On the 2nd of January 2025, I walked into The Well Communities completely shattered. Not just broken, I was empty. My addiction had stripped me of everything. I had lost my dignity, my family, my soul. And the hardest truth of all: I wasn’t even allowed near my daughter. That little girl had lost her mum.

I had reached a place where there was no more running, no more hiding. It was change or die. So I chose to change. Even when it felt unbearable. Even when every part of me wanted to give up. I stayed. I showed up. I faced myself.

My recovery became my survival. The love and support I was shown by my peers and staff helped carry me through this. People here actually believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. The program taught me how to be honest, how to let go, how to live without destroying everything around me. It taught me how to change my behaviors. I learned how to sit with my pain instead of numbing it. I learned how to rebuild trust, one piece at a time.

Fast forward eight months, I stand here today at my graduation. I completed all 12 Steps. I am clean. I am present. I am no longer just existing - I am alive. And the most beautiful thing of all, I am a loving, responsible mother to my daughter.

The woman who walked into The Well Communities in January had lost everything. The woman who walks out today has hope. She has her daughter back in her life. She has love. She has faith. She has a future.

This journey broke me open in ways I never imagined. But it built me back up and now I am someone I never imagined I could be. This journey here has saved my life, and for that, I am eternally grateful.