Marisol’s Story

I’m originally from Panama, Central America. When my parents divorced, everything changed overnight. One day I was home, and the next I was on an airplane with my mother, heading to the United States. That’s where the feeling of abandonment first hit me. I kept wondering, When will I ever see my dad again?

Coming to this country without knowing the language or the culture was terrifying. I didn’t have friends, I didn’t understand anyone, and I felt completely out of place. So when kids at school welcomed me—even if it was through partying and using—I joined in. At least it felt like belonging. Looking back, I know now that I was searching for a father, for security, for anything that would fill the emptiness I carried.

As I grew older and became a mother of four, my self-worth faded even more. Every time abandonment crept up or loneliness hit, I got high. When I couldn’t afford drugs, I sold them. My whole world became the lifestyle of addiction. Most days I didn’t even know what time it was—sometimes not even what day it was. And worst of all, I didn’t know how my own children were doing. Addiction steals everything slowly… until suddenly, everything is gone.

When I got arrested, my life hit the ground hard. Sitting in prison, I hit bottom in every possible way. I even signed off my parental rights. That was the darkest moment of my life.

But God wasn’t done with me. Teen Challenge came to the prison, and something in my spirit woke up. When I walked through the doors of Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge for the first time, what struck me most was their love—unfamiliar, unconditional, unwavering. They didn’t hold my hand, but they had my back. Every day I learned new ways of thinking, new tools, new hope. After 25 years of addiction, I finally began to heal from the abandonment, depression, and isolation that had ruled my life.

Teen Challenge restored my identity—and it restored my family. Today, I have a relationship with my children again. I’m now a recovery coach with Teen Challenge, helping other women change their lives the way mine was changed.

I’m sober. I’m free. And because of Teen Challenge—and the people who support it—I finally know who I am.