2026 Graduate Spotlight: Samantha
The residential program at Thistle Farms started 29 years ago and continues to be a guiding light for women survivors finding their way to healing. For 2026 Graduate, Samantha, her path to Thistle Farms started with an unexpected gift.
“I had the gift of desperation. I've been to 13 rehabs before. But then I came to Nashville and Angela (Residential Manager) called, and she said, ‘Hey, we've got a bed here open.’ And I said, ‘Would I be stupid if I didn't take it?’ And she said, ‘Absolutely.’ And with that pure honesty, I knew I was going to the right place. This is a real group of people.”
Two years ago, Samantha received the call that she had a spot at Thistle Farms and this May she is celebrating completion of the Residential Program. With a maxed out waiting list, this call is highly anticipated and a first of many brave steps for residents. Samantha shares that the milestone of completing the program is bigger than the two years, it’s an accomplishment a lifetime in the making.
“I'm just really excited. My whole life, I haven't really finished anything. And then whenever I came to Nashville for a 28 day stay at the Next Door Recovery, my dad didn't think I'd finish that. I finished that. And then I was like, ‘I'm staying for a two-year program.’ And he didn’t think I would finish that. I finished that. I like to prove people wrong,” Sam shared.
She continued to surprise herself with what she could accomplish by what she has worked on while at Thistle Farms’ Residential Program.
“Sheila pushed me to go back to high school and get my GED, so I did that. Then she pushed me to start the certified medical assistant training. And then I'm doing that. And it's hard work, but I've actually learned how to hold myself accountable. I'm setting aside a certain time every day to do schoolwork, and it's all thanks to Thistle Farms. They've taught me a new way to live, and they taught me how to be a productive member of society. So that's what I can't wait for. I'm excited to be an active member of my church with Thistle Farms as my foundation. I can't go wrong unless I choose to.”
Samantha is celebrating new professional goals, an apartment of her own, and a community both at Thistle Farms and with her church where she is actively involved.
For the next woman coming behind her, she gives the encouragement she would have given herself two years ago.
“Do the work on yourself. Focus on yourself. Don't focus on anybody else. And Sheila (Residential Director) may know a thing or two. The staff, they know a thing or two about what they're doing. And not everybody's out there to hurt you. Just trust, and it's hard to trust whenever you come into the program because you're so broken down and you're so brokenhearted, you don't know how to trust people. And just trust the process and do the work on yourself. Really do the work on yourself. I thought I was doing the work on myself for a long time, but I wasn't, until I was.”
Congratulations to Samantha, 2026 Graduate and Sister for Life!
