Presenting DaShawn, 2020 Thistle Farms Residential Graduate
“I was paralyzed. For several long minutes, I couldn’t move anything except my eyes. The people I was with at the time didn’t even notice. That one hit had something in it that almost killed me, but it still took a few more days for me to recognize that this was my breaking point.”
2020 Thistle Farms Residential graduate, DaShawn is talking about the time leading up to finding her way home from a life that had spiraled beyond her control. Trafficking and addiction had taken everything from her. That’s common when we experience extreme trauma, our lives unravel. Character shows and grows in the way we piece our brokenness back together.
“I was tired. It was April 1st when I laid it all down. Everything. Even cigarettes. Trafficking and addiction had chipped away at me and there wasn’t much left. It took every remaining bit of me to call my daughter and ask for help. That was the day when I started a new life.
"Thistle Farms quickly became my foundation. This is where I rebuilt myself with the truth that I didn’t have to sell my body to have a place to sleep. I didn’t have to do anything other than work my program - which has been a lot - but no one here had any motivations other than wanting me to be well.
"Today I’m proud to be a Sister for Life. I never leaned on people before. I never asked for help, I just waited around for someone to see that I needed help. There is so much shame in addiction, you don’t even want to say those words out loud. I recognize that shame now and it has shown me what my calling is: to go back out to those places and see that hurt in others and help them understand that they can be well too. I’m now working toward being a Peer Counselor Recovery Specialist because of the women who are out there with no idea where to start. I'm proud of my accomplishments over these two years in the program and I'm excited to help others to know this same peace.”
Stay tuned for more from our ten incredible 2020 graduates as we count down to graduation.
#LoveHeals
