“I was pregnant and I was using drugs. I came to be five months pregnant and came to realize I couldn’t stop doing drugs. I knew there was a problem and I would say I will stop next week; I will stop next week; and next week came and I was still using.” 

 Danielle was bounced around house to house and it was hard for her because her grandmother witnessed what was happening. 

Danielle was not at her best at that time in her life.  She saw the hurt in her grandmother’s eyes but also saw her love as she tried to pour into her, edify her, taking her to church and encouraging her.

She got a letter from her husband saying, “What are you doing?  You are pregnant.  You’ve got a newborn coming.  You’ve got nothing going on down there.  What are you doing with your life?” 

A friend said he was willing to pick her up and take her for help if she was willing to give her life over. She said ‘alright’ and at 6 o’clock one morning he picked her up from Superior and brought her to Phoenix. 

She came with no clothes, no property, no nothing.  Her sister brought her straight through the doors of the Phoenix Dream Center on March 23^rd a year ago and she has been here ever since.

As she says, “They didn’t let me go and I’ve been clean for that long and I’ve gotten so much out of this place.  I’ve been through programs before, but have never been in a program that included Christ in my life.   With this program, I realize I don’t have an addiction, I have a problem that I am able to overcome.”

She is grateful that she was not turned away from the Dream Center when she walked through door. 

It was a leap of faith for her and she had hope in her heart and her spirit was lifted.  She felt like a different person and felt like all things were possible. She says, “it’s like another family here.”

Her baby, Kia, just turned a year old.  She has been able to take care of all her court issues.  She saved up enough to get a car. 

She also has a job as a peer supporter where she is able to help people who have gone through what she’s gone through. 

She is happy to help people see that recovery is possible and you can help out others that you relate to and not feel that you are not being taken seriously because you are speaking from a place of not knowing.  She is very grateful that she can reach out to those people. 

Being at the Dream Center also makes her realize that you have to pour into others.  She says, “For me, it not really about the pain or the benefits, it’s being able to give back. 

If I was not able to learn all that I have learned here and how to be closer to the Lord, then I would never know that there is a greater good out there and a greater way of maintaining sobriety and staying sober and living life but to help others realize that they can do it.”

She able to go visit her other children and the perfect picture would be the one with all her children in it.  “I know one day God will put it in my life and I will have a family photo of me and my children all under one roof smiling and enjoying each other’s company.” 

“I’m really happy for my family for encouraging me.  My sister, I really want to say thank you to her.  She stood by my side when I really didn’t know why but she did.  She came and visited me every weekend when she could and when she was here. Having that support was really empowering and made me realize who I was doing it for; not just my relationship with Christ but for those around me.  That really means the world to me.”