Chandra
You helped restore this young mom's world.
Lots of heroin addicts are busted by the police.
But, in Chandra’s case, her beloved grandmother and then-8-year-old son did the busting.
“I tried to hide my drug use from my son Nathaniel, but he saw me shoot up numerous times and he knew it wasn’t right,” explained Chandra, now 30. “One day when he caught me, he ran into my bedroom, grabbed the syringe from me, and ran to my Grandma’s house and gave it to her. Grandma called Children Services Board.”
As a result, Chandra was ordered to Family Drug Court and Nathaniel went to live with Grandma—and not for the first time. Years before, Chandra sought help for an addiction to pills and lost custody of her son. She completed rehab to get him back, but relapsed into addiction mere weeks after they were reunited.
This time, however, was different.
After six months in rehab at another transitional living facility, she came to the Sparrow’s Nest. And, according to Chandra, what she discovered at the Nest, and later, at The Oaks, has made all the difference in dealing with her addiction.
“My relationship with God is the biggest difference,” said Chandra, who accepted Christ as her Savior during her stay with us. “In the past, my plan didn’t work. Now it’s ‘Lord, Your will, not mine.’ Plus, now when I do have an urge to use—and it’s not very often—I’ll call someone to talk about it. I didn’t do that before.”
Among the things she liked best at Cherry Street were Bible studies, the staff, and watching other guests learn to let go and let God. “That takes practice, I know,” Chandra smiled. “But it was cool watching other guests do it, little by little. I’d get so excited!” She also loved visits from her son and grandmother, both of whom she clearly adores.
In preparation for their reunion, Chandra began to put the pieces of her life together once again. Although she’d been a hard worker since her high school days’ flipping burgers, addiction had cost her a good-paying job and sidetracked her pursuit of a nursing degree. So she resumed taking classes at Owens Community College, and “by trusting God,” obtained a job at Jimmy Johns.
Today, she and Nathaniel are reunited and looking forward to the future. “I want to finish nursing school and continue to develop my relationship with God,” stressed Chandra, who is grateful to Cherry Street for the role we played in her life.
“Cherry Street is a very blessed environment. I don’t know where I’d be now without it.”
By supporting Cherry Street, you made certain that the help Chandra needed was there when she needed it. Thank you!
