In 2012, my husband came home and told me he wanted to help a young, homeless man he’d met on the streets — someone struggling with substance use disorder.

I thought he’d lost his mind.

When he said he wanted my help

… I honestly had no idea what we could offer.

We didn’t know anything about addiction or recovery.

Nothing about how to support someone in that kind of pain.

But I did know the value of connection.

I understood what it meant to build strong family.

And I believed that when someone feels truly seen and heard, healing becomes possible.

So I said yes.

For two years, that young man became like another son to us.

He spent weekends in our home. Holidays with our family.

We walked alongside him through jail time, sober living, early recovery, and all the ups and downs in between.

He worked a 12-step program. Found a job. Built friendships in recovery.

And for a while — it worked.

Until it didn’t.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, he called.

He’d relapsed.

Despite our efforts, no detox had space.

The hospital sent him home with medication, telling us “he was through the worst of it.”

We didn’t know what we didn’t know.

We were scared.

And our support system was small.

Two days later, on Thanksgiving morning, we got the call from his sponsor.

He was gone.

Our “bonus son,” who had come so far… was taken by an overdose.

To say we were devastated is an understatement.

But his death became a turning point in my life.

I realized something:

We had created a space where he felt unconditional love and acceptance.

We had supported his recovery, not his addiction.

And we had loved him without expecting anything in return.

Looking back, I see now — I was already being a Loving Mirror… before I knew that term even existed.

His life changed mine.

I knew I had to learn more.

And that’s what led me to the BALM® Method of Family Recovery.

In BALM®, I found language for what I’d lived.

A method rooted in connection, truth, and compassion

that applies not just to addiction, but to every relationship that matters

.Since then, I’ve devoted my work to helping families stay connected, even in the hardest moments.

To help them become their loved one’s best chance

.To teach what I wish I had known — before the heartache.

Because when we’re educated, calm, and committed to showing up with love…

so much more becomes possible.

I’m here to pass it on.