By Colleen Goldrick
Homelessness can happen to anyone. I had no idea it would ever be me.
But through a series of events, I became homeless. That’s hard to say aloud.
I had the nice car, the nice house and a beautiful family. I lived in a beautiful town, and I was a nurse. I took a lot of pride in going to nursing school and becoming a nurse. My idea of someone being homeless was the guy on the street.
I Started Losing Things
I got hurt at work and the doctors prescribed pain killers. I became addicted to pain pills. Slowly but surely, because of the pain medicine and the addiction that I carried, I started losing things.
I lost my job, and I lost my house. I lost the car.
My mother was diagnosed with leukemia and she passed within 3 weeks. I cared for my father for 2 years and he passed away in January.
Then in September of that year, I lost my daughter to drug addiction. To find your child, overdosed on the bathroom floor is something that no one should ever have to go through.
Praying to Die
So my own addiction went rampant. I was at an all-time low, praying to God every night, asking Him to take me.
The miracle in all of this is that God brought me to New Beginnings. I knew I couldn’t make it on my own. The staff at New Beginnings offered me hope, a place to live, a new chance, a new beginning. That is something I never thought I would have at my age.
Coming to this program saved my life. God brought me here to turn my mess into a message.
My life has changed. I can talk about my daughter without totally breaking down. I’m working again.
Helped So I Can Help Others
When I came to New Beginnings, it was as if I had a totally empty broken tool box and they helped me fix it; they put tools in there. For example, I have a counselor, a case manager and even a mentor who also worked in nursing.
New Beginnings has given me a desire to do well for myself so that I can give it to others. Who knows what I can give to someone else!
I thank God every day for New Beginnings and for everyone who supports New Beginnings. Thank you!
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