By Julie Loomis
I have written a few stories about my friend Madelyn. She is very much the daughter I always wanted. If you have seen her journey, it is incredible. She has blossomed into a sober, responsible, and beautiful woman.
Four years ago, she was a drunk, almost destroying her liver, which kept her homeless for 16 years. Until the day she passed out on the lawn near Interfaith Sanctuary and Terrence Sharrer came to talk to her. Maddie said she begged him not to let her die.
She started the recovery program and took a few stumbles to finally get sober. She began to find the real woman and slowly started to change. She not only struggled with alcohol but also with disabling mental health. She had tucked herself away in her alcoholism and didn’t really socialize with others. Alcohol was the most important thing in her life. When I met Maddie, she had some rough edges. At 6 feet and 4 inches tall, she wasn’t real feminine. As you will see in the photos, she has come a long way, baby.
Through her time at Interfaith, she has touched many people, including the staff and her program family. She really made special connections with the women in her dorm. We helped her find dresses, sassy black boots, and pink tennies. We helped her slow down and appreciate being a woman. She not only graduated from the recovery program, she graduated from Interfaith’s lady program.
Madelyn, with the help of Stacy and CATCH, has a studio of her own. One of her friends at Cathedral of the Rockies, Jessica, spent time and money to get Maddie her dream studio. Then Jessica had a crew to set it all up. She got food and other items from friends and a few neighbors. This is because Maddie is a unicorn and pure sunshine. We are all proud of you, Madelyn Darling.
