Eddie loved his mom – so much so that he moved across the country and into her home to help take care of her. He had struggled with alcohol in the past, but he was trying to leave that behind.

While Eddie was away for a few days, his sister made a decision that would change his life forever. She moved their mom into a nursing home, cleaned out the apartment where they were living and left Eddie with nothing.

Tyler wanted his old life back — but for the past few years, he’d felt trapped by mental illness. It all started shortly after he graduated from college back in 2002. He was coaching basketball and looking into a career in the mortgage industry. When he was invited to go on a mission trip to Haiti, he gladly volunteered, but sadly, that was the beginning of his journey with mental health issues.

When she was young, difficulties at home led Destiny to turn to food for comfort. Binge eating became an addiction that plagued her for years. 

As she entered adulthood, finding a job proved challenging, if not impossible. Employers tended to overlook Destiny due to her disabilities, which were yet undiagnosed and left her confined to a wheelchair. “I had no confidence, and just felt worthless,” she says.

Trauma and grief marked David’s childhood. His father died when David was just 5 years old. Then, David was a victim of abuse and molestation by a family member. The trauma left him with a lot of anger, and he turned to drugs to cope with the pain. 

David’s subsequent struggle with addiction was a rollercoaster. It led him to homelessness and legal trouble, as well as to periods of recovery and healing through his relationship with the Lord. Yet the good times only lasted so long. 

When Brianna was 8 years old, she found her stepfather dead. Her childhood hadn’t been easy before that. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Brianna and her siblings spent time in foster care.

But her stepfather’s death was a trauma Brianna couldn’t get past. As she got older, she tried using drugs to push it to the back of her mind. She stopped going to school regularly, and she experienced homelessness.