Back in 2007, Brianna was young, overworked, and the victim of some pretty awful advice.
“I was working 16 hours days, I had my son’s father’s family with me and I was just exhausted. I was a pharmacy tech at the time. Someone gave me some heroin and told me it would help me sleep, and it did. I was clueless about how you can get addicted and how it can ruin your life.”
Brianna quickly found out first-hand. Over the next five years, her heroin addiction cost her everything – her job, her home, her freedom, even the custody of her son.
“I had really burned some bridges. I was lying and cheating and stealing from everybody. I was in jail multiple times. We were homeless for about a year; it was bad.”
It was her stepfather who convinced Brianna she needed help and pointed her to Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Changing Lives Center (CLC). Here she found the relationship and the recovery she needed to break her addiction, earn back the custody of her son, and learn how to become the best mother she could be.
“When I first went to the CLC, I wasn’t really a religious person. I didn’t believe God could do anything for me because He wasn’t real, it was just hope. But I found God here and He gave me the strength to move forward.”
Brianna graduated from our recovery program in 2014, but that was six years ago. Is she still moving forward? The answer is a resounding, Yes!
After leaving the Mission, she found a job at Forever 21, followed by a position in the billing section of a medical office, where she’s been employed for the past 5 years. She found the love of her life in 2017, got married and nine months later, had a beautiful baby girl on her birthday! Her son is also doing great; he just made the all-star hockey team.
“Back then, I thought that I was a good mother, but I wasn’t. I’m still making up for lost time. My son’s a great kid, he plays hockey, he’s great in school, he loves his new father, who thankfully has no sort of addiction in his life. We finally get to live how we’re supposed to live.“
Brianna is another great example of the lasting change you make happen here at the Phoenix Rescue Mission – not just for individuals, but for their kids and families alike!
“It was life-changing being at the CLC. What I’ve gone through, I hope it gives others hope. Things can get better. YOU can get better!”
