Hope, Recovery, and Wellness Together
At St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, you’ll receive compassionate, personalized care designed to inspire change and strengthen your emotional, physical, and spiritual resilience.
Meet Althea
My name is Althea, I’m 37 years old, and I now have 5 months of continued recovery from drugs and alcohol. A few months ago, I found myself broke, homeless, and addicted. I had been in-and-out of more rehabs than I could count. Finding and using drugs had taken priority over my health and my family, including my child. One day, I was at the train station where I had been living and just felt so hopeless. As I stood in that train station in my tattered clothes, feeling sick, broken, hungry, and in tears, I decided it was time to surrender to a new way of life. I looked down at my phone and knew who I needed to call.
I had been to St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in 2009 after being charged with my first DUI. Since then, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation had been there for me, even as I continued to struggle in active addiction. The day that I called St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, I wanted so desperately to find my way back to a life worth living. I spent three months in inpatient rehab, and it was exactly what I needed. I discovered that I’m much stronger than I thought I was. St. Luke’s Penn Foundation supported me through my criminal and civil legal issues as well as provided help with making appointments and learning how to take care of myself.
I’ve also become willing to make amends in all aspects of my life. I do this by being of service to others; for example, helping put together information folders that St. Luke’s Penn Foundation provides to educate youth about addiction, making anti-stigma and recovery buttons for the St. Luke’s Penn Foundation community outreach team, and even sharing my story to help raise awareness about mental illness and addiction. I’m also beginning to get involved with the Alumni Fellowship group. I currently live at the Village of Hope, a residential program of St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, and I wake up every morning with a sense of hope. Every day, I take big and small steps to improve my life and be the person I’ve always wanted to be. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I am excited for the possibilities that lie ahead.
