A Full Circle of Hope

One Mother’s Journey Through Darkness into Light with Family Alliance of Paulding

On June 9, 2018, a mother’s world shattered as her four children were taken into foster care following years of meth addiction, domestic violence, and profound trauma. After she and her newborn tested positive for methamphetamine at delivery, the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) acted immediately. Alone, broken, and unsure of how to rebuild the wreckage of her life, she took her first step toward recovery by entering court-ordered residential treatment just weeks later.

During that pivotal time, Family Alliance of Paulding became a lifeline. She was granted supervised visitation with her children every Thursday afternoon at the Family Alliance Visitation Center. “I lived for those visits,” she recalls. “My kids were always so happy to see me, no matter what we had been through. That love kept me going through my darkest days.”

Six months of intensive residential treatment later, she achieved what once seemed impossible—full custody of her children on December 12, 2018. But the road ahead remained full of challenges. With little to no support, overwhelmed and isolated, she reconnected with her estranged, alcoholic husband. That decision soon spiraled into another relapse and further domestic violence. On June 2, 2019, after a traumatic incident involving physical abuse and pepper spray, DFCS once again removed the children from her care.

Even in the face of this second heartbreak, she didn’t give up.

She reentered residential treatment, determined to reclaim her sobriety and her children. Once again, she turned to Family Alliance of Paulding for visitation—and this time, something deeper blossomed. “The staff remembered us. They welcomed us with love and without judgment,” she says. “They were some of the first people in my life who made me feel worthy again.”

With their support, she not only maintained her sobriety through 9 months of treatment and ongoing aftercare but also built back her confidence. Through parenting classes, life skills support, and genuine care, Family Alliance helped her rediscover her strength. By September 2020, she had her own apartment in Douglasville and regained custody of her children.

But the story doesn’t end there—it comes full circle.

In late 2020, she became pregnant with her fifth child and began searching for employment that would allow her to be present for her growing family. Still connected with the team at Family Alliance, she leaned into her support network. Then, in December 2021, Family Alliance of Paulding offered her a job—not just any job, but a chance to give back at the very place that helped her reclaim her life.

Today, she’s proudly been employed at Family Alliance of Paulding for three years, serving mothers and families walking the same hard road she once traveled. She brings not just experience, but empathy, compassion, and hope to every life she touches.

“I get to show up every day for people like me—people who think they’ve lost it all. And I get to tell them, with truth in my voice: You can come back from anything. I did.”