A Road Forward: Help Me Keep Building the Life I’m Working For
My sobriety journey began on April 6, 2025. I started that journey in jail. When I was released, I went straight into treatment in Fergus Falls. I knew I needed help, and I was willing to take the next step.
After about 45 days, I hit a plateau. I could have left treatment, but I chose to keep going. I moved to Lake Place, a longer-term treatment program in Bovey, because I wanted to give recovery a real chance. I arrived on October 31, 2025, and stayed until February 23, 2026. During that time, I began finding a sense of purpose and direction. I graduated knowing I wanted to build a life rooted in recovery, education, and service to others.
On February 23, I moved into sober housing in St. Paul and began intensive outpatient treatment in Maplewood. I stayed with that work until I graduated on September 28. I’ve now stepped down to the program’s lowest level of outpatient care, where I’ll continue working on my recovery while I prepare for what comes next.
That next step is StepUP at Augsburg University. It’s a recovery-focused community with shared apartments designed to help students maintain sobriety while pursuing their education. My counselor still needs to submit my discharge summary and a letter of recommendation, and I’m waiting for the program’s decision. If I’m accepted, I expect to move in around January. StepUP would give me a chance to keep growing in recovery while staying focused on school and the future I’m building.
I’m currently studying paralegal studies at North Hennepin Community College. At the midpoint of my first semester, I have A’s in all four of my classes. I’m proud of that—not because the road has been easy, but because I’ve kept showing up and doing the work.
Getting to school by bus takes four buses and about two hours each way. That’s roughly four hours of travel on a school day, before class, studying, treatment, and everything else that recovery and college require. A dependable vehicle would give me time back and make it easier to keep attending class, stay connected to my recovery supports, and follow through on my education.
I’m raising $4,000 to help cover a vehicle, title transfer and registration, and six months of insurance up front. I’ve seen reliable vehicles listed around $3,000, and the rest of the goal is meant to help with the costs of getting a car legally registered and insured. I’ll keep the funds focused on those transportation expenses.
This fundraiser isn’t a shortcut. It’s a way to make the work I’m already doing more sustainable. I’ve put in the hours in treatment, continued through setbacks, graduated from programs, and made school a priority. Now I’m asking for help with one practical barrier that stands between me and more time, stability, and opportunity.
If you’re able to contribute, thank you. If you can’t donate, sharing this campaign would also mean a lot. Every bit of support helps me keep moving forward—one class, one day of recovery, and one mile at a time.
