“Unfortunately, not everyone will be brought to the light from the dark, but we are all worth it. I dream of using my life experiences to help others see their true potential. Lives are really changed when we open our arms to our community.”
Cassandra, SNAP Client
CASSANDRA’S JOURNEY TO A LIFE OF PURPOSE
Cassandra didn’t grow up experiencing the American Dream. Her parents faced addiction at young ages themselves, and she and her four sisters were constant witnesses to the effects of their drug use. The girls were taken by Child Protective Services (CPS) at times, and watched their parents get arrested. While this upbringing is not healthy for any child, Cassandra remains gracious about her parents, saying, “My parents were amazing people, but their lives were controlled by addiction.”
Unfortunately, the effects of growing up around drugs took hold of Cassandra, and she herself started drinking and marijuana use by age 12. Her substance abuse problems escalated, earning her time in treatment and juvenile detention. Cassandra was 21 when she gave birth to a son.
She knew that she wanted to make changes, but her addictions were still too powerful. A couple of years later, her mom developed an infection because of her drug use. Cassandra now had to witness her mother’s anguish as she tried to get healthy and survive for her children and grandchildren. Yet she could not overcome the damage that had been done to her body and stress from the infection – she died at 46. This was a turning point for Cassandra.
“To this day, it hurts to know she never had the chance to be there for me and my family the way she always wanted to be,” she admits.
Cassandra, SNAP Client
Shortly after, still battling her own addiction, Cassandra found herself pregnant with her second child. She believes CPS had a role in saving her life and her family – the fear of losing her babies coupled with realizing that if she didn’t make a change, she could die young like her mom, made her “ready to get serious about [her] life.”
Turning the tides on her drug use and addiction was challenging, and she credits regional service providers and access to life-saving resources, including SNAP, to helping her change her life. SNAP helped her with energy assistance and referred her to [childcare provider nonprofit] Vanessa Behan, where she could access free childcare and parenting classes.
As challenging as these initial changes were, Cassandra had to battle herself internally. She admits that her upbringing provided her with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Having lacked good role models and sense of worth, she didn’t think about her own potential, let alone how to achieve it. This turning point gave her the will to fight for herself and her family. With the help of the community around her, she realized she did have value.
Today, Cassandra has been in recovery for over 11 years. She works at a local credit union, owns her home, and enjoys travelling. She loves and cares for her three children, and she is grateful that she gets to experience life with them, fully present in her mind, body, and spirit.
“Unfortunately, not everyone will be brought to the light from the dark, but we are all worth it. I dream of using my life experiences to help others see their true potential. Lives are really changed when we open our arms to our community.”
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