Katelyn
Making a comeback.
Star student-athlete. Color Guard member. Cheerleader.
Living in a home full of abuse.
Meet Katelyn and her past.
While attending Ben Davis High School in the Indianapolis area, Katelyn excelled on and off the court. Away from school, she was wounded and scarred by violence at home. Katelyn found solace with a group of friends who, she admits, “weren’t the best influence.” She smoked marijuana to fit in and feel connected – and forget what was happening at home.
Then, two knee surgeries from a tennis injury opened the door to painkillers that led to addiction.
Caught up in the national opioid crisis, Katelyn turned to wherever she could to numb the pain. At 24, Katelyn says she “graduated” to heroin.
“The next two years of my life was chasing the high. I didn’t care what it cost, I needed to numb the pain and silence the voices.”
Already a mother to her daughter, Kaelan, she was pregnant when Child Protective Services gave her a choice - enroll in Volunteers of America’s Fresh Start Recovery Center program or lose custody of daughter and baby.
She spent 83 days in Volunteers of America’s recovery program for pregnant and parenting mothers. Katelyn acknowledges it was the hardest thing she’s ever done, but she’s grateful.
Katelyn feels fortunate to have found a treatment program when she was pregnant. Fresh Start Recovery Center was instrumental in the healthy birth of her daughter, Rilynn.
Now, Katelyn says the competitive and confident girl she remembers in high school is making a comeback.
“I want to go back to college and study psychology or social work to help others who are in the same situation I found myself in,” she explains. “I’m doing this for myself and for my children. They deserve the best of me and I want to show them nothing can hold them back.”
Today, Katelyn is living a drug free life and raising her children.
“The competitive and confident girl I remember from high school is making a comeback. My children deserved the best of me and I want to show them nothing can hold them back.”
You can give hope and support.
Will you help mothers like Katelyn?