‘Don’t quit before the miracle happens’: Billboards encourage recovery

MONROE COUNTY — Four Monroe County residents are hoping their recovery stories will inspire others to get off drugs.

Kayla Hounshell, Ashley Aggi, Chad Pool and Tara Bijarro were among those who participated in a recent campaign created by the Washtenaw County Health Department. It was funded by the Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan and MDHHS through a federal grant from SAMHSA.

The local residents' advice can now be found on billboards in Monroe, Erie, Samaria, LaSalle and surrounding counties. In 2020, some of the participants also were part of a previous billboard program and a campaign that placed recovery ads on the sides of Lake Erie Transit busses.

Today, all the featured participants remain drug-free and work in recovery and peer support in this area.

Kayla of Monroe County is a 2009 Jefferson High School graduate. She has been in recovery for six years and is a peer recovery coach for the Huron Valley Women’s Facility in Washtenaw County.

Here is Kayla's story:

I was homeless, hopeless, in and out of jail and on and off probation for 12 years. I was doing anything that I could to get drugs. I became addicted when I was 15. I overdosed, and I was brought back to life with a dose of Narcan. I finally hit rock-bottom and got the help that I needed. Today, I own my own home, have a supportive husband and am a mother to two beautiful babies. I graduate college May 3 with a criminal justice corrections degree. I do Narcan trainings at the college and around the community. Narcan saved my life, and it’s a vital part of recovery.

My purpose in life is to show people that recovery is possible, and it is beautiful. I have got nothing but positive feedback from everyone who saw my billboards. I want people in active use right now to know that recovery is possible, and it really can happen.

Ashley of Monroe has been drug-free since April 16, 2018. Today, she works at Monroe Community Mental Health Authority.

Here is Ashley's story:

There was a time I didn’t know where to ask for help. I did not know where the resources in my community were to learn the way out of the dark path. I watched my friends turn blue without any knowledge of (how) to be the one to save their life. Eventually, I got the strength to reach out. I reached out over and over again until I finally got the help I needed.

I started my journey in long-term recovery because I found a community of all kinds that shared resources of hope. Monroe brought that light to me, and I kept it ever since. My life has improved tremendously since then. God has done for me what I could not do for myself. I have gone from being a single mother completely homeless with my children, to having a healthy family and owning my own house with my future husband and our new child.

Recovering out loud and sharing your testimony is purposeful in itself. You never know whose life you can have a positive impact on, even if it’s just one person. Those who are addicted, give yourself time to heal, mind, body and soul. Don’t quit before the miracle happens. Don’t ever give in or up. You are worthy of recovery!

Chad Pool will be drug-free for six years on Christmas Eve. He is a peer recovery coach for Monroe County Patrol and Probation.

Here is Chad's story:

I grew up in a very toxic household and started drinking in excess at a very young age. My addiction progressed and got worse and worse over the course of my childhood and adult life, until I found myself as a IV heroin and crack cocaine addict, using both daily.

I started in recovery in June 2015. I was in and out of treatment, recovery homes, meetings, etc., until December of 2017. Today, my life is absolutely amazing. I'm an active and engaged father of four beautiful children, and I share my life with the love of a lifetime. I am a worship leader and a performer of my own original music. I have been a certified peer recovery coach for the last four years, and I have worked at Catholic Charities, Saint Joseph Center of Hope. I have been here at Monroe County Parole and Probation over a year, and I love the work and the people I get to serve as well as the people I get to work with. Helping others to me is the food that fuels my recovery. It is an honor and a blessing.

Several have seen my billboard. I always make sure I tell people that I am no more special than they are, and if I can be a part of something like this, then they can too.

I get to be a face of recovery here in Monroe and an example of what is possible in recovery when you never give up and keep on keeping on. I would tell anyone struggling with addiction that you are not broken and you don't have to suffer in silence. There is a community of recovery people who are no longer dying daily, but who are living to try and help make you a part of our "we."

The Monroe News recently shared Tara Bijarro’s journey out of addiction. She got hooked on pain medication following an accident in July of 2005. On Dec. 17, she celebrated eight years drug-free.

Previous Coverage: Tara Bijarro works to help others with addiction after one phone call saved her life

Today, the local mom is a certified peer recovery specialist through the Michigan-certified Board of Addiction Professionals and the Department of Health and Human Services. She's the director and liaison for recovery services at the Oaks of Righteousness Homeless Shelter/Village and helps at other organizations.

Tara said support from recovering drug users, like herself and the other campaign participants, is vital.

"We’re really coming from the trenches. We know the struggles," Tara said. "We give a side of the story you can't get from a textbook. It's a learned experience; it's boots on the ground. We're laying the tracks for peer recovery."

Tara said local people with addictions are responding to peer recovery.

“People are coming to me from the street life. They want help to get off whatever substance," she said. "I show them the community is open and welcoming. There are things that are possible in Monroe County. There’s a whole other life."

When people call 734-243-7340, the number listed on the billboards, Tara said they are connected to local services, including the Saint Joseph Center of Hope, and the person answering the phone is compassionate.

“They are plugging you right in. We meet them where they are at, with compassion and are very welcoming," Tara said.

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She said it's a privilege to now serve those in need.

"I’m just so proud of all of us," she said. "We were running from the law, now some of us work for them. We’re on the same side. It’s such an honor and a privilege to be able to serve my community."

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: ‘Don’t quit before the miracle happens’: Billboards encourage recovery