. She can remember many summer days spent at Fenway Park and traveling across the country to various baseball parks with her father as he covered Red Sox news for the Boston Globe. The love of the game brought the father and daughter duo closer than anyone could ever imagine. Through the ups and downs of every season since she was a toddler, Jasmine had found her first true love in the Red Sox ... her second love in the form of New England sports.

Despite her happy childhood, it wasn't easy for Jasmine to grow up without her mother to guide her through her first case of puppy love, puberty and her first attempt at makeup. With the help of her aunt Emma, the growing pains of finding a perfect balance between tomboy and the girly girl grew easier as she grew into her own personality of an outgoing, quirky and nice young woman. But still, there was a piece of her missing that she would never be able to fill. Even though she didn't know it at the time, Jas' personality reflected that of her mothers as she became the social butterfly in her high school years. Combining her love of sports and social life, Jasmine became an active part of her school by joining the cheer squad. Her involvement as part of the cheer provided her an opportunity to give back to the community.

Wanting to follow her father's footsteps in the field of journalism, Jas chose the Univeristy of Alabama to earn her degree while still learning to be on her own. The cultural shock of Alabama compared to the city life of Boston didn't phase the young freshman, if anything, being on her own helped mold her into the person she would soon become. Jasmine took on the college life at full speed as she became a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Omicron and found a family that would help fill the part of her she always felt missing. Her sisters, her eventual cheer sisters, and father became her backbone as she juggled the busy life of studies, sports, philanthropy and becoming part of the college life. It wasn't until the spring break of her sophomore year that Jasmine traveled to Chicago, looking to meet the family she'd never known. She'd had visions of a family reunited, that her grandparents would shower her with stories of her mother and gush about how much Jas resembled Mindy. The trip, however, did not go according to plan. Instead, she was met with cold, blank faces that had wanted nothing to do with her. The rejection had hurt more than anything she'd ever imagined, and for the first time in her life, she blamed herself for not being good enough to save Mindy's life.

Jasmine returned to Alabama that Spring with a heavy heart and used her pain as the ultimate determination to finish earning her Master's Degree in journalism. During her last year at UA, Jasmine opened her heart once again, this time to Richard Hess; a medical student at the same school. It was love at first sight for Jas, and even though they had more differences than similarities, the two found a way to be happy. She loved him for the man he wanted to be, a man who wanted to be a doctor to make a difference in the world. And in less than six months, the two found themselves at city hall exchanging "I Do's," against the advice of all their family and friends. Like every relationship, the first few months were filled with absolute bliss. As their life settled down, their differences became more apparent with each passing day. Rick had loved the idea of his perfect cheerleading wife, that she would be the ultimate trophy at his future hospital events as he climbed the ladder to his career, continually boasting about a future of Jasmine being a stay at home mother of three. Their marriage eventually fell apart as the rose colored glasses fell from her face, that this was a man who wanted her to give up a career she was working hard for. That he expected her to be the mother of his children, children she didn't feel she deserved or wanted. And as her graduation drew nearer, so did the end of her marriage and life in Alabama when she filed for divorce in 2008.

Wanting a fresh start after her divorce, Jasmine returned home to Boston. Jasmine hit the ground running, taking her resume to every news and tv station in the city until she was able to land a job at NESN, putting her degree and love of sports to the test to begin her life all over again. And to hopefully, find that part of her that had been missing for far too long.