“The biggest problem I had was that I wasn’t being a mother. I kept saying to the judge that if he would let me out, I would be a good mother,” Joanne says tearfully. She found herself in jail, recovering from an addiction, and extremely disheartened that she had not been the mother she knew she could have been.
“I had made a mess of my life”, says Joanne. She deeply missed her two children and she knew that if she was given another chance, she would make it up to them.
It was then that her luck took a turn for the better when she was introduced to Larrea, the Clinical Director at The Crossroads who talked to Joanne about Maya’s Place, a Crossroads for Women therapeutic community.
“Addiction is a problem I never thought I would have,” Joanne says. Although her substance abuse initially started as a recreational activity, it quickly escalated into a dangerous habit that landed her in jail.
When she was released from incarceration Joanne contacted Crossroads for Women. She wanted that second chance. “I asked for help.”
Fast forward three and a half years, and Joanne is smiling, in recovery, and a full-time student at CNM. After spending two years at Crossroads, Joanne says she is, “excited that I can just show up to life today in a positive way.”
“The staff at Crossroads help me a lot. They are always there for me”, Joanne says. “They never judge me. They taught me to be myself and how to get right with myself inside.” Joanne is grateful for the staff at Crossroads and she says that, “They never give up on anybody. It’s pretty inspiring.”
Anticipating her graduation from Crossroads for Women, Joanne is ready to face the world with confidence and is happy to have gained better relationships with her family and children in the process. “I have an awesome relationship with my parents now.”
Although she is currently working part time for her parents, in the future, Joanne wants, “a fulfilling career where I am having fun, helping people, and enjoying what I am doing.” She is also in a loving and healthy relationship, something she never thought possible before.
When asked what she is most proud of Joanne says, “I am most proud of being a mom and regaining my daughter’s trust”. Now all Joanne wants is to, “see my daughter happy. I have a good life.”
–Written by Amanda Douglas