Brenda
Brenda is the youngest member of a family of seven. Her mother is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and her father is Hopi. Raised in the White Mountains and living with an alcoholic father, Brenda began drinking at an early age. In 1985 she was a single parent of a three-year old son and had little hope of a future on the reservation. At her mother's insistence and advice, she moved to the Valley to pursue her education and a career. It was in Phoenix that she met her husband and had four more children.
Brenda has held several jobs in the financial field and has been working for IASIS Health Care at Tempe St. Luke's Hospital as an Accounts Payable Coordinator since 2004. She was what is often called a "functional" alcoholic. She worked full time and drank all weekend. In 2005 a very close friend committed suicide and Brenda's drinking accelerated. She began leaving her family at home for three days each weekend to drink with her "friends." She received multiple DUIs. Her husband continually pointed out that her babies would look out the window wondering where she was and when she would be coming home. Her employer noticed a trend that she would call in sick more frequently and valued Brenda enough as an employee to encourage her to seek assistance. Her mother, a nurse, continued to advise Brenda to get help for her alcoholism. Her oldest son, already in recovery, also encouraged her to go to treatment. A relative, who worked for Native Health, one of Native American Connections' community partners, referred Brenda to NAC's Intake & Assessment and Outpatient program. Brenda knew she was hurting her family and children. With the support of this strong family and her employer, Brenda moved into Guiding Star for in-patient treatment one year to the date of her friend's suicide.
At Guiding Star, Brenda found hope. Her counselor provided her with the tools to tackle her addiction. The Case Aides showed her that recovery was a process, but that is was possible and held many rewards. Her family participated with her in the Circle of Strength Family Intensive Treatment Program and together they learned about being a healthy family.
Brenda celebrates three years of sobriety this May. She was able to return to her job at IASIS after her treatment, and this year the company honored her with a 2008 Chairman's Award for Tempe St. Luke's Hospital. Each hospital in the IASIS network nominates one employee a year to honor for their commitment to their community. Brenda and her family were honored at a ceremony in Nashville, and she chose Native American Connections' Guiding Star program and her church to receive the charitable donations that come as part of the award.
Today Brenda is thankful for so many things in her life. She enjoys her job and is considering continued education in accounting. Her five children, aged 27 through 6, are once again proud of their mother. She is the proud grandmother of three-year old Pearl and one-year old Malayia. She volunteers at her church and assists with their fund raisers. She proudly says that her two youngest don't know the meaning of the word "drunk." Brenda attends weekly AA meetings at Guiding Star, feeling the importance of sharing her story and giving hope to others.
Brenda's story is far from over. She continues to achieve and flourish through sober living and giving back to the community she credits with helping her connect with her traditions and spirituality.