Jamie will graduate on March 18th from the year-long Adult & Teen Challenge Ohio Valley program and plans to stay with the organization as an intern.
“I just thought it would be a good direction for my life to give me a little more of stability for a little bit longer and continue to grow my relationship with God,” Jamie, 40, a Central Ohio native, said.
Just before coming to ATCOV last March, Jamie was in the hospital and on life support, her brain swollen and bleeding. Shortly after she arrived at ATCOV, Jamie’s liver failed and she went to the hospital again.
Today she’s healed from both of those ailments and looking forward to her future as she continues to grow and strengthen her relationship with God.
“I’m really excited,” Jamie said. “I’m really humbled that I had this opportunity and that I’ve grown so much in the past year. I never imagined that I would be here today after how bad my addiction got.” Jamie struggled with opiates for about 18 years.
She said the best part of completing the program is the support she received. “Just having all of the people surrounding us all the time that pour into us and love us unconditionally,” she said. “I went from just believing in God to now, my life revolves around serving him and serving others that are struggling.”
Jamie recommends ATCOV to anyone who’s battling addiction. “I would tell them to take the opportunity while they have it and that the freedom in Christ is an experience they’ve never known and there’s nothing that can beat that feeling,” Jamie said. “Nothing in the world can replace that. God is a whole different experience.”
