Shea McGee

On October 31st, I’ll celebrate 11 years free from heroin, something I once couldn’t even imagine. I started using drugs at a young age, long before I ever really knew who I was or how to handle life. By the time I reached adulthood, addiction had taken everything from me. Before recovery, my life was chaotic. I was homeless, jumping from couch to couch, stealing from family, and losing every bit of trust and love I had left. I had completely lost myself. I had hurt people I loved and completely lost myself in the process. I remember feeling hopeless, convinced that this was all life would ever be for me.

When I finally got into the MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) program, I was at rock bottom with nothing but a small spark of hope. Those first four years on methadone were full of ups and downs. I stumbled, I relapsed, and I questioned if I could really do this. But I kept fighting. I’m forever thankful for Joy and my ex-husband's family, who opened their home to me when we had nowhere to go. The MAT program gave me the stability to start facing my demons, to work through the mental health struggles I didn’t even understand back then, and to finally start growing into the woman I was meant to be.

Today, my life is proof that recovery is possible. I’ve been off of methadone since December 3rd, 2017, and I’ve built a life I’m proud of. I’m a wife to a wonderful husband, a mom to a beautiful two-year-old boy, and an Operations Instructor at the Food Bank of Delaware, where I get to help others rebuild their confidence and discover that they are capable of more than their past. Recovery didn’t come easy; it came with hard lessons, tears, and setbacks, but every one of those moments shaped me into who I am today. I’m living proof that you can start over, no matter how far gone you think you are.