Angela saw a doctor for the first time in 20 years.

Throughout the years, as my addiction got worse, my two daughters noticed a change in me, and eventually I became an embarrassment and a disappointment to them. Because of my addiction, I stopped participating in the PTA and attending school events.  My relationship with my daughters completely fell apart to the point where they stopped calling me mom and started calling me Angela.

I had multiple failed attempts at getting clean and sober before coming to House of Hope. Twice after finishing rehab, I used again within two days. After my third time in rehab, my counselor said to me “I want to send you somewhere you can sit and listen.” She told me the program was a year long and I thought, “Oh my God. That’s a long time!”

“When I first started drinking and using marijuana, I didn’t believe it would lead to bigger things.”

The program at House of Hope was like nothing that I’d ever experienced. If I needed to talk to someone, someone was always around to listen. The program is strict – I had a curfew and a lot of rules to follow, but this didn’t bother me because I knew I needed structure and boundaries.

While lost in my addiction, caring for myself wasn’t a priority. I hadn’t seen a doctor in 20 years. I had never had a mammogram or a pap smear. Caring for the whole person is a priority at House of Hope, and seeing a doctor was part of my recovery plan. The case manager made an appointment for me at Friend Family Clinic.  After getting a full check-up, I learned I had a lump in my breast. Soon after learning the news, I had a biopsy.

“Thanks be to God all turned out well. Other than a few minor issues, I ended up getting a clean bill of health.”

Usually, I start something and never finish, but I stayed the entire year at House of Hope. During my stay, I rebuilt my relationship with my daughters. The day after the graduation ceremony, I boarded a plane to Dallas to live with one of them.

I’ve been in Dallas for a few months now. I stay busy by volunteering at the Dallas Methodist Hospital information desk four days a week. I love it!

I recently celebrated my 60th birthday and I feel like life is just beginning for me. It was the first birthday in my adult life that I was clean and sober. The best part of my life now is that my two girls, now adults, no longer call me Angela.  They call me MOM.