CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The legacy of Allisha Watts lives on with the people who knew her. The Moore County woman, allegedly killed by her boyfriend this summer, was an advocate for mental health awareness. Before she was killed, she was planning on opening up a group home for those who needed help.
WCNC Charlotte anchor and reporter Jane Monreal first met Taisha Calloway at a vigil for Watts. Calloway said Watts was always available to lean on, and is now leaning on the community herself.
Calloway, from her bedside at the hospital, recently shared the same sentiments that many of Watts' loved ones shared.
"What I can say is Allisha is truly missed," Calloway said. "She's always wanted to help people."
PREVIOUSLY: Allisha Watts' family in tears as James Dunmore appears in court, charged with her murder
With the approval of Watts' family, Calloway and her family created a foundation to continue her work in advocating for equality for those seeking treatment for mental health
Calloway's personal message is simple: "Mental health illness has no face."
That message rings true given a major life event for her; the first-time mom just delivered twin boys early Monday morning.
"I was thinking, 'Lord, thank You for the blessing and you bless me two times over,'" Calloway remembered. "I'm scared because I don't want my children to turn out like me."
Calloway lives with schizoaffective disorder. The Mayo Clinic says it includes a combination of common symptoms seen in schizophrenia along with other mood disorders, like depression or mania.
"I was diagnosed back in 2009. And my original diagnosis was just schizophrenia. They changed it over about a year later and said, 'No, you're in the low, like the low percentile. So you're schizoaffective of the paranoid type,'" Calloway said.
Both of her boys - Tarron II and Michael - were welcomed into the world more than three months early. Tarron II weighed 1 lb, 12 oz., while Michael was just 13 oz. Both remain in the NICU at Atrium Health.
With her sons in intensive care indefinitely, and her own postpartum period a concern, she said only her mother, Crystal Battle, can step in.
"I can be the only one to stop her from tearing down that brick wall," Battle said, "when nobody else can. So for me, I have to be there for her or she's not gonna make it."
Battle told WCNC Charlotte before her grandsons were born, she created a GoFundMe page, knowing that being there for her family means she's unable to work her full-time job.
"She's having my two grandsons and I need to be there to help her. "
EDITOR'S NOTE: On Jan. 4, 2024, Taisha Calloway let WCNC Charlotte know she lost both Tarron II on Dec. 24, 2023, then Michael on New Year's Day 2024. If you or someone you know is dealing with pregnancy loss, know there are resources to help you through that difficult time, such as First Candle. a program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Children's Bereavement Center, Cribs for Kids, March of Dimes, and Postpartum Support International.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
