The women who stood up for Maclin in court — Pam Ross, Marcia Cline, Rabbi Susan Talve — and others, including some who responded after I wrote about her plight, have provided the support group that was missing in Maclin’s life. They’ve helped with parenting courses and counseling, car repairs and apartment furnishings. They’re there for advice and a shoulder to lean on.

For Maclin, learning to ask for help has been the hard part.

“It’s a pride thing,” she says.

When she was 14, her little sister was born, and Maclin learned to just jump in and take care of her, no questions asked, no waiting around for somebody to help. Three years later, not yet an adult herself, she was taking care of her own child. There wasn’t time to learn. There often wasn’t anybody else to ask for help. Now there is.

“Knowing I have people behind me, rooting me on, it helps me not give up,” Maclin says.

So do the smiles and hugs of her children. She got them back in September and immediately turned on Facebook Live to stream her happiness for all to see. “I was just so happy,” she said.

They give her hope that better days are ahead.