“I had hit the bottom of a dark, cold, lonely pit. I had lived 17-years of complete self-destruction. I did not care who I took down with me along the way. My whole life I never felt like I fit in anywhere. My goal was to escape the world I existed in. I would have sold my soul for my next fix. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what I had done. I never knew there was another way to live until I came to Mending Hearts. I was court ordered to complete the program as the beginning of my nine-year sentence; the remainder on probation. Since being [at Mending Hearts] I have experienced things I never thought possible. I have made legal money. I have developed relationships with people that have proven to me they have no motive other than to truly be my friend. I have developed some self-esteem and I am learning that I am someone. I have a relationship with my children today. I have learned to accept who I am and what I have done throughout my life. I have a relationship with God today. He has a purpose for me. I can use my my experience, strength and hope to help other women in any way possible.”