My journey to recovery was a long and winding road. During junior high, I turned to alcohol to cope with the pressure and trauma from my home life. This pattern continued through high school and into college, where I first encountered prescription pain medication and from that point on, I was mired in a losing battle with addiction.

Although I had begun the fight of my life, I managed to graduate college, begin a career, and start a family. However, my escalating struggle with substance abuse grew more and more unmanageable. There were many times I feared for my life. In 2017, I temporarily lost custody of my 9-month-old daughter. Soon after losing her, I came to Nexus for the first time and began my journey into recovery. I stayed clean for a year and regained custody of my daughter. However, relapse is often a part of recovery, and I was no exception to that.

Over the next few years, I would experience my first stay in jail while pregnant with my second child. There were periods of sobriety, followed by more relapse. Then the pandemic turned the world upside down and threw me into a very dark place and an extremely unsafe living situation. By 2021, feeling defeated and hopeless, I turned to Nexus once again. This time, my children and I sought refuge in the women with children program.

Nexus not only supported me, but they also provided my children with the help they needed. Together, we found healing from the trauma we had faced.

Upon completing the program, I began a wonderful career at Amazon that allowed me to provide for my children. However, I felt called to Nexus, a place that changed my life. This time I returned as a recovery coach. It is immensely gratifying to share my journey from devastation to restoration with other moms who face similar struggles.

This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to support Nexus Recovery Center. My own journey stands as proof that family-wide recovery changes lives. Each contribution, no matter the amount, provides mothers and children with the opportunity to heal.