Aimee* was born into a family of abusive alcoholics. By the time she was 6, her mother’s boyfriend was molesting her on a regular basis. She didn’t know what to do. All she knew was that she needed to protect her little sister.
To keep her sister from being touched, Aimee remained silent and let the abuse continue.
After five years, Aimee couldn’t stand it anymore. When she told her mother about the abuse, her mother immediately took the girls and left.
Broken and angry, Aimee began looking for ways to numb her pain. By the time she was 14, she was partying with boys twice her age. She was pregnant by the time she was 17.
“My addiction grew and grew, and it seemed totally normal,” she says. “I didn’t really even know that people lived sober lives until I met my boyfriend.”
Aimee was able to find sobriety for a while, but she relapsed and became homeless. She heard about Shepherd’s Gate and called for help. Her boyfriend helped her get clean enough to enter the program, and Aimee and her kids moved to Shepherd’s Gate. It was right around Christmas time.
A Life-Changing Christmas
“That first Christmas was such a blessing to me and my kids,” Aimee remembers. “I felt really safe. It wasn’t so much about the gifts — it was about the encouragement.”
That’s when Aimee knew she would make it.
“It’s just so amazing to know that there are people out there who care about me. The people who gave, they saved my life. They saved my kids’ lives. I’m so grateful to be here at Shepherd’s Gate!”
Thank you for rescuing women like Aimee!
*Name changed to protect privacy.