Daily Herald, New Year's Day 2004 Letter to the Editor
It was the worst Christmas ever, and it was the best.
It was a Hearts of Hope Christmas.
Christmas is one of the best times of the year for families to gather together and rejoice in the spirit of the season. Being together with loved ones, especially the little ones, and those we don’t see often enough gives us a very special reward for the effort. For many of those involved in the support group called Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad” such a gathering was not possible. For families dealing with a member’s drug addiction problem a lot of the traditional celebrations of life are simply not possible. When your child’s life is infected with drug addiction everything traditional is lost.When Lea Minalga, founder of Hearts of Hope, a local non-profit support group for families coping with addiction, got a last minute call from her friend at Community Counseling Center of the Fox Valley asking for help with Christmas dinner, she welcomed the opportunity, knowing her members would pitch in and do the job. With only about a week’s notice she rallied the group and announced the plan to cook and serve Christmas dinner for nearly 300 people from area drug rehab facilities gathering at Mercy Hall in North Aurora at noon on Christmas day. There was to be a Santa to pass out gifts for the children and songs performed by a chorus of rehabilitation clients. Lea presented her core group with the proposed menu and they began checking off the items each of them would prepare and bring piping hot to the hall at precisely 11:30 a.m. Christmas morning. Several also committed to helping with the setup duties for a few hours the morning of Christmas Eve day. They all knew how important this family gathering would be, especially for those who would not be together with their own children and families, many of whom are working recovery programs in distant places, are currently incarcerated, or some who’s children lost their battle. They also knew this was the opportunity to make their Christmas bright
Judge Doyle and his wife were there with words of encouragement and a prayer to begin this not so traditional family Christmas gathering. There was literally enough food to feed an army, all of the traditional dishes of the season and an incredible number of additional items that arrived seemingly out of the blue. The children all got a turn visiting Santa up on the stage and came back to their parent’s table with a wrapped gift, and that look on their faces. A bit later the chorus did a not so traditional version of Amazing Grace and filled the hall with the spirit of the day. It seemed like everyone there joined in.
A little later the leftovers were repackaged to go back to the rehab centers, the serving tables were broken down and the Hearts of Hope volunteers went home with their hearts full of joy. Lea got home and went directly to her desk and started sending Thank You messages to all the volunteers. She didn’t have to do that of course, after all, she had given us the opportunity to share her gift of giving and to turn this Christmas full of pain and suffering into one of the most wonderful Christmas days I have ever experienced.
If you want to know more about Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad” log onto www.HeartsOfHope.Net , you’ll read about their mission, their meetings and activities, how they may be able to help you, and how you may help them.
Jim Lingle
Board of Directors
Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad”
Elgin Courier News, Thanksgiving Day
Renewing hope
Since forming, group of weary parents have made an impact on drug abuse
By Rhianna Wisniewski
STAFF WRITER
There have been five times that Lea Minalga has almost lost her son to heroin. The five overdoses when Justin's heart stopped, he was revived every time. Minalga and Justin have been battling his addiction for almost 8 years. Since he was 17, Justin has been in and out of 20 rehab centers and has been hospitalized for complications from his drug use. But despite everything, Minalga has not given up hope. In fact, Minalga has built her life around it. She is the president and founder of Hearts of Hope, "The Mom Squad," a support group for mothers and families of drug addicts and recovering addicts. She had been facing her struggle with Justin all on her own, and she realized that there was a need for a group that not only gave support to the families of those with addictions, but also offered a way to fight back.
The Hearts of Hope support group meets on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. Anywhere between 15 and 30 people show up for these meetings, sharing their stories, combat methods and prayers. Group members hold a prayer group every Monday evening, and there is a business meeting once a month, as well. But for many members, The Mom Squad message extends far beyond "the upper room" on Main Street in St. Charles where they meet. Members speak in schools, churches and other organizations. They have spoken to Congress, lobbied Springfield and have battled every day against their children's addictions. Hearts of Hope members also answer a 24-hour hot line, keep an up-to-date Web page and create a monthly newsletter. In many ways, this group has surpassed Minalga's expectations. When the group began, there weren't nearly as many members. Although there are 30 to 50 members Minalga counts regularly at meetings, Hearts of Hope has over 500 members. While approximately 80 percent of these members learn about Hearts of Hope through the Kane County Drug Court, run by 16th Circuit Court Judge James Doyle, there are others that come from all over the Chicagoland area.
Incorporated as a nonprofit organization in May 2002, The Mom Squad has helped countless numbers of parents deal with their child's addiction and has helped an unspecified number of addicts get clean. "Justin started using when he was 16 or 17," Minalga said. "The night I found out, I talked to my son. That was the beginning of the hell I entered — the first day that door opened. I became a mother lion, out to protect him at all costs." But Minalga soon learned that she couldn't protect her son from heroin, that she was powerless over the drug, a difficult idea for a mother to comprehend. while sitting around the wooden table at the Hearts of Hope meeting last month, vice president Pam Heil admitted that the hardest part of the struggle is often denying maternal instincts. "Mom's natural instincts are to run and grab them, pick them up and wipe them off, and it's so hard not to," she said.
Heil's own son, John Willis, has been clean for the past three years. He is lucky, Heil thinks, having survived through the grace of God. Indeed, faith is one of the things that got Heil through the struggle, giving her the strength to help her son stop killing himself with his drug addiction. And Willis is thankful for it, now feeling closer to his mother than ever. He sits on the couch in her new living room after spending the morning helping her move. It is a brisk fall day and there are things to move, but Heil and her son don't mind taking the time to share their story again. Willis' story resembles something you would see in a movie; so unrealistic it is hard to believe. But less than three years ago, Willis was dying from a crack addiction in the middle of a Mexican prison. "Jail saved my son's life. He'd be dead today if it weren't for that Mexican prison," Heil said. Willis did not begin experimenting with drugs until after he graduated from the Marines. He had a string of jobs, and ended up working security for a nightclub downtown. The night life and the parties drew him in, and soon the free drugs and the free girls became part of his recreational activities. "You never see the hole you are digging yourself until you are in it," Willis said.
He moved from alcohol to Ecstasy to cocaine, a progression he never really noticed. Willis considered himself a recreational user, and although he tried to only use on the weekends, he was using a lot more than he thought. After some time at the club, Willis was approached about what he thought would be a security job, protecting some celebrity. But what they really wanted him to do was transport heroin. "As he slid a large envelope of cash across the table, they said 'You can either live a rich man or die a poor one,' " Willis recalls. So Willis began smuggling. The assignments kept coming, and he kept taking them out of greed and fear. His last job found him in a conflict between his boss and another higher up, both who had different ideas about where the drugs were supposed to go. Willis was supposed to pick up "china white," the purest form of heroin, in Thailand and then fly to Guatemala via a number of stops. But when the plane landed in Mexico, he was arrested and convicted for smuggling almost 8 kilos of heroin across the world, stashed in the lining of a bag and sewn into his clothes. He was taken to a Mexican prison, where survival depended on how much money you had and who you could pay off. One of three Americans in the entire prison, Willis was placed in a cell next to a mass murderer. Drugs ran freely in the prison, people were killed for looking at someone wrong, and Willis feared for his life all the time. "It was a pretty horrible existence," he said. "You were always worried about who was going to get stabbed today." The corrupt nature of the prison, as well as Willis' hero status for trafficking, made it easy for him to obtain drugs. He became addicted to crack, a habit which almost killed him. At her son's worst point, Heil said the almost 6-foot-tall Willis weighed only 140 pounds. It was at that point that Heil realized she was helping to kill her son. Everything she brought or sent him, he would sell for drugs. The drug dealers called her all the time threatening to kill her son if she didn't pay his drug bills; so she paid. But once she saw that he was dying, that the drugs were killing him, she realized she had to stop helping. "I knew he was going to die one way or another," Heil said. "Either he was going to die from the drugs or they were going to kill him, so I took the chance that they wouldn't actually kill him. "At that point I was going to stop helping him kill himself. John would call and say, 'Well they are going to kill me, what kind of Christian are you?' " she said. But Heil said she stayed strong through prayer.
Willis said that it wasn't until Heil began practicing tough love — a concept she drills into the minds of parents at Hearts of Hope — that he really began to hit bottom. Heil was scheduled to come for a visit, and she knew her son had used, so she didn't show up. Instead she sent a note saying she wouldn't help him kill himself anymore. After five and a half years of hell, Willis was taken to a prison in Texas, where he finished the rest of his sentence and even told his story to at-risk kids to try and dissuade them from following a similar path. "The minute that I left the Mexican prison was the last time I used," he said. "You go through a lot while you're there, you think about a lot while you're there. All I ever wanted was exotic cars and fancy houses, and when I was going through all this, I thought 'all I wanted was for a wife and kids and to see my family again." Willis spent seven and a half years in prison all together, a time that remains painful for him to talk about. At 42, he feels he is just beginning a real life. He has been involved in running groups at Judge Doyle's drug court, a place full of kids he hopes are not headed on similar paths. "Seeing all these kids who could have had bright futures and they are messing up their lives like I did," he said. "I just thank God that I was able to walk out of there with all my limbs and a solid mind," he said. The power that drugs have over children is one thing that Heil tries to explain to the parents at the Mom Squad on a weekly basis. "Parents don't understand the power that they have in saying no," she said.
To this day, although Heil and Willis can talk about their experience, an overwhelmed expression comes through in Willis' eyes. This is not the first time he's shared his story, and it won't be the last. "I hate reliving it, but if it helps someone, than that's great," he said. Others have not been as lucky as Heil and Willis. Jim Lingle, the Hearts of Hope webmaster, recently put his 21-year-old son in jail for using heroin again. "He's detoxing in jail today. It's not a pretty sight," Lingle said, his voice thick with sadness. Lingle said that although he had not seen his son immediately after his arrest, his son's girlfriend said that he was down to 130 pounds, an emaciated weight for someone almost six feet tall. "I've learned that if your kid is doing serious drugs like cocaine and heroin, that you can't believe a word they say. Their whole lives are a lie," Lingle said. Lingle is a single parent and had struggled with his son's addiction alone for a few years. But he credits Minalga and Hearts of Hope with helping him through it all. Minalga, like the other moms, is still learning to say no. Justin still goes back and forth in his addiction, but Minalga has hope for him and continues to fight. "I am confident that he will overcome all of this one day and put it all behind him," she said. The struggles that Minalga, Heil and others have faced resemble the feelings and battles that thousands of other parents fight every day.
"My members are steel magnolias because they have gone through hell, but they are still gently trying to do the right thing for themselves and their families," Minalga said. Minalga hopes to offer parents and families across America what she and other Hearts of Hope members have in St. Charles and Glen Ellyn. Another support group will open in Naperville within the next few weeks, and from there Minalga plans on expanding throughout the country. Her goal is to open a Hearts of Hope in every county in the nation within five years. "There is such an epidemic here, and if we remain silent, there will be no change," Minalga said. "I think that West Nile gets more attention than us, and our kids are dying."FYI For more information on Hearts of Hope, log onto www.HeartsOfHope.Net or call Lea Mingala at (630) 327-9937. 11/27/03
Judges take drug war to Pentagon
Kane seeking federal cash:
By Gloria Carr
STAFF WRITER
Government's military arm may have some available It will be a simple, direct appeal. "This is the second front of the drug war, which is demand reduction," 16th Circuit Judge James Doyle will tell Washington, D.C. politicos. Kane County Drug Rehabilitation Court officials plan a trip to the nation's capital next week to appeal for federal funding.
Chief Judge Philip DiMarzio said meetings are scheduled with top Republican Party and Pentagon officials starting Monday. Kane County Board Chairman Mike McCoy, Associate Judge William Wier, members of the support group Hearts of Hope and consultant Vernon Wennmaker will make the trek. The goals are to find funding for the innovative, nationally recognized drug court and to open a county-run drug rehabilitation center that would serve the entire region, DiMarzio said. A possible location would be the former Illinois Youth Home in Valley View, which has been vacant since its closing last year.
"The money is the key," DiMarzio said of any future plans for a rehabilitation facility. Kane County officials will meet with James Rendon, who handles drug policy for the House majority along with a three-star general with the Pentagon. Judge Wier is a brigadier general with the National Guard who arranged the Pentagon meeting. The military has money earmarked for the anti-drug effort, he said. "We will attempt to convince them reducing demand is an integral part of the war on drugs," DiMarzio said.
Fund search priority
One of DiMarzio's top priorities since being named chief judge has been finding funding sources for the ever-expanding drug rehabilitation court. It has 500 participants to date. He said his office is doing its best to find out what funding is available. The drug rehabilitation court is severely understaffed and underfunded, the chief judge said. Wennmaker agreed. He said most existing drug courts in Illinois have 50 cases, which would make Kane County's the largest in the state. When the 16th Judicial Circuit opened the court, no one anticipated having 500 recovering addicts enrolled within a few years, Doyle said. He handles the entire court call along with a handful of probation officers and limited support staff.
DiMarzio said additional financial resources are not available at the county or state levels, thus the Washington, D.C., trip is pivotal. Kane County will face competition for federal funds, he said, but a personal appeal may benefit the county. "I think it ultimately should be very positive," said Wennmaker. "The people we are meeting with will listen to our ideas and find a way to generate some dollars to make it happen." Drug Rehabilitation Court has received numerous kudos from high-profile officials such as federal drug czar Asa Hutchinson. The court requires drug addicts to plead guilty to nonviolent charges. Offenders then are sentenced to a two-year intensive probation that includes drug tests three times a week. Anyone who fails a drug test faces jail time. Mandatory residential treatment stays are required for some defendants.
Realizing the need
DiMarzio said he wants Washington officials to realize the need for this type of drug court. For many years, addicts went through a revolving door, he said. Offenders were arrested, charged, prosecuted then sentenced to prison. Recidivism was the norm, he said. As a judge, DiMarzio said, he witnessed the tragedies caused by drug addiction. "It is the first program of its kind that has the necessary intensity coupled with treatment and immediate punishment for relapse," DiMarzio said. "It is designed to address the different stages of addiction and the different stages of recovery." He has a lot of confidence in the drug rehabilitation court based on its success stories and the personal letters he has received, DiMarzio said. The judge added, "We have a duty to do our best to address the drug problem in a more constructive way." Doyle will give the presentation next week. He said he will tell officials why he believes in Kane County's drug rehabilitation court. "It works," he said. "We are saving lives."
05/08/03
Ran in the Kane County Chronicle on Wed, Apr 16, 2003
Geneva delays hiring new officers
By BRENDA SCHORY
Kane County Chronicle
GENEVA — City officials blame a sluggish economy for the delay in hiring four police officers, including one who would address drug addiction. "We were supposed to get another officer this year, but we have been put off by budgetary constraints. The money is not there," Police Lt. Joseph Frega said. Instead of participating in the North Central Narcotics Task Force — a multi-jurisdictional group that includes the state police and Kane, DeKalb and McHenry counties — Frega said the department uses its own investigator to keep up with local drug crime. They ask for the task force's help if they need it. "They've never turned us down," Frega said.
According to the Geneva Police Department's five-year goals and objectives outlined in the 2003-04 budget proposal, officials want to hire a new officer each year for four years beginning in 2004-05. It would culminate with the hiring of the department's 40th officer in fiscal 2007-08. "The 40th sworn police officer will enable the police department to assign a patrolman to the Kane County Drug Task Force," the report states. "Participation ... will result in direct assistance to the community in addressing local drug activity, particularly heroin addiction and its impact on Geneva's crime rate." The report notes that Geneva's crime rate decreased the last four years and is at a 30-year low.
Police said that rising heroin addiction directly is related to burglaries, thefts and car break-ins. "They have a daily habit to feed that costs $40, $50, $100 a day, and they are not employed. That's a lot of crime to commit," Frega said. "There's no question there is a relationship" between heroin use and crime, City Administrator Phil Page said. "Our crime statistics have been under control. There is a plan to add one officer next year. There were other priorities that were addressed in this year's budget. We focused on intervention efforts. Our resources in a tight budget year, this would take priority, preventative efforts. "
In particular, the city put $10,000 more into the Community Intervention Program budget, administered by coordinator Chic Williams and Sgt. Joe Heinrich. Williams' cost is shared with the school district. Williams and Heinrich do drug intervention and referrals for treatment and to Judge James Doyle's drug court. Drug court involves holding off a sentence in drug cases where the person agrees to treatment and stays clean. "We also maintained officers at the middle school and high school for a number of years in the context of having a preventative influence with young people," Page said. Geneva police have referred about 20 heroin addicts to drug court or intervention treatment programs. And if they need help dealing with a situation, they can call the task force, Frega said.
A new officer's salary with benefits is about $50,000, plus $1,600 for outfitting and $3,000 for police academy training. It also takes about six months on the street for a new officer to become seasoned, Frega said. With 36 sworn officers, Geneva has the lowest police-to-citizen ratio in the county, 1.68 officers per 1,000 population. Frega said the goal is 2.2 officers per 1,000. State Police Master Sgt. James Winters, who coordinates the North Central Narcotics Task Force, said communities from the three participating counties dedicate officers full time and share resources and information. The unit was formed in 1988. Winters said the Kane County unit has officers from Aurora, Elgin St. Charles and the state police. A multi-jurisdictional task force allows police to rely on the resources of participating agencies.
"It is naive for people to think that drugs are contained in one community ... most cases are not confined to one community," Winters said. The unit targets drug sellers and dealers in any Kane community where local police request their help. "Some departments may not have the budget ability right now to assign officers, but they may assign an officer for two weeks," Winters said. "The officer can bring problems to the task force and take ideas back to the department." Last year, the unit arrested 466 people in the three counties. In Kane alone, they arrested 177 people and recovered more than 28,000 grams of marijuana and 74,000 grams of cocaine. "We are finding an increased use of heroin, especially among the 16-25 age group over the last few years," Winters said.
Geneva's proposed budget is available at city hall and online at www.geneva.il.us. A public hearing on the tentative budget is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 21.
Ran in the Kane County Chronicle on Wed, Apr 16, 2003
Father of recovering heroin addict wants to warn parents
By BRENDA SCHORY
Kane County Chronicle
GENEVA — When Jerry Seablom's youngest son was addicted to heroin, he and a friend would follow a theft route to Chicago to buy drugs.
"My son, along with a lot of other kids who live in St. Charles and Wayne, used to catch the train to Chicago to get their drugs. They had a route of Home Depots all the way," for shoplifting stops, Seablom said.
They would sell what they stole to get money to buy heroin.
"They steal your car, they steal your checkbook. They rob your neighbors, they rob the stores," Seablom said.
"Once they get addicted, it's not about getting high. It's about not getting sick. You can multiply the flu times 100 and that's what they feel with withdrawals. They're trying to avoid being sick. That is costing our community money, and it's costing us our children. This thing gets our children when they are young."
Now 26, Anthony Seablom has been in recovery for two years. His father has joined Hearts of Hope, a volunteer group that supports Kane County Drug Court. The group offers help to parents whose children are involved in drugs, works to prevent drug abuse.
Drug court holds jail time in abeyance if an addict goes through treatment, stays clean and commits no other crimes. Seablom asked the board for permission to speak to middle school parents and teachers about heroin addiction.
Seablom said he hopes to target middle school parents because the average age of first heroin use is 14.
"That's my children, your children, the children in our communities. Most people do not know their children are heroin addicts for at least two years, sometimes three," he said.
"We have a major problem right here in the Fox Valley — here in Geneva. Most people are not aware of that. Our mission is to make people aware of it."
Geneva School Superintendent Michael Jacoby referred Seablom to Chic Williams, coordinator of Geneva's Community Intervention Team. The team, financed by the school district and Geneva Police Department, helps parents whose children have drug problems, either with referrals for treatment, drug court or testing and counseling. Williams is a certified addictions counselor.
"Heroin is coming into St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Elburn," Seablom said. "The only way to stop the demand is to get to the kids before they use drugs."
As a Hearts of Hope volunteer, Seablom said he met a 20-year-old heroin addict at Branden House Substance Abuse Center, a rehabilitation facility in Manteno.
"I asked him, 'Where are you from?' He said, 'Geneva.' I asked him, 'How long you been doing heroin?' He said, 'Four years.' That means he was doing it in high school. Most of the addicts are in high school or their early 20s. Most of their interactions with drugs are in school or on the bus. You may disagree, but the truth is still the truth."
Seablom said the man told him that he knew 50 people in Geneva who use heroin.
"One of the problems we're finding in Geneva is people are denying it, saying there is no problem," Seablom said. "We are involved in the Kane County Drug Court. Two years ago, there were 200 people involved. Right now, there are 400 and 100 waiting. These are people who have committed felonies. Where do we think those people are coming from? They're our neighbors. They're coming from here — St. Charles, Geneva."
Williams said Seablom may be scheduled to speak to parents next school year.
"I'm happy to sit down with Hearts of Hope," Williams said. "Our message is, with our toxic culture, kids are very much at risk (and), and none of us are immune to that. We must all be vigilant with our children. None of us is immune."
But Williams and Geneva High School Principal Greg Fantozzi said they question Seablom's assessment of the local heroin problem.
"Generally speaking, we are no different than national averages. I think it's very hard to put a percentage on it. My feeling is there are an awful lot of clean kids here. Most kids are not going to become addicted to heroin," he said.
Still, heroin use is on the rise, Williams said.
"There are an awful lot of kids becoming involved in heroin use again. The percentage (in Geneva) would be relatively small, but it's much greater than it was," Williams said.
Fantozzi said he would need more proof of how expansive the heroin problem is in the school before he would believe it is as widespread as Seablom claims.
"Do our schools deal with students who are victims of heroin addiction?" Fantozzi asked. "Possibly. If there are those students, I believe they would be in a minority. Students experiment with other forms of controlled substances. If someone who is not a school person has that belief or perception, we need to have some kind of information or evidence supporting that statement."
If parents in Geneva suspect their child is involved with drugs or any at-risk behavior, they should call Williams at (630) 463-3083 or (630) 208-8294
Drug court impresses DEA chief
By Alicia Fabbre Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on 7/25/02
Calling it a successful tool, the nation's top drug cop promised to spread the word about Kane County's drug rehabilitation court program.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa Hutchinson Wednesday got a first hand look at Judge James Doyle's drug court program. "Judge Doyle's courtroom is certainly a national model I'd like to see duplicated both in Illinois and elsewhere in the country," Hutchinson said.
Doyle started drug court nearly two years ago after one of the repeat offenders in his courtroom died from a heroin overdose. The program combines treatment for drug addictions with enforcement, which includes drug testing three times a week and weekly visits with Doyle.
"People have to understand that we have to have treatment with enforcement -- it works," said Doyle, who is not shy about sending drug court participants to the county jail if they fail a drug test.
Hutchinson agreed.
"You have to underline the importance of accountability in a drug court program," he said. "The threat of incarceration is what makes it work … you can't eliminate that accountability and still have a successful program."
He described Kane County's drug court as a "model" program that helps in the fight against drugs.
"I think it's programs like this that send a different signal," he said. "And for that reason I'll be telling this story across the country."
That was welcome news to some of the 300 recovering addicts who have sung Doyle's praises for changing their lives.
"I think it's definitely a positive program," said Mark Klonowski, an 18-year-old recovering ecstasy addict from Geneva. "I think it would be a strength to the nation and it would help with the drug problem."
Klonowski first stepped into Doyle's drug court last December. And while he had a relapse, he has been drug-free since February. This fall, he plans to go to college as a pre-med major.
"We tried everything with him," Klonowski's mother, Lisa, said. "This is what it took to turn him around."
Klonowski's experience is similar to many others in Doyle's program. Of the 300 participants, only one could not stop using and was sentenced to the state's prison system for the crimes he committed to get drugs.
"Hopefully they will take some of this and look at developing a national model for drug court," said Judy Kreamer, president of Educating Voices, a Naperville not-for-profit group fighting to stamp out illegal drug use.
While Hutchinson has visited other drug court programs, he noted that Kane County's program is unique in that it heavily involves faith-based groups -- such as a Christian-based recovery group -- and it requires participants be in drug court for a minimum of two years.
Though Hutchinson could not promise federal funding for the program, Doyle is working with Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to get some. Hastert and county officials will continue discussions this fall, said Hastert spokesman Brad Hahn.
Despite the praises for Doyle's program, Hutchinson's visit drew some protesters who want to see marijuana and other illegal drugs legalized.
"Although drug abuse is bad, the drug war is worse," said Ceran Thomas, director of Windy City Hemp.
Her group backs the legalization of marijuana, especially for medicinal purposes. Thomas also supports legalizing other drugs, such as heroin.
She argued that legalizing drugs would reduce drug use and related crimes.
Hutchinson rebuffed critics, noting that studies have suggested that the risks associated with using marijuana outweigh the medicinal benefits. He added that all of the recovering addicts he spoke to in Doyle's courtroom started out by using marijuana before moving on to more addictive drugs.
"For people who say that marijuana is not a gateway drug, please come into a drug court program and talk to those who have been struggling with addictions," he said.
Kane's drug court key to addicts' turnaround
By Alicia Fabbre Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on 10/2/02
When Gilbert Feliciano was sitting in the Kane County jail in March of 2001, he wasn't necessarily looking for a way to kick his drug habit.
He just wanted to get out of jail and stay out of the state prison system.
So when his attorney told him Kane County's drug court program would be a chance to stay out, Feliciano jumped at the opportunity.
On Thursday, the 37-year-old will be one of 18 people graduating from the program. He stayed out of prison and got something else he didn't bargain for - a drug-free life.
"It was a blessing in disguise," said Feliciano, a former Elgin resident now living in Aurora. "Without it, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Today, Feliciano manages a pizza restaurant in Aurora. The last time he held a regular job was in 1993. He had temporary jobs in between, but back then he only worked to get high. Today, the money he earns goes toward rent, groceries and other routine living expenses.
He's been drug-free since October of 2000. Before that, he used heroin, cocaine, crack and marijuana.
When he was on drugs, he lied to his family about his drug use. His mom wouldn't even let him have a key to their Elgin house because she couldn't trust him.
Now that he's broken his 20-year addiction, he's gained the trust of his mother.
She finally gave him his first key to the house this year. "It was like telling me, 'My son is back,'" Feliciano said.
But he has a long way to go in restoring what he's lost.
The irresponsibility that came with his addiction ruined his relationship with his girlfriend and their daughter. He hasn't seen his daughter, now 6, in three years, and is contesting her adoption by her stepfather.
"Everything good in my life I took advantage of and eventually destroyed," Feliciano said. "Today, I'm accountable for everything."
And that wouldn't have happened without drug court.
"They opened their hands and said here's a new opportunity to improve your life," Feliciano said of the workers in drug court. "My life has taken a complete 180."
For the last two years, Kane County Judge James Doyle has given addicts like Feliciano a chance to kick their habits. Addicts in the program must plead guilty to the crimes they committed to support their habits and undergo treatment, drug tests three times a week and weekly visits with Doyle.
If they finish the two-year program, their records are wiped clean of those crimes.
Doyle, who works with a team of probation officers and social workers, started the program in 2000 after a familiar defendant from his courtroom died of a drug overdose. Doyle vowed then that he would find a way to help addicts.
His way is providing compassion and support for recovering addicts while enforcing the rules he lays down. He's not afraid to assist someone in getting a job or help in other ways, but if someone in the program tests positive for drugs, Doyle doesn't hesitate to throw him or her back in the county jail to think about what happened and clean up.
When one of the program participants said recently that he wanted out after testing positive for drugs, Doyle obliged and sentenced him to state prison for the home invasion and car theft charges that originally landed him in the program. Within a few weeks, that same defendant was asking for another chance - something Doyle provided.
During his routine court call, Doyle keeps an eye out for non-violent defendants who are addicts and may need help. Those who want the help usually get it - after meeting with a social worker and talking with Doyle.
Other judges also are sending addicts Doyle's way.
The program has grown to include 313 participants from across the county. One year ago, the program had 105. The enrollment grew when Doyle moved from a courtroom handling felony cases to a courtroom that handles cases like shoplifting, forgery and theft - crimes addicts often commit for money to buy their drugs.
"My theory was when I came down to this courtroom ... I believed most of (the defendants) were drug addicts," said Doyle, who routinely asks defendants in his courtroom if they use drugs. "And I believed we had to address their addictions at this court level before their addictions led them to committing the more serious robberies and burglaries."
In July, the program drew national attention when U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa Hutchinson visited Doyle's courtroom and vowed to tout the program as a model for other court systems.
Thursday will be the first time Doyle conducts a graduation ceremony for those in the program. Everyone graduating has been in the program for nearly two years.
"It's miraculous recovery by most of the people in this program," Doyle said. "We've been able to design a program for the worst drug addicts who have had the toughest addictions and changed their lives around."
Tina Zavitz is among those who have turned their lives around.
The 22-year-old St. Charles woman faced four felony charges of possession of drugs, forgery and theft - all crimes she says she committed to get money to buy heroin. She could have faced at least nine years in state prison. Once she graduates, those charges will be erased.
"I would not be able to go for any kind of career with that," Zavitz said of the charges, adding that with the program "you don't have to pay for your mistakes for the rest of your life."
Zavitz, who landed in drug court after being arrested the night of her 21st birthday, had her share of trials in the program. She used drugs once and wound up spending 30 days in the county jail. But on Thursday, she'll be delivering one of the speeches at graduation.
After nearly two years in the program, she finds she no longer spends her time wondering how she'll get money to buy the heroin for her next high. Now she's focused on her future - going to college and earning a degree.
"It's more relaxing to be clean," Zavitz said. "There's a lot more time to do things."
Zavitz plans to start college next year. First, she'll pursue a nursing career. When she's finished with that, she hopes to pursue a degree in criminal forensic psychology.
Feliciano said he plans to pursue his interest in singing. He'll make his debut at Thursday's graduation with a rendition of "God Bless America."
And while graduation is the end of the program, both Zavitz and Feliciano know it's only the beginning of their recovery.
"I know I'll never be done working on staying clean," Zavitz said, adding that graduation will provide at least some closure to a part of her life.
Feliciano agrees.
"It's a big stepping stone," he said. "But it doesn't mean it's the end of my recovery ... I think it's dangerous if we look at graduation as 'I'm done with this and it's time to go.'æ"
Feliciano says he plans to drop by to visit Doyle regularly - even though he won't be required to do so. And if the probation officers want to give him a drug test, Feliciano says, he'll comply. He hopes eventually to mentor some newer members of drug court and start a group for drug court alumni.
"This is part of my new foundation," he said.
Court: Recovery not over for addicts
Why heroin is such a dangerous drug
By Natasha Korecki Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on 11/21/02
Dr. Gregory Teas of Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Care center in Hoffman Estates specializes in dealing with heroin addiction. Here is an edited version of an interview with Teas, an addiction psychiatrist who runs the chemical dependency program at the center.
Q. Why is heroin so addictive?
A. Heroin causes a very rapid physical dependency. It only takes a few doses in order for a person to develop physical withdrawal. A lot of people like heroin because they like the way they feel. In a very short time, in sometimes less than a month, they start taking it because they're experiencing withdrawal symptoms. An example: We might admit people for heroin detox who have only been using heroin for one week. The physical withdrawal is so strong they have to be in an enclosed setting.
Q. Why is it popular now?
A. No. 1 is the purity and the cost of heroin is better now than it's been in 25 years. If you go back ten years on the streets people used to buy Mexican Brown, a brown dirty heroin. It doesn't look as attractive as the white crystalline product on the street nowadays. It's also more potent now.
Q. Why do addicts turn to needles?
A. Within six months they start using a needle. It's both a better high and it removes the withdrawal symptoms faster. (After awhile) they no longer use heroin to get high, they use it to take away the sickness they feel if they don't use it.
Q. How likely is it to come clean from heroin?
A. The recovery rates are quite low - only 10 to 15 percent of people who try to quit are successful after one year. That includes everybody from middle-aged users to teenagers to hard-core inner city addicts. The rates are probably a little bit better for teenagers.
Q. Why do addicts relapse after rehab?
A. It's very hard for young people to quit seeing their friends who they use with. They get re-exposed to the drug and at a moment when their defenses are down. Anxiety and depression follow for three to four months after getting clean. Once they leave the structured setting ... they can relapse.
The other thing is, the cornerstone of addiction is denial. People say: "I'm not so bad. I'm on top of it," so they stop going to meetings.
Q. What can be done to combat the problem?
A. In our treatment program we strongly urge heroin addicts to use Naltrexone. Heroin goes to "mu" receptors in the brain and stimulates them. Naltrexone blocks the receptors. If you take it once a day, every day, you cannot get high on heroin.
You have to have another person observe you take it (to avoid a relapse). People who are dependent on heroin rarely will take this drug on their own for the length of time it's required. Most experts recommend six to 12 months.
One danger of using Naltrexone: Let's say they decide they're going to use heroin. They stop the Naltrexone and it takes $80 worth of heroin to get them high. The next day, they say: "It took me $80 yesterday, so I'll buy $80 today." Then they'll accidentally overdose (because there's less Naltrexone in their system).
Q. Are there any signs an addict is headed for a relapse?
A. It's hard to tell. Patients enter a honeymoon period. They feel very positive about the support they're getting from their environment. After another month, that initial support is no longer there. They start dealing with their negative feelings. When a heroin addict has a bad day they immediately think: "I want to change/alter my feelings." The fastest way to do that is to get high.
Q. Is there something we can do to step in?
A. There are several things that work for heroin addiction. Taking Naltrexone with supervision while attending recovery support groups is one.
(Another is) completely changing your social behavior. You stop any association with old drug-using people. Sometimes that means staying busy like getting a job, filling your time. The other is methadone (which Teas does not recommend at his center). It is for people who failed at rehab on at least two occasions. It's a controlled addiction. It's fairly cheap, it's pure. You're not going to get HIV or Hepatits C from it.
Q. How difficult is it to shake the methadone addiction?
A. Methadone is a very hard drug to come off. It's harder than heroin because the withdrawal lasts longer. The withdrawal from heroin is most intense for three to five days. Methadone is five to 10 days.
Q. Is there anything else on the market that can help?
A. Buprenorphine. It's newly approved. The withdrawal is milder, if you take too much of it, it doesn't shut off your breathing, which is what happens with too much methadone. The drug companies haven't released it yet. We think it's going to be available in one to two months. It will make that last part of the withdrawal much more tolerable.
A lot of the heroin addicts tend to know one another and the word spreads quickly. This will be spreading like wildfire once it comes out.
Why 'hidden scourge' continues to kill in suburbs
By Madeleine Doubek Daily Herald Projects Editor
Posted on 1/15/03
A year after a special report revealed a "hidden scourge" of heroin and club drugs was killing young people at an alarming rate, a follow-up study by the Daily Herald shows the deaths continued unabated in 2002.
At least 30 Northwest and West suburban teens and young adults died last year from drug overdoses, the newspaper found.
More teens and young adults seem to be succumbing to the dangers of inexpensive, high-grade heroin. A majority of those who died were reported to have ingested heroin and overdosed on it. Heroin's purity is so high now that it can be snorted, misleading some users to think it less lethal.
Some of those who died had a toxic mix of heroin, other opiates, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol or other drugs in their systems when they died, according to coroners' autopsies, police reports and interviews with family and friends. One 17-year-old Arlington Heights boy died after inhaling lighter fluid.
A thorough tracking and tracing of teen and young adult deaths by the newspaper throughout 2002 confirmed the trend it first revealed in late December 2001.
Use on the upswing
Then, a conservative and limited search through two years' worth of records and newspaper accounts uncovered 13 drug-related deaths. Four involved club drugs, eight involved heroin and one young adult had both club drugs and heroin in his system when he died. Throughout 2002, reporters and editors regularly checked coroners' reports and obituaries in an ongoing effort to better quantify the extent of the problem.
In just that one year, at least 30 deaths were confirmed to have been caused, in whole or part, by drugs or other illegal substances. Toxicology reports still were not complete in another handful of deaths in which drug abuse is suspected.
"It's kind of scary," DuPage County Coroner Richard Ballinger said when told about the number of drug-related deaths last year. "Are we making any inroads? You wonder sometimes. It's difficult, but you can't stop trying."
No deaths caused in whole or part by club drugs were uncovered in 2002. Still, they remain available in the suburbs.
Early in 2002, two Schaumburg residents were rushed from a now-shuttered Des Plaines club to a hospital after they overdosed on the depressant GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate. Just last week, at an Elgin club called the Mission, a 20-year-old Palos Heights man overdosed on GHB.
Club drugs like GHB and the stimulant/hallucinogen Ecstasy have received widespread national attention in the past year. They should remain a cause for concern, one national expert said.
"Club drugs are still a very real threat, though they're not in the headlines as much," said Carol Falkowski, one of 20 drug abuse researchers nationwide who analyze information for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Young victims
The yearlong hidden scourge examination found seven of those who died were in their teens. One West Chicago man was 30. The rest were in their 20s. The study tracked only those who were 30 or younger. Four of those who died were female; the rest were male. Just under half of them lived in DuPage County.
DuPage's Ballinger said he believes the study may have missed some deaths handled by the much larger Cook County medical examiner's office. Intake logs from the Cook coroner's office were checked daily.
Phil Britton, the dean of students at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, pointed to simple economics as one reason.
"It doesn't surprise me that DuPage County has a high rate of death due to drugs. There's a lot of money here. Students have the disposable income and they spend it. Drug dealers are businessmen," Britton said.
More suburban teens and young adults are turning to heroin for a high because it is inexpensive and no longer needs to be injected, experts said. Heroin, club drugs and cocaine often are difficult to detect. They can be consumed quickly without the odor that comes with alcohol or marijuana consumption.
Many users drive to Chicago's West Side or to Aurora to buy high-purity heroin for $10 for a single-dose bag. Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine and Chicago police officials announced a crackdown last summer in which they planned to start seizing vehicles used by drug buyers.
Chicago police and prosecutors in the narcotics unit either could not be reached or did not return calls last week to check on that effort. But the street corner drug dealers who sell "blow," the current slang for heroin, and "rocks," the slang for crack cocaine, still were readily available on a recent trip to the West Side.
Researcher Falkowski said the number of heroin-related deaths in the Chicago suburbs underscores how dangerous that highly addictive drug is. In addition to her federal government drug research, Falkowski also works as research communications director at Hazelden Foundation, an international addiction treatment provider in Minnesota.
"Even experienced addicts can overdose," she said. "You can't tell how strong it is by looking at it."
Plano, Texas, garnered national media attention when heroin overdoses killed 19 young adults from 1996 to 1998. The 30 deaths in one year from heroin and other hard-core drugs far surpasses the Plano crisis.
The national Monitoring the Future survey of 44,000 high school students released late last month suggested Ecstasy use declined for the first time and heroin use remained steady for 2002, but one treatment expert said heroin use clearly is on the rise in Chicago's suburbs.
Suzanne Walker, adolescent program director at Rush Behavioral Health Lake Forest Hospital, said she is certain from her own intake numbers and from speaking with colleagues that heroin usage in the suburbs has "picked up."
Walker said the increase is in part driven by the fact that heroin is cheaper to buy than club drugs or pot.
Parents and other officials still struggle to find solutions to the self-destructive drug abuse problem.
"You can pass all the laws you want and it won't make a bit of difference," Ballinger said. "I don't have the answer but all we can do to get the message out and reduce the fatalities is through education. The first thing you do with young kids is break down this notion that it's not going to happen to me."
Losses hit hard
Time and time again, members of suburban families learned last year that it had happened to them. They were left bereft by the sudden death of a teen or young adult. Many said they were too ashamed or overcome with grief to share the stories and pictures of their loved ones whose lives' were lost.
But others were willing to reach out. A support group for families struggling with addiction began in Palatine last summer. Another group for recovering addicts done with treatment but struggling to remain clean was formed at Rush Behavioral Health Lake Forest Hospital, Walker said.
A drug court in Kane County that focuses on intensive rehabilitation graduated its first class. A drug court in DuPage County was reinstated.
A spike in heroin use and crime first was uncovered in west suburban St. Charles several years ago. St. Charles police investigated nine drug-related overdoses in 2001, two of which were fatal. Officers created a list of 85 known heroin addicts in their community and surrounding towns who often were committing thefts and burglaries to fuel their drug buys.
Last year, police Chief Don Shaw instituted most of a 10-step plan to try to fight the drug scourge. It included assigning two officers to focus on drug cases, freshman health class presentations on heroin and club drugs, drug-sniffing dog patrols in the high school and drug education talks with parents of fifth graders.
"We still know kids are using drugs," Shaw said. "The heroin is still out there. We're starting to displace out of town some of those issues, some of those offenders. It may sound selfish - it's protecting our community, which is my job."
Shaw and several other experts, though, noted parents remain the first line of defense against drug abuse.
"What it's all about are families," he said.
Walker said parents must stop ignoring early drug experimentation. "Parents turn the other eye with marijuana use and then it turns to heroin and it's too late," she said.
Ballinger, the DuPage coroner, said parents must try harder to spend more time with their children and to make sure their time outside of school is filled with positive activity.
"Drugs are more accessible and their effects more unpredictable than ever before," Falkowski said. "Having a talk with your kids isn't a one-time event. It's a process and parents should trust their instincts if they believe drugs or alcohol are involved and quickly get their kids to a professional."
• Coming Thursday: A look at some success stories in the battle against the "hidden scourge."
Drugs: Expert calls on parents not to ignore early experimentation
Treatment options dwindling for families hit by 'hidden scourge'
By Madeleine Doubek Daily Herald Projects Editor
Posted on 1/16/03
Despite a rise in the numbers of drug-addicted teens and young adults in the Northwest and West suburbs, the number of treatment facilities available to help them is shrinking.
A bad economy, insurance coverage restrictions and some parents' reluctance to admit they need often costly professional help with a child's problem all are factors driving the shrinking numbers of treatment centers, addictions experts said.
Hazelden Chicago shut down adolescent outpatient recovery facilities in Lombard and Deerfield in last August citing economic factors. Hazelden still conducts evaluations of teens 14 and older at its downtown Chicago facility and refers clients to its Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth, Minn.
But Peter Palanca, regional vice president of Hazelden Chicago, said in a statement about the suburban closings last summer, "It is difficult to offer programs that meet the needs of today's youth and families solely on an outpatient basis.
"The parameters of our current managed care environment, as well as changes in the economy, dictated a consolidation of services."
Suzanne Walker, adolescent program director at Rush Behavioral Health/Lake Forest Hospital, said the numbers of intensive outpatient facilities has declined in the decade she's worked in the field.
Two of the three facilities that have employed Walker over the past 10 years no longer exist. Providers in Mundelein and Des Plaines have closed shop in that time period, she said.
"There are places that provide lower-level services in the area," she said. "There's not much intensive outpatient. Insurance isn't covering as much, and people aren't willing to pay as much."
Even non-profit providers have to break even and many parents still are reluctant to seek help for their addicted children initially, she said.
The suburbs need more residential facilities, Walker said. Currently, the main, non-hospital-based residential addiction treatment providers are Cornell Interventions facilities in Woodridge and Wauconda and Rosecrance in Rockford.
"We don't have anything around here. We need more beds," Walker said. "There are waiting lists."
To the Editor
From the Heart
This Swedish Days parade was the biggest and best ever with over a hundred entries and close to a hundred thousand people lining the streets. There were marchers of all ages dressed in uniforms and costumes of practically every theme imaginable. There were vehicles of every vintage and motorized carts and motor cycles. There were animals from a lion in a cage to horses proudly stepping in formation, to dogs of every breed on leashes marching while others quietly and not so quietly watched. There were fire trucks and floats full of flowers. The parade was a constant wave of sounds pouring from instruments and PA systems that actually made you feel the music. What a great day!
What great weather! What a wonderful feeling!
Congratulations to all who participated for stepping away from the horrors of war, the ravages of terrorist threats, the ranting of the political season, and the everyday tragedies so many families face. I work with Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad”, a nonprofit support and education group advocating for drug free communities. We are all volunteers from families dealing with addiction. Maybe you recall our float, “Garden of Hope”, featuring children dressed up like flowers, bees, and ladybugs, and playing songs like “Don’t Eat the Daisies” and “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”. Somehow, Lea Minalga inspired us beyond our suffering to put out the effort and put on a smile to send our message, that our hope is our children and we must be aware that they face a world waiting to terrorize them with drugs. Today, according to DEA, the Chicago area is the epicenter of drug trafficking and the target markets are our suburban communities. The drugs are more powerful and inconsistent in quality and mix. They do their damage and dirty deed more efficiently and the people pushing them don’t care if any of our kids die. It doesn’t matter to them. We know because we’ve experienced our own children suffer drug addiction and some have paid the ultimate price. We know the pain that affects the entire family and the toll it takes on the entire community for that matter.
We hope you all enjoyed our joyful presentation. Lea thought it was necessary to embrace our children and the community in this manner of celebration. I was surprised myself that we all were able to dig deep within ourselves to find the energy and spirit to pull it together. We owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors who donated the equipment ( Chicagoland International ), flowers ( Geneva Greenhouse ), music ( Leapin’ Lyrics ), and supplies ( Home Depot ). We thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly and with such inspiration and enthusiasm. We felt the appreciation flowing out of the crowd along the parade route and want to say thanks. You are always welcome to join with us. We will always be here to support you and your family should you encounter an addiction problem.
Just to note, Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad” is unfunded except for private donations and fundraisers. Nobody has ever been paid. Your donations are much appreciated and can be mailed to P.O. Box 3314 St Charles, IL 60174.
Jim Lingle
Hearts of Hope / “The Mom Squad”
New Juvenile Drug Court for Kane County
Judge Thomas Mueller and his team have completed their training and launched the first stage of a new Pilot Drug Court program for juveniles in Kane County. The court is funded under the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and offers one last opportunity for rehabilitation before these child probationers would become institutionalized. Participants 17 years old and younger with no gang associations or violent crimes on their records must also have an adult family member committed to involvement throughout the program. This four-phase intensive rehabilitation program requires a minimum of 9 months participation, but it is expected to take between 12 and 18 months for most to complete.
Judge Mueller pointed out that the team consists of an Assistant State’s Attorney, a Public Defender, Probation Officers, a professional mental health department evaluator and two rehabilitation centers, Breaking Free in Aurora and Renz in St Charles. The first case qualified for the pilot program on March 1st and 7 others have been enrolled since then. There will be 15 cases enrolled during this phase. Up to 50 of the most difficult cases that meet the court’s stringent qualification guidelines can be enrolled once the program is fully funded later this year. It will quickly become one of the nation’s largest Juvenile Drug Court programs.
We are truly fortunate in Kane County to have such dedicated officers of the court with the vision and dedication it takes to salvage the lives of these children. The rampant problem of drug abuse and addiction is afflicting the lives of our children at an alarmingly early age and it affects their families and the entire community. Indeed, we owe Judge Mueller and his team a debt of gratitude and all of our support.
This month is National Drug Court month and we at Hearts of Hope want to say thank you. We know your valiant efforts will save precious lives. We stand in support of you and pray for your success. We reach out to all families facing these difficult challenges and offer our support to you as well.
Drug court graduates celebrate new lives
Program gives addicts second chance
By BRENDA SCHORY
Kane County Chronicle
ST. CHARLES — Leslie McIlvaine held up a silver urn containing her dead son's ashes and said, "This is the truth of drug use."
McIlvaine and her husband, David, stood before the 123 graduates of Kane County Drug Rehabilitation Court and a standing-room-only crowd of family and friends Friday to make a point about drug use.
Their son, Nathan David McIlvaine, 19, of St. Charles, died of a drug overdose Aug. 6.
"I don't want any of your mothers or fathers to feel the pain of losing their child," McIlvaine said to the crowd in the sanctuary of Christ Community Church in St. Charles.
"I brought Nathan with me tonight. Because this is the truth of drug use" — she held up the urn — "It's a trap. It's a lie. It hurts. It kills. It leaves behind broken hearts and pain and takes with it hope, life and joy."
It was the flip side of the graduates' celebration: acknowledgment of how deadly addiction can become. Nathan McIlvaine was in drug court but left after a month to stay clean on his own, his mother said.
To participate in Kane County Circuit Court Judge James Doyle's drug court, addicts agree to go into a program and must stay clean for two years while checking in at drug court and being tested randomly.
Their felony drug charges are held in suspension until they complete the program.
This is the program's third and largest graduation, Hearts of Hope/Mom Squad secretary Ruby Garcia said.
The first year, there were 25 graduates; last year there were 69. This year, 123.
The Hearts of Hope/ Mom Squad is the volunteer support team for the drug court.
Several graduates, clad in flowing white graduation robes with mortarboards perched on their heads, acknowledged their second chance.
If anything, they showed how undiscriminating drug addiction is, as they were men and women, all ages, all nationalities.
As they waited to file in for the program, they glowed with the joy of their achievement.
Jacquelyn D., 34, of Batavia, left behind a long arrest record for cocaine possession to embrace working and going to school.
"This is the most exciting day of my life," Jacquelyn said.
Terri C., 42, of Aurora, was a prostitute to support a crack cocaine habit. Through the drug court, she is clean, working and going to college to be an addiction counselor.
"This means the world to me. I never would have believed this was possible," she said.
Jesse M., 23, of Elgin, said he was using marijuana and drinking heavily since he was 13 years old.
Drug court changed all that.
"It kept me out of jail. I got married. I have a kid on the way. I have a house, a job and a car. I never could have this without drug court," Jesse said.
Nancy B., of Batavia, was a supporter attending for her brother-in-law, 35, who was addicted to cocaine.
"It's an honor to be here, to see him doing good. He's working, he got promoted," she said. "It's finally clicking."
More information about drug court is available here. |
