The Greatest Gift

Emily overdosed on Christmas Eve three years ago.
You’ve given her the gift of renewal.

When Emily came through our doors, she was emaciated and covered in open wounds. She had been living on the streets of Kensington for two years, deeply trapped in addiction and barely surviving. “My hair was so matted, I had to cut some of it off,” she remembers. “I had not bathed in two years, and I felt like my insides were as dirty as my outside.” 

How Emily ended up in Philadelphia’s epicenter of homelessness and addiction stems from a childhood of abuse and trauma, creating a pain she tried desperately to numb. At age 11, Emily developed an eating disorder and began exhibiting self-harming behaviors. By 13, Emily was a full-blown alcoholic. 

“I didn’t want to feel the way I was feeling,” Emily shared. The next year, when Emily was only 14 years old, she attempted to take her own life, surviving only by the grace of God. 

Emily’s alcoholism led to her using oxy and heroin, a severe addiction that consumed her life. On Christmas Eve of 2020, she finally overdosed. Her parents found her and rushed her to the hospital, saving her life once again. Despite nearly dying, Emily’s addiction was too strong for her to quit. She left the hospital and went straight into Kensington to find more drugs.  That was the start of two years of homelessness in one of the most dangerous and drug-filled neighborhoods in the country.   

Life in Kensington was one of constant drug use and survival in the open air. “A piece of me became hardened. I couldn’t show emotions or ask for help. I was constantly fighting for my life,” Emily remembers. She made her home in an alley behind a building, surrounded by others who came to get high and never left.

Over the course of her time in Kensington, Emily recalls seeing volunteers and pastors try to encourage people to get help, but she never responded. After two years of constant drug use, Emily was so thin and sick, and covered in open wounds. Fearing for her life, a stranger asked Emily for her name and looked her up on Facebook. She located Emily’s parents and begged them to come take their daughter to safety. 

A father’s outstretched hand

“My parents said that enough was enough and they drove into Kensington to track me down,” Emily says. “I was coming out of the alley and saw my parents driving by. They drove two blocks before it dawned on them that it was me. They didn’t recognize me…their own daughter.”

“My dad reached out his hand and asked if I wanted help,” Emily says about the day that turned her life around. “I did want help. I was tired and so sick of living that way.” Emily took her father’s hand, and he brought her here to Teen Challenge.

“I believe I made it here for a reason.”

Today, after embracing the care, counseling and treatment in our  long-term program, Emily has become a woman of God facing a brighter future in sobriety.  She has big dreams and a bright future, but she remembers the first 30 days being the hardest. “Thirty days was just a steppingstone to get me to a stable sense of self.  Every day I saw these little blessings that helped me see that things were going to be ok.”

“God has worked miracles in my life here. I no longer recognize myself from the woman I came in here as,” Emily says. And her future? She wants to help prevent others from making the same choices she made. “I want to go back to school and become a child psychologist, specializing in trauma with young children.”

The transformation in Emily’s life is a gift from God, but her access to counseling and compassionate support is a gift given by supporters like you. Thank you for providing hope to those trapped in addiction.

From our CEO

All of us at Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge are committed to helping men and women receive the help they need to overcome substance abuse and return to their communities healthy — but we couldn’t do this transformative work without you beside us.

Your continued support is needed more than ever this time of year. The holidays can be an especially difficult time for those who turn to us. Many are dealing with a variety of challenges, including severe addiction and mental health conditions — and the holidays can make feelings of depression, anger and isolation even worse. 

As you read Emily’s story within these pages, you’ll see how Christmas Eve was a time of heightened crisis for her, and it’s not uncommon. I hope you’ll also realize that Emily’s recovery and transformation into the strong, faithful woman she is today was possible thanks to you. 

We are committed that each man and woman we serve has access to the quality, Christ-centered care they need to beat their addiction. We are honored to serve those the world often labels the least worthy among us and show them the great worth that lies inside them. 

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with those in need. As we move into the new year — a time of important transitions in our organization — I’m excited to see the impact we can make together.  

Kris J. McFadden, Sr., M.A.R.
President/CEO