Jill came to us at a time of fragility and grew to build a foundation of family, stability, and hope for the future. Here is Jill’s story of hope.
“I was raised by two very frugal parents with one brother. My parents divorced when I was 5 years old. I witnessed two hard-working parents my entire childhood. My father worked his way up from mail room to high-end medical salesman, working nights while I was a baby so that he could finish school with a bachelor’s degree in business. My mother never finished school and as a result, has been working as an executive assistant at an investment company for the past 20 years. She is happy but lived paycheck to paycheck for the majority of my young life.
When I was a teenager, I fell into a pattern of people pleasing which, for me, meant smoking weed and drinking so that people would think I was cool. When I was 19, I became pregnant with my oldest son, Aidan. His father and I married out of obligation and had a very rocky relationship which led to verbal and emotional abuse and, subsequently, substance abuse. I began using heavily to numb out the pain. We had another child, Owen, 3 years later, and our relationship crumbled after.
In 2012, I found myself in a substance abuse program, trying to turn my life around. It was then that I was led to God and to Narcotics Anonymous. As a direct result of my actions while in active addiction, I was homeless. My home was in foreclosure, I was living at my parents’ house again. I wanted a better life for myself and for my boys. I had not made drastic life changes for everything to stay the same and to be stuck in the same cycle of hopelessness and helplessness. I was no longer either of those things.
I was introduced to Hillcrest Hope by a dear friend who was, at the time, also a single mother and had similar issues as myself. She had successfully completed the program. She told me how she was able to change her life and her circumstances to better her and her daughter’s future. It didn’t take much convincing to apply for the program and once I was accepted, I was terrified. What a huge change for my little family, with so many possibilities.
The fear subsided as I was taught basic life skills, budgeting, time management, and community living. I was taught accountability, personal responsibility, living within my means, good money saving habits and, ultimately, self-love. I have seen how Hillcrest Hope has changed the lives of those people around me who have also successfully completed the program, for myself and for those who are currently going through it. I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to grow and learn in a loving environment where people build each other up and who are incredibly supportive.
Today, I am married to a loving, caring, kind man and have added 2 more additions to our family: my husband’s sweet 6 year old son, Kobi, and our 1 year old daughter, Truly. We are utilizing the skills I learned during my time at Hillcrest Hope to save money to buy our first home together. I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude to Hillcrest Hope for all of the opportunities the program has afforded me. I will continue to tell my story to provide hope and help to anyone else who is in need of a fresh start.”