Christine's Story

Published June 15, 2009 @ 08:42AM PT

Christine grew up watching her mom get high. She witnessed brutal beatings from boyfriends. And she watched as, time and time again, her mother returned to abusive relationships and a drug-addicted lifestyle.

It didn’t take long to begin following in her mother’s footsteps … Christine dropped out of school in seventh grade and, shortly after, turned to drugs.

At 19, she became pregnant by her drug-addicted boyfriend.

 Though six months clean by then, Christine had serious doubts about the life her baby would have. She soon realized she was on her own; her entire household was high, and she needed help.

She found it at CHS’ Transitions Home, a residential program serving teen mothers and their babies. For the first time in her life, Christine felt safe sleeping at night. While the rules were tough to get used to – it’s the first time she ever had any – she followed them, determined to make something of herself.

“I didn’t want him to grow up the way I did,” Christine says of her son, Camdyn. “As long as I’m his mom, nothing bad is ever going to happen to him.”

During her time with CHS, Christine earned her GED, secured a job, began college, received her driver’s license and bought a car, and completed the necessary steps to move into her own apartment with Camdyn. “I’ve accomplished more here in two years than I have in my entire life,” she says. She’s scared to even think of where she and Camdyn would be without CHS.

While her days are far from easy, Christine dreams of one day traveling the world with her son. For now, she juggles school, work, chores and spending quality time with Camdyn.

Christine credits CHS for teaching her how to be the mom her son deserves – from handling finances and understanding her legal rights to burping her baby and knowing what to do when he cries. 

Aspiring to build a better life for her family, Christine hopes to earn a master’s degree in social work and possibly become a therapist. Led by determination and ambition, she knows she can help other young women, just as CHS helped her.