Success – A family reunited: Delina’s Testimony
I am sharing my testimony with the hope and honesty that my story may help another loved person who is currently struggling with some of the same situations that were once my reality.
Before I got sober, I was deep in active addiction. I was not trying to get sober, and I wasn’t even seriously considering it.
I was looking for “units” to get me through one more day. I would look at the end of the bottle and feel the devastation of knowing that soon I would be downtown, panhandling and doing whatever I thought I needed to do just to make it through another day.
I also knew that when the “unit” was gone or the bottle was empty, I would feel worse than when I started.
I dreaded laying my head down at night—wherever I happened to end up—because I knew I would feel even emptier than I had when the day began.
It was another day gone.
Another day marked on the calendar.
Another day without my beautiful daughter.
Another day my baby girl had to face without “Mommy.”
I kept telling myself, “One day I’ll sober up. One day I’ll pull it together. One day I’ll sign up for treatment.”
One day.
That was the one dream and the small ray of hope I still had left.
Then, in 2024, everything got bigger. I was charged with a felony—Assault in the Third Degree involving a deadly weapon. I thought my life was ruined.
But somewhere in that moment, I realized something important:
If I didn’t change my life, I might never see my baby girl again.
It took everything in me to make that first appointment for an assessment.
I reached out to my lawyer and was completely honest about where I was in my life. I told him I needed help. My daughter had been in foster care for more than two years, and I knew that if I ever wanted her back, something had to change.
At the time, recovery felt impossible.
But I held onto the dream of getting my daughter back.
After being released from jail, I was placed on probation and required to remain sober from alcohol. Even then, I was still heavily addicted to other substances.
Three months later, I found out I was pregnant.
That was another turning point.
I knew I needed to stay sober, and I finally understood that I needed more help than I could give myself.
I contacted Child Protective Services and told them that I was ready. I was ready to start taking urine analysis tests. I was ready to start doing whatever I needed to do to work toward reunification with my daughter. I told them I was pregnant and needed help staying sober.
I asked them to hold me accountable.
It was also during this time that I realized I needed to leave the environment where I had been staying. I was grateful to the people who had helped me, but I knew I needed to be somewhere that supported sobriety.
That is when I applied to St. Vincent de Paul’s Family Shelter.
I had heard good things about the program. I heard that it provided a sober living environment, and that was exactly what I needed.
Then the phone rang.
I was accepted.
I had my own space at St. Vincent’s and finally had a safe, sober environment where I could begin rebuilding my life.
I was passing my UAs for CPS and participating in a treatment program that my lawyer had helped me connect with.
St. Vincent de Paul provided so many resources and so much support.
People offered rides to appointments. Staff gave me reminders, checked in with my treatment program to make sure I was staying in compliance, and encouraged me when I was doing well.
St. Vincent’s also met with me every week to make sure I was completing housing applications. I didn’t even have to leave the building to do it, the support was right there in the office.
Eight months after I entered the program, St. Vincent de Paul helped me move into my own apartment.
Meanwhile, treatment helped me stay sober, grounded, and accountable. It wasn’t always easy, and yes, the program was strict—but it helped me move closer to what mattered most to me:
Reunification with my daughter.
Then, about six months into my pregnancy, my phone rang.
It was CPS.
They told me they could see how hard I had been working.
They told me they believed I was ready for my daughter to come home.
I cried.
I jumped up and down.
I could hardly believe it.
Then came October 25, four days after my birthday.
There was a knock on my door.
And there she was.
My baby girl was finally home.
No one could stop us now.
This is only a short version of my story.
Today, I am still sober.
I am now a manager at my job. I have my own apartment. I have an F-150 truck. I am getting close to graduating from my treatment program, and I am truly honored and humbled to be able to say:
I am happily sober.
I am incredibly grateful.
If you are struggling, please reach out.
There are people and organizations willing to help. JAMHI has wonderful resources, and St. Vincent de Paul helped give me the stability, accountability, and support I needed while I rebuilt my life.
Recovery did not happen overnight.
There were hard days.
There were consequences.
There were moments when I didn’t believe I could do it.
But I kept going.
If my story reaches someone who feels like I once did, I want you to know this:
You are loved.
Never stop trying.
With all the love and respect,
Delina Johnson-Sims