Meet Colleen, One of Our Amazing Clients

In the late 2000s, Colleen had a psychiatric break and spent nine months at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. As her discharge approached, she worried: “I didn’t have anywhere to go,” she recalled.

NewBridge Services welcomed her into one of its five group homes. A year later, Colleen moved into a NewBridge two-bedroom apartment so her teenage son could live with her.

Despite the stable home, Colleen’s struggles continued. Almost yearly, she was admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward, she said. When a pain management doctor prescribed Percocet for herniated disks in her neck and back, she became addicted.

A turning point came when she returned from a hospital stay to find her apartment in disarray. “My son said, `Mom, you did this.’ That’s when I realized how out of control I was,” she said.

Doctors found a medication that effectively manages Colleen’s schizophrenia. She attended intensive outpatient addiction treatment and joined Alcoholics Anonymous. “My first AA meeting was like coming home. Everyone was so supportive,” Colleen said.

Colleen has been sober seven years and hasn’t been hospitalized for mental illness in more than eight. She has worked four years as a part-time cashier at the same grocery store. NewBridge helps ensure she receives Medicaid and other benefits. “NewBridge saved my life. I owe them a lot!” she said.

The 63-year-old’s children, Rain and Nick, are back in her life, and she found lasting love with a man named Bill she met at AA. Colleen is proud that, because of her recovery, she is entrusted to care for her 3-year-old grandson, Kai, regularly. “I am so happy with my life now!” she said.