When Nicole Received the Gift of Stability
Seattle's Union Gospel Mission - November 15 2025
You help miracles happen in lives like Nicole’s!
During the holidays, Nicole felt empty. “At Christmas, because of my addiction, I didn’t feel closeness. I didn’t feel like a family member or a mother.”
Nicole would watch her daughter opening her gifts, but she struggled to stay present. Happiness always seemed out of reach for Nicole. She never experienced much of it growing up…
“My parents were both addicts. They divorced when I was two years old.”
Afterwards, Nicole was placed in foster care. In grade school, she moved back in with her mom. But there was very little stability.
“As a teen, I was able to drink. There wasn’t a lot of parenting going on.”
Even still, Nicole loved her mother. But tragedy hit at the age of 18, while Nicole’s mom was horseback riding.
“A horse fell on her and killed her.”
That devastating, emotional trigger — added to a lifetime full of pain — sent Nicole spiraling.
“After my mom passed, I got into drugs. I could never get clean. Even for a year.”
It wasn’t long before Nicole fell into homelessness.
“Cold, living on the streets, it was miserable. I slept behind a Safeway. The ground was absolutely rock hard.”
A friend kept encouraging Nicole to go to treatment. But Nicole wasn’t ready…until she hit rock bottom. “My daughter’s dad ran off with her. That’s when I knew I needed to change.”
Nicole needed to become a safe parent. She needed to give her daughter the stable home life she deserved. That’s something Nicole always wanted growing up.
FINDING HOPE AT THE MISSION
So it was with genuine excitement that Nicole entered the Women’s Recovery Program at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Nicole had real hope that she could learn to live clean and sober.
“I totally changed. The Mission helped me understand that I was worth love and that being happy was okay.”
Over time, Nicole found freedom from addiction through God’s power. “Addiction is part of my past now. At the Mission, I learned how to do the things I needed to do to take care of myself and my daughter.”
A NEW LIFE AT CHRISTMAS
Now, Christmas is completely different for Nicole. “I feel included. I feel part of the family.”
Nicole used to feel like an outsider looking in. Today, she knows she’s worthy of love and happiness. “I’m married. I have a healthy family. I work full time. Life is just amazing.”
Nicole had lost her way. You helped her find the path to a new life. She is the safe, stable mom her daughter needs. Thank you for helping make miracles happen in lives like Nicole’s!
