At just twelve years old, my mind was clouded with sadness. I couldn't understand why I was in so much pain so young. Searching for relief, I turned to Valium I found in the cabinet. It numbed me for a while, but soon I was experimenting with marijuana and alcohol. Through middle school and high school, I was stoned every day. Every place I went, I needed some mind-altering substance in my body. But the depression only grew worse. My relationships crumbled. My life felt empty. Finally, with no one left to turn to, I checked myself into a drug rehab facility. One snowy day, we walked to a nearby church in Altoona, PA. Fragile, broken, and no longer wanting to live, I received a blessing from the pastor. When he placed his hand on my head, I knew, deep in my soul, that I would never drink or use drugs again. That was God's plan for me. That was the moment I began to see the light.