That day, McKenna drove north to Lake George, went to the first bank he could find, and he robbed it. Over the next 6 weeks, he robbed 5 more banks and 2 grocery stores. Ultimately, he was caught. He recalls the tragic time.
He says the cravings can last for months. He says one of his regrets is not doing more than 28 days.
Former Federal Prosecutor Shares Story of Hope & Redemption
He had never been to jail before, and was sent to the local county detention center, where he experienced withdrawal from the drugs on the floor of the jail. With bank robbery charges, McKenna says it took three tries to be granted bail, which included ankle bracelet monitoring, intensive outpatient treatment at a local facility, and meetings with psychologists. Ultimately, McKenna plead guilty to the robberies, and was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison. Anger at myself, anger at the system, whether it was misplaced or not. McKenna robbed six banks and two grocery stores in a week spree.
On the nightly news he would see himself in the footage that was released from the banks to the press. It was someone in the throes of a demonic addiction to opiates. McKenna says putting an opiate addict on a waiting list is a recipe for disaster. He says we need to not just throw money at the problem, but encourage companies to go out on a limb and build facilities, quality treatment programs and get people the help that they need.
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McKenna says his life was taken away from him and he was responsible: He started keeping a journal in a composition book behind the cells of a prison. McKenna says you have to forgive yourself, and move on with your life. My family stepped in to help out, taking my kids from my custody and taking care of them between the family—putting them with friends that had a foster care home where they could still be close to my family who remained very hands-on through their entire upbringing, until they were returned to me years later when I got cleaned up.
I was running the streets in Oakland, in and out of county jails, doing anywhere from two weeks to six months. Getting a reprieve from the crack cocaine to find some semblance of normalcy during that period of time, but then I moved back to Palo Alto where my children were, which was their safe, normal environment, but it was also the environment of my addiction and drug use.
Reluctantly I moved back and the cycle began all over again. I held on for about two weeks and people were commending me, but under pressure one day during that two-week period I finally broke and hit the crack pipe again, and that sent me into labor. He goes into overdrive, leaps out of the room. He comes back with a boiling pot of water and a towel.
I could see the smoke rising from the water. Everything out of the movies. I tell him to call an ambulance but a fire truck comes. I show up at Stanford Hospital for the second time with a baby in my arms. The fire station calls the media. I consented to allow the media to show up and I was soon embarrassed by the line of questioning. They were asking why my baby was addicted to crack. I could not see him by myself. A few hours after that, they called me to a roundtable meeting with the doctors and the police.
A lady officer told me that she was there to arrest me for attempted manslaughter, because my baby was born addicted to crack cocaine. Two months later I was arrested for petty theft and the police put the handcuffs on me. You lost your baby, you were in jail, but you were off drugs for the first time in forever. Is this when your recovery started? I went to jail. I stayed in jail for two months. I went to work furlough from jail, having enrolled into Masters Institute for graphic arts. I went to school.
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- Mirror In My Pocket: The Art of Executive Coaching.
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Meanwhile, my husband was in the free world arranging for Social Services to bring the baby to me in jail. Social Services contacted me and they were bringing the baby to come visit me. I was in jail for like four months. I never looked back. I had my kids returned to me, that baby was 18 months old when I got him back.
I was told that my two oldest kids would be adopted out and that I would never get them back.
Addiction Free: Redemption Stories - Kandi Rose - Google Книги
The devil is a liar. I was told that my month-old baby would be adopted out. Like I said, I got him back when he was 18 months old. I got my two oldest kids back after being separated from them for six to seven years, but with visits and reunification efforts in between. These are three children that I lost in the system and I thank God that I got them back.
On February 24, , I will have 25 years crack-free. I feel quite blessed and fortunate to have gone from this kid that was born in San Francisco that always wanted to be a writer, that grew up in East Palo Alto and fell victim to crack, only to rise out of the ashes like a phoenix and to now be a blood washed Christian turned change agent.
Crack Addict to Change Agent: Beverly Black's Redemption Story
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I was just baptized Christian last wknd!!..
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