“I Didn’t Grow Up Intending To Be A Heroin Addict”
Two more residents recently joined the growing ranks of Megan’s House graduates. In all, eleven young women have now completed the long-term residential treatment program.
September 8, 2016 saw Marissa’s graduation, highlighted by her mother’s words at the completion of the touching ceremony.
“I am so proud of you and so happy to have you back,” the grateful mom told her daughter. “Now we can do things we could never do before.”
Marissa’s time at Megan’s House showed her to be a humble person, with her housemates quick to point out how she always went out of her way to help new residents adjust to their surroundings.
“I’m grateful for where I am today, grateful for this second chance,” the young woman told the attentive room. “I am so blessed for all the things Megan’s House and the staff have done for me.”
Less than a week later, it was Amy’s turn to bid the house adieu, and she also had kind words for the staff, in particular Program Director Mary Beth Murphy.
“You helped save tons of people’s lives,” the young woman told Murphy, who in turn applauded Amy for doing kind things and doing them when no one was looking.
It was a long journey for the most recent graduate, who admitted walking into Megan’s House “tired and broken.”
“I didn’t grow up intending to be a heroin addict,” an emotional Amy told her fellow residents. “The problem with addiction is you are always chasing that feeling you get the first time, but you never find it.”
What Amy and Marissa have found, along with all the graduates of Megan’s House, is a second chance at a productive, fulfilling life. The holistic approach to recovery employed by the staff customizes treatment based on each resident’s needs.
Before leaving the program, each young woman has either enrolled in classes or secured employment. Along the way, they’ve acquired valuable life skills such as cooking and gardening, skills that help them continue to grow as individuals.
For that, Murphy and her staff are to be commended, as are the residents of Megan’s House themselves. For some, life dealt them a tough hand. For others, there have been more than a few falls from grace. But in the end, all had the courage to get back up, dust themselves off and move forward.