Christina's Second Chance

“I came to Volunteers of America dead, and I left alive with direction and hope.”

When Christina came to Volunteers of America, she wasn’t prepared for the amazing changes that would happen in her life. She had been given the choice between residential treatment and a prison sentence for drug use and child endangerment. “When I first came, I felt backed into a corner, more than walking through an open door,” she says of her entry into our recovery program. “It was while I was in the facility… that I really began to see it as an opportunity.”

She definitely made the most of that opportunity by using her time in treatment to heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually. She found a relationship with God that helped her to respect and honor herself, which led to a healthy and happy relationship with the man who is now her husband.

The two had been arrested together, when they were in a toxic relationship based on their shared addictions. While Christina was here at VOA, her partner was in another recovery program, and though the two once thought they would never speak again, the skills they learned in treatment helped them to restart their relationship on an entirely new foundation.

They now share a marriage based on faith, sobriety, and love. They were even able to get their children out of foster care and create a family with the same foundation as their marriage: Christ. They have gone on mission trips to Mexico as a family, which inspired Christiana and her husband to join forces and build a church for a community there in need.

They have found ways to give back to their own community as well. Having experienced the profound impact of recovery, the couple wanted to bring that healing to others in need. They now operate a recovery group, Celebrate Recovery, that helps others to stay sober.

Although the road to recovery can be tough, Christina’s story is a powerful reminder of the wonderful things it can lead to.