Meet Cathy.

Doctors and the nursing staff became family, as Cathy’s mom had 3 other children at home to take care of. Cathy had to relearn to walk, talk and eat due to the severity of her burns. Her mom pretended like nothing ever happened.

When she was 8 years old, Cathy was released from her frequent hospital visits and lived with

her grandma, friends, and other family members. She felt abandoned by the hospital family she had become accustomed to and was left to figure things out on her own. At the age of 10, Cathy was out for dinner with family, and had her first glass of wine. This was the starting point down a dark path of drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction for many years.

Cathy lived to drink. She would drink every day and get drunk every weekend. A vicious cycle that she could not get herself out of. She came to Harvest House for the first time when she was 29 years old. She stayed at our shelter, and in our housing, but despite being around help, she couldn’t stay sober. She left and went to a local recovery center where she found sobriety for 5 years. She became a paramedic and loved her job. She finally felt some purpose and had everything she thought she wanted but was still miserable inside.

One day while out on the street, she was about to end everything, when she got a message from her sister that stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and headed back home. She believes that God turned her around that day, and it was what led her to getting the help she needed.

In March, Cathy came back to Harvest House into our Women’s Addiction Recovery program. She is now surrounded by a community who loves and supports her, including her sister. She says it was like coming home. Cathy had chased after relationships, drugs, alcohol, and every pleasure of life, only to realize the only thing she truly needed was her faith. Her addiction was never fun, there was always shame, punishment, and chaos. “Burns don’t hurt, and fire isn’t painful; healing is painful. My hope is to endure the pain and allow Jesus to bring the healing I need in my life.”

Cathy is thankful that now she feels joy, peace, freedom, and love in her life every day.

**The following story represents the personal experiences and views of the participant. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Harvest House Atlantic or any individuals mentioned. Shared with permission.