Marnie

Less than one month after moving to Minnesota from Indiana to begin a new life Marnie (not her real name) was in a devastating car accident. Marnie, her sister and a cousin had run out of gas on the freeway. They pulled over, and while they waited for help were rear-ended by a speeding drunk driver. At impact, Marnie's head hit the windshield. The car was pushed nearly three miles down the highway before rolling over three times. After rescue workers cut Marnie out of the car she was flown by helicopter to Regions Hospital where she began a long period of recovery from multiple, life-changing injuries.

Marnie's father left when she was tiny, and her mother who worked three or four jobs just to make ends meet, was rarely home. When she was, she drank heavily. "By the age of thirteen I had been physically, emotionally and sexually abused. I turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort and ran away every chance I got." By sixteen Marnie was working as a dancer in a bar, and began to use crack. "I tried treatment a few times, but I never dealt with my past or my emotional problems, so I didn't make it."

When she was twenty-one, Marnie gave birth to a daughter. This experience was "...the most beautiful and wonderful thing I've done in my life," Marnie said. After Lisa's birth she managed to stay sober for a year and a half. However, when she returned to work at the bar she relapsed. "I was an emotional and spiritual wreck. I started smoking crack and lost all of the dignity I had left."

During these rough years there was a family that cared about Marnie, and took her in repeatedly. "Although they were not perfect they were, and still are, the only family I know," said Marnie. When this family moved to Minnesota, they urged her to join them.

The move to Minnesota was to have been the fresh start, a new life with new priorities. Unfortunately, the accident changed all that. Marnie's injuries were severe and painful: her leg was broken in two places, three discs in her neck had been dislocated and threatened to paralyze her unless she had further surgery, and she suffered severe head and shoulder trauma. The pain was excruciating and debilitating, and her physical recovery was slow. Marnie sank into a depression that was exacerbated by the combination of pills, alcohol, and drugs. "I don't know how I lived through all of the drinking I did throughout those few months, but I lived. I was in oblivion and cared about nothing."

Marnie now says that she believes that in a way the accident saved her life. "One day I was feeling really sorry for myself asking God why? Why did he let me live to go through all this suffering? Suddenly it was so plain. It was like I asked the question and the answer was given. Surely God did not let me live to throw my life away, which is exactly what I was doing. My daughter came into the room and we cried together. I promised God, my daughter and myself that I would do whatever it took to get help."

After 4 months of residential treatment at R.S. Eden, Marnie and her daughter came to live at New Foundations' supportive housing community. At Crestview Marnie found a supportive, sober environment where she and her daughter could thrive, staff who believed in her, and other families who inspired her. "At New Foundations there is a lot of support, and that helps me stay grounded. The staff have taught me to believe in myself."

Both Marnie and her daughter are doing incredibly well. Lisa, a middle school student, is in an accelerated multi-cultural program that will continue through high school, and prepare her for college. She gets straight A's, and is already talking about college or design school.

Marnie is a student at The College of St. Catherine studying to become a Physical Therapist. "I picked P.T. because of all the physical therapy I have had since the accident. It occurred to me how much physical therapists helped me in the physical aspects of my recovery. Not only will I have a rewarding career with plenty of room for advancement, but it will ensure a financial future for me and my daughter. I now have goals, hopes and dreams for both of us. I believe in my ability to make them happen." Marnie added that she is getting mostly A's, too! We all celebrate this remarkable woman and her contribution to the Crestview Community.

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