I Am An Eleven

I Am More Than My Criminal Record

“Five years ago, I found out that my partner of 24 years had been cheating on me – hours after learning that my mother had just passed. That day, I lost my two best friends and began a spiral road of depression and addiction that led to incarceration. Upon my release, I became homeless. One day, tired of living under a bridge, I tried to commit suicide. It was a police officer who saved me by simply asking, ‘Are you done?’ He later came to visit me at the hospital and took me to my first AA meeting. It was during those meetings that I realized what I was done with was feeling sorry for myself. I have been sober for the last four years. Forgiving myself for the mistakes I have done has been the hardest, but I recently found new hope when an employer gave me a second chance at life by offering me a job. Now I think, if an employer can give me a second chance at life, I can also give myself a second chance. I used to think I was worthless, but now go to work happy and I come home happy. I am strong, confident and believe that in a world of tens – I am an eleven.”