Graduate Success
Bo & Jessica

When Bo and Jessica were asked how they learned about Restoration’s Program, they said at first they saw it—just driving by. Bo said he and his brother-in-law were eating lunch at Hardee’s (across the street from Restoration); when asked what he knew about Restoration, his brother-in-law told him a little about it. So, "We decided to check it out.”

Bo said when they came to the Program, they were both addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. In fact, four months before they came to R.U.M., they had attempted suicide together. They were in severe withdrawal and felt hopeless and helpless; they had convinced themselves that their children would be better off without them. As a result of their serious addictions and their ultimate suicide attempt, they lost custody of their three children to the State of Illinois. They had been told to go to a rehab program, but all the ones they investigated wanted to separate them, saying that they’d never make it otherwise. Jessica said they wanted to stay together and because RUM’s program was Christian-based, a lot of the teachings were familiar to her. It reminded her of what she had been taught; she said, “It was a blessing hearing it again.”

Asked to identify the most helpful part of the Program, Jessica said the parenting classes and the work hours were most helpful; she said these helped keep her mind off her situation. She also noted that devotions and church attendance gave her something to hang onto that she understood.

Bo, responding to the question about the most helpful part of the Program, said, “All of it. It was structured and that held me together for myself. I needed to be held to account; you were accountable for something that you’d done.” He cited an example: he said that one day, he went to the (nearby) gas station and “some guy I didn’t know offered to sell me some [illegal drugs].” He told Jessica—who was working at the R.U.M. reception desk at the time; she talked to someone at R.U.M. and come to find out, the “unknown guy” was living in the R.U.M. apartments [but not part of the Program]. His “offer to sell” behavior brought a prompt eviction from his apartment. Bo admits, “The structure helped me; I needed that!”

Discussing any changes that happened while they were living at R.U.M., Bo volunteered, “My heroin addiction went away! I haven’t touched it in five years. We were doing it every day; from the minute we walked on the property, we never touched nothin’…”

Asked about how things in their lives are now vs. when they first entered R.U.M. Program, Jessica said the parenting class that they took opened their eyes up to what to expect for certain ages. “We got our kids back!” Bo added. “Before that, I was just wingin’ it, you know. In 2020, Jessica was pregnant and in November, we welcomed a baby boy.” The baby, now a two-year-old, enjoys his three older siblings, ages 10, 8 and 6.

Given an opportunity to add anything, Bo said, “You all are awesome—because where we was at before we came there, staying with my sister—and that was about to become a ‘war zone’. The tension there was great—it had to be a God thing! We were “dirty” (with drugs)—whatever they dropped on us.” In fact, they were told their admission to the Program was uncertain due to the dirty drug drop.

“However, had it (our completion of the Program) not happened, we wouldn’t be sitting where we are now!” Jessica said. She is moving up into management at the store where she’s working. “It can change your life. If you work the Program, it works for you!” [Bo is disabled but is obviously involved with their family and children.]

When asked if they had any advice for someone who was considering enrollment in the Program, both of them agreed: “Give it a try! You’ll never know what it can do unless you try it!”