From the time she was small through her adult years, Donna faced unthinkable trials and tragedy. Failed attempts to turn her life around proved that only Jesus could heal the deep wounds inside her heart. This is her story …
A Broken Past: Trauma & Addiction
I went through a lot as a child. I was molested by a cousin for about three years, beginning when I was 6 years old. At the age of 9, I testified against this person in court and they went to prison.
When I was 13 years old, I started shooting up drugs with my aunt. For the better part of my young adulthood, I stayed high to cope with my childhood trauma. I got pregnant with my first daughter when I was 14 years old and had five kids by the time I was 20.
When I was 18, I had twins who were born with Down syndrome and Pfeiffer syndrome. One of them also had a hole in her heart, and she passed away during surgery when she was 18 months old. The other baby was always very sick, and she passed at the age of 3. After this, I dove head-first into my addiction and left my other children to be raised by their grandparents.
For about five years, I was in a relationship with a man 30 years older than me. We stayed high all the time. One night, after I shot him up, he took about four steps before falling over. I laughed at first because I just thought he was high, but when I turned him over, there was blood coming out of his mouth. I called 911 and started CPR, but he was pronounced dead when the paramedics arrived.
For the next three weeks, I waited for the coroner’s report, believing I was responsible for his death and expecting to go to prison. The cause of death turned out to be a brain aneurysm, but they did find pills on him. The police charged me with possession, and I went to jail for 10 months, waiting for a rehab bed to open.
Rehab & Relapse
When I finally got into rehab, things started turning around. I graduated from the program and served 24 months of drug court, never failing a drug test. I got my GED and scored so high that I received a 2-year college scholarship. I completed those two years of school and stayed clean for 13 years.
Then I met a guy and started getting high again. About two years ago, I admitted myself to two different rehab programs and left both of them within a week. My brother shot himself, and once again, I turned to drugs to numb the pain.
Rehab & Redemption
In March 2023, my house burned down with everything I owned inside of it. My then-boyfriend accused my neighbor of starting the fire, so my neighbor shot him twice in the chest right in front of me. I rushed him to the hospital, where police arrested me for warrants I had for previously failing to appear in court. I stayed in jail for 40 days and was about to go to court when I told my mom I wanted to go to rehab. She got in touch with a staff member at 7 Springs Ministries and two days later I entered the Esther House recovery program.
When I was in jail I had written a prayer that said, “God, I surrender my life over to you. I will do anything you want if you will lead and guide me, but I am only human and I will make mistakes.” Since that prayer, I have had a peace inside me that I can not explain.
During my time in the program, I have kept a prayer journal. People have said I have favor with God because He always answers my prayers. I also made a bucket list when I got to 7 Springs, and I have experienced everything on that list including having all my teeth fixed, a manager position, and attending a Christian concert. I believe I have received all these things because my faith has always remained so strong. I had a dream one night that I would minister to women in rehab, and now I am doing that every day.
7 Springs has changed my life completely and has opened up doors for me I could have never imagined. I will graduate soon, and I have money in my savings, a career set in place and a strong relationship with God.
7 Springs provides the tools you need to succeed—you just have to trust the process. If you surrender your life to the will of God, everything else will fall into place.