PHOENIX — A mother grappling with addiction has successfully pulled herself up from rock bottom to regain custody of her daughter.
Thirty-three-year-old Dana D’ambrosio was able to transition from being homeless on the streets to now focusing on picking the perfect Christmas gift for her 6-year-old daughter. Instead of worrying about where her next meal will come from she is happy to be searching for a unicorn by Christmas. “A real one,” she said with a smile.
D’ambrosio’s story shows the fragility of stability for some individuals.
She recalled the day she decided to use drugs, setting her back months.
“I thought, hey, I’m on vacation; one time isn’t going to hurt. The truth is there is no such thing as one time," she said referring to her past methamphetamine use.
After that one time, D’ambrosio faced a series of setbacks — a flat tire made her late to drop off her daughter, leading to the gradual unraveling of the structure in her life.
This cost her a job, a car, and, most importantly, her daughter Anastasia, who was placed in foster care.
“If you’re trying to talk to your child and that’s not happening, it slowly breaks you, slowly and surely, and you start to feel, what do I have to live for,” she said.
One day, D’ambrosio said she considered taking her own life and walking into the street. A stranger pulled her to safety and that’s when things started to change for her.
While at the hospital as one of the first steps to get clean, she realized she had missed a highly anticipated court date.
She said the courts told her she had one more chance to make things right if she wanted custody of her daughter.
She was able to get dropped off by a friend at Phoenix Rescue Mission with one goal in mind.
Lashunda Jones, the director of clinical services with Phoenix Rescue Mission recalled their first meeting. “Her first visit with her daughter, she chased the car down and was (waving) and said, ‘I’m going to get my daughter back’ and I said ‘we are going to get her daughter back.’”
About a year and a half later, with treatment under Phoenix Rescue Mission, D’ambrosio and her daughter Anastasia were permanently reunited.
"I remember hugging her and being able to breathe; it was like I was whole again," she said.
D’ambrosio story is a common one at Phoenix Rescue Mission and their 12-month treatment program.