Skye - Stay resilient and you’ll soon see light at the end of your tunnel

When addictive behaviour brought me to the point where my mental health broke down, I couldn’t keep my family together. Reaching out for help turned things around.

I recognised the urgent need to make changes when my once supportive family would no longer speak to me. My life was in terrible shape. My daughters had been removed from my care and I desperately wanted them back.

I took steps to find a detox program that worked for me and after four years in recovery, I reached out to Flourish Australia for support that has been life changing.

An essential first step, to regain care of my kids, was being supported to create the safe and stable home I wanted for our future. I was provided with opportunities to complete courses in parenting and maintaining a healthy mind set, and what I learned changed my whole outlook and approach to challenging situations.

The process of bringing home my youngest daughter took 2 ½ years but as I grew stronger in myself, I became determined to stick with it. It means a lot to me that my daughters are so proud of the progress I’ve made. I keep beautiful notes from them on my fridge, that I read for motivation whenever I feel discouraged.

I’ve improved my life in so many ways and grown so resilient that I no longer experience dramatic ups and downs. I have my family around me again and continue to feel very supported by Flourish Australia. They genuinely care, they’re always available to listen and they’re right there with me as I take every step forward.

I’m much happier in myself and have more confidence in my abilities.

I feel so fortunate to have my daughter back with me that I just want to be here for her and support her in her schooling. NDIS funding makes it possible for me to focus on being a full-time mum and take further parenting courses.

Flourish Australia have done the right thing by me, which inspires me to do the right thing by them, and keep up the commitments I’ve made to myself and my kids.

There were times I felt I’d never make it but with the right support, I just kept going and soon saw the light at the end of my tunnel.