Nikki’s Story Five years ago, I was a hopeless drug addict walking into detox for the third time. The police followed me to Parkwood (hospital) because I was driving a rental car that I had never returned. It was in my dad’s name, so they allowed him to meet me there and take it back....Read More
Madeline’s Story My name is Maddie Nicklas, and I am an addict. I’m 31 years old, and I’ve been clean since December 15, 2017. I was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. My childhood was anything but normal, and that just might depend on different perceptions of the word “normal.” My first memory as a child...Read More
Skie’s Story “It wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I realized I didn’t want to live like that,” said Skie O. Skie’s struggle with opioid use disorder starts in a way that many of us have become familiar with at this point. After Skie was born, he suffered a stroke that unavoidably caused...Read More
Ari’s Story Ari Bryant witnessed the debilitating effects of substance use disorder at an early age. She observed her mother’s use of illicit drugs, such as heroin and her father’s daily consumption of alcohol, which she says made her mature much more quickly than any child should have to. By the time she was 16,...Read More
Stacey’s Story “If you made a Venn diagram of people in the restaurant industry and people in recovery, it would be a circle,” muses Stacey Spiehler, a restaurant manager currently in recovery from opioid use disorder. Stacey’s battle with opioid use disorder was rooted in severe childhood trauma that eventually led her to using a...Read More
Zach’s Story “It has taken everything I’ve loved.” That’s how Zach Peyton, a 42-year old resident of Clarksdale, describes his battle with opioid use disorder. “It didn’t help my family’s life. It has been horrible,” says Zach. “It’s not something I’d wish on anyone.” It started with something that seems relatively innocuous—cough syrup. Growing up,...Read More
Elias’ Story Inside a cold, concrete cell Elias Kihyet missed the simple pleasures of the outside world and the company and companionship of his family, dogs, and rabbits. They were an important part of his life; he calls his pets his “fur children.” A little over a year ago, Elias admits the power of his...Read More
Linda’s Story “It took me years to get pregnant after getting a pituitary tumor removed”. When I became pregnant with a son, God spoke to me and told he was going to do “great things” Linda Lary solemnly recalls. Linda describes her son Michael as a Christian boy who loved The Lord. He was an...Read More
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