Sarah

Sarah was a key speaker at the Vista Hill 16th Annual Fashion Show on May 8, 2007

As a result of Sarah’s drug and alcohol abuse, she lost her family and thought her life was ruined. She made the decision to change her life on August 5, 2004. She was terrified when she walked in the door at Vista Hill’s ParentCare Family Recovery Program, she didn’t know what was going to happen, but she also knew anything was better than her life at that moment.

Sarah is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and her family comes from a reservation in Tucson, Arizona and from the villages in Sonora, Mexico. She grew up in Alpine and El Cajon.

She began using and selling Methamphetamine ("crystal"). She says she never admitted that she had a drug problem. She lost her job as a Tribal Programs Manager, a three-bedroom house, and her son. At that point she still didn’t admit she had a drug problem. She lived from house to house and kept promising her son that she was getting them into a new house and that she would be back for him soon. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. She didn’t even know what day it was. She was just a lost soul searching through life without any purpose or direction. She even missed her son’s fourth birthday because she thought it was a Friday, when it was really Saturday. She had no ability or ambition to stop. She walked around homeless with her boyfriend and stole whatever they needed. Sarah described herself as an absolute sponge on society. She was not herself at all.

Two years later she said she was so sick of being sick and tired that she started to look up different recovery programs in the yellow pages. She called around and asked different programs how they thought they could help her and what specialized services they offered. No one offered what ParentCare did. She said when she called ParentCare she knew there was a chance for her to find herself again.

ParentCare offered Sarah and others intensive educational and group programs as well as parenting classes and lessons in self-esteem. She said she made supportive friends and a found a new way of life.

Presenting at the Vista Hill Fashion Show on May 8, 2007 Sarah said, "I love my life today. I got my wonderful son, Mateo back. I got my car back, my house back, my family back, and most importantly, I got myself back. Sounds like the reverse of a country song, doesn’t it? Well, recovery is! I live a life of recovery and do what I can to help others who need guidance and support".