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 Dear Heartland Family Service,
I would like to share my story of desperation and hope. I am a single mother, raising a teenage boy. When school started last year my son Terry had just returned from Oklahoma and most of the “good” kids were playing sports. This left Terry to hang with the “not so good” kids. I noticed a huge change in his personality. He was very moody, angry and had yelled at me a few times that he was going to kill himself. He lost interest in his horses; he lost his job and had no motivation. He was sleeping a lot and being very disrespectful at school and home. I found drug paraphernalia in his room and car. The town police were constantly watching him.
My son was screaming for help and I knew it. I began following Terry’s every move. I got to the point that I actually knocked on the door of the town Meth dealer and threatened him to stay away from my son. I felt crazy and paranoid. I didn’t know where to turn for help.
I finally decided to ask a juvenile court probation officer for advice, and she recommended Heartland Family Service Youth Substance Abuse program. She said most are court-ordered, but we could go voluntarily. We were assigned to Sara McVey. Terry immediately adapted to her and respected her. He went to group twice a week and I saw her individually twice a month. He told me she was a no-nonsense counselor and “. . . don’t jack with her.” He really respected her and how she handled the kids in his group.
Soon Sara confirmed that Terry had been drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and had done Methamphetamine. But she explained to him how using one drug would lead to using another. She turned the light bulb on in his head and he couldn’t turn it off. Over time he started changing back to the kid I used to know. In less than a year in group I had my son back.
Well, we made it to summer and Terry left for Oklahoma this Memorial Day weekend. He told me when he comes back I will see a changed person. I sent Sara flowers to thank her for a hard year. What I really want to say to her is she saved my son. I had NO ONE to turn to. Not a husband, not my parents, not anyone. If Sara hadn’t been there for me, I would have lost a son. Now I want to tell others there is hope. Sometimes when a child acts out, he is reaching for help. Listen to him.”
We recently received this letter from the mother of a 17-year old boy in our Youth Substance Abuse Treatment Program. She sent it with a bouquet of flowers to her son’s substance abuse counselor. She gave us permission to shorten it and reproduce it.
(Note: Please understand that our client’s stories are deeply personal. The names and photos have been changed to protect their identity.)
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