Troy's Testimony
I grew up in a broken home, my dad left when I was six years old and left my mom to raise three boys by herself. When I turned five, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Now I’m 32. I didn’t have the best family life; my brothers are 5 years apart from me, I’m the middle child. My older brother was never really around a lot, and then I wasn’t around when my little brother was growing up. When I turned 10, I started smoking pot, and two years later I started doing coke and crack. I had originally started selling cocaine and crack to make money for my pot addiction but after I saw what the substances were doing to my friends, I made the decision to stop selling.
Things started to really go downhill in 2014. The mother of my daughter got caught with drugs, I had a seizure while driving home from work and wrecked my car, we had to give up custody of my daughter, and shortly after all that the mother of my daughter left me. Then from 2015- 2017, I lost my great aunt, grandma, and mother to cancer.
In 2016, I started dating my wife and after a year together I asked her to marry me. But in 2017 my life took a turn for the worse. I had 56 seizures in a row and woke up in the hospital two weeks later. When I got out of the hospital more problems started... I had extreme anger issues, anxiety, depression, P.T.S.D., and my addiction to weed and cigarettes grew stronger. I became emotionless and lazy. All of these compiled and broke up my relationship with my wife and stepkids.
I got dropped off at UNM Psych by my wife, and I was there a week and a half before they sent me to a detox facility here in ABQ. I went through detox for two weeks, and then someone told me about Steelbridge Ministries. I needed help and knew I had to go. The program was tough and there were many times that I wanted to quit. Not having any family to support me through this was the hardest part. Thinking of my son and daughter has kept me going, and gotten me through the tough times. Being at Steelbridge I have grown closer to God, have a source of income, and am talking to my son and daughter more. It feels good to have accomplished so much while I’ve been here. I am a current graduate of the program here at SteelBridge and want to encourage others by saying; life has its ups and downs, so never give up or lose faith. I was able to meet one of my biggest goals and that was to be a better father to my children.
The next goals I plan to accomplish are to get my driver’s license, learn more about finances, get a car and go to Oregon to be with my daughter, and after that come home to help take care of my son.
