From desperation to passion. I came to Westminster House once I was released from jail. I was spiritually void, emotionally defeated and physically depleted. When I arrived I had Endocarditis, a heart infection which was left untreated for so long that the infection had spread to my lungs. I spend the first month in the hospital, in a new city where I didn’t know anyone. Even though I was in the hospital the staff and the clients from Westminster House came to visit me every day. They carried the message of Narcotics Anonymous to me and took me to a nearby meeting. These women were complete strangers but showed me compassion and kindness that I had not experienced in a long time. Once my body had recovered physically, I began my recovery journey at Westminster House.

Over the years, living in active addiction, I was an absent mother to my son, was no longer in contact with my family, survived many traumas and lived a criminal lifestyle to feed my addiction. I was surviving, but I wasn’t living. The staff at Westminster House were patient, kind and loving. Through one-on-one counselling, group therapy and a holistic approach to health and wellness, I began to heal.

I have been a client at Westminster House for the past 10 months, I am currently in transitional housing. At Westminster House I was able to rebuild my relationships with my family, meet my beautiful son Jackson, work as part of the fundraising team for Westminster House, enroll in the basic counselling course for the fall, but most of all I learned how to live. Westminster House taught me how to be a productive member of society again and how to feel joy and love. The staff at Westminster House inspired me and encouraged me along the way.

I came to Westminster House broken, and a prisoner to addiction. Today I have a choice over my life, I have people in my life who love and support me, and I have hopes, dream, and goals for the future. I was able to build self-esteem, self-worth, and self-love. I have been given a second chance at life and I am forever grateful for Westminster House, for teaching me to be the mother, daughter, sister, friend, and woman in recovery I am today. Once desperate, scared and alone, now I have a passion to live, to help other women and be a better person. Thank-you Westminster House for saving my life and giving me a second chance at life.