Matilda’s Story: Patient progress leads to rewards

Matilda is a 60 year-old mother of one daughter who resorted to using alcohol to numb her feelings after her husband divorced her.  Because of her alcohol dependence, Matilda lost her teaching job, her house, her car and, ultimately, the close relationship that she once had with her daughter.  At the time of Matilda’s entry to ADA Women’s Recovery Center, her daughter was married and was expecting her first child. What was most devastating to Matilda was that her daughter had severed their relationship, due to her mother’s out of control drinking, and threatened to never let Matilda be a part of the baby’s life.  Matilda felt that she had lost everything and thusly, lost hope in herself.

Riddled with guilt and determined to mend her relationship with her daughter, Matilda worked her treatment plan and vowed to live the rest of her life sober and productive.  With the help and encouragement of her ADA treatment team, Matilda successfully completed her forty-five day treatment program and moved into sober living in Houston and began working at a nearby breakfast restaurant. A strong storm damaged the sober living house, and  all residents had to relocate. Matilda decided to move back to Galveston.    For a few months, Matilda stayed in a shelter, saved her money.  She saved enough money to rent a room in a Galveston boarding house and from there she found a one-bedroom apartment that was perfect for her.

Matilda’s dream was to return to teaching and after submitting applications to several school districts, Matilda was offered a teaching position.  With all of her hard work and determination, Matilda has re-established a loving relationship with her daughter and plays and active role in her new grandson’s life.  Matilda called her case manager with the great news and stated that she could have never made so many accomplishments without the love and support of the ADA staff…”I will be, forever, grateful to all of the women of ADA who cared enough to not let me fail.”