Lifestyle In The Know · Calendar · Spotlight Artist · 5 Faves
The Road To Recovery, A Reason To Rise written by Shultzie Willows | Photographed by Dawn Matthes
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he day that Jackie found out she was pregnant, her world came into focus. She was 21, homeless, and seeing a man who was being tormented by his own demons. Jackie had seen her own recreational drug use begin to spiral out of control, shifting from casual to frequent, finally leading to intravenous use — anything to escape reality. As she described, “I was using anything I could get my hands on.” As drugs and the party scene took a front seat in her life, everything else — including a once strong and unshakeable relationship with her mother and sister — moved further into the rearview. Before finding out she was pregnant she was, “Defeated. I had nothing to live for.” But her pregnancy was like a light switch in her brain. Jackie realized that she didn't want a life of drug use and uncertainty for her baby, and that she wanted a relationship with her family. Growing up in a home where her father was an addict who was in and out of incarceration, she knew that she had to cut all ties to her previous life, her network of friends, and get help. The former math-loving, funloving Jackie, who wanted to grow up and work with animals, had lost her way, but now had a newfound purpose. A spark of determination ignited, pushing her to find her way back. In the midst of these dark times, her mother reached out to her and told her about Lydia Place. Jackie was referred to the Opportunity Council where she was put on a waiting list for housing and supportive services. She waited eight months for an opening in a housing program, but she didn’t wait to … continued on page 20