Hi. My name is Erica Burrowes, and this is my DI story. After complications during the birth of my oldest daughter, I became addicted to anxiety and pain meds. I used them for one year and was eventually cut off, so I resorted to street drugs. During this time, I met my husband-to-be, well, because we were both struggling with these issues. For four years we struggled with sobriety. He eventually went to jail, and I was served papers to terminate my parental rights to my oldest daughter. At this time, I knew I needed help. My grandparents took me in, and with their love and support, I began to change. I started my difficult climb to recovery through counseling, drug testing, and trying to find a job. But finding employment with my past history was next to impossible. I met with my bishop, and he suggested I start work at Deseret Industries. They not only took me in, but for the next 18 months in their program, I was taking classes, enrolling in school, and advancing my job skills, which helped me in the continued fight to keep my daughters. Right at the end of my job program, I got offered employment at a new place and was sad to leave DI. I am currently a supervisor and have had steady employment for the last year. My husband and I have bought a car and a home and have been maintaining our sobriety and beating the odds together every day. And I still have my parental rights. And it was and is all worth it. I want to thank all of the job coaches and everyone at Deseret Industries. This program was a true blessing in my life.