Keisha's Story

Extracurricular activities at school were a sure sign that Keisha was on the path to becoming herself again; steady improvement in grades, another. Just a few months before, both signs seemed far from happening.

Drugs. Keisha’s mother did not see it happening. “It was so gradual,” she shared. “I guess it was a textbook slide into drugs; first her grades, then her friends, then I realized she had taken money from my purse and lied about it.  As a parent, I wanted to believe in her, but I was in denial myself. When she was arrested for possession and our family reported to Juvenile Drug Court, I felt like we were living someone else’s nightmare.”

The family support sessions at Lena Pope Home’s Family Matters, provided drug counseling for Keisha and support sessions for her parents. Their communication began to improve with the new listening and anger management skills, as they re-learned how to value each other again. Since Keisha has been drug free, she had been doing well in school and has definite goals for the future. She has joined a number of extracurricular activities at school.

Her mother admits now that she should have listened to her maternal instincts and wished she had paid more attention to the red flags. A hard lesson, but one she learned first-hand.