streetsisters.ca

Darlene returns home to her children

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:16:14 GMT

After 5 years of struggling with addiction in the downtown eastside, Darlene has stayed clean and sober since December 17th, 2009 (the night of the Street Sister's fundraiser) and has moved home to Burns Lake to be with her three young children. Darlene says she is "so overwhelmed at how I feel each day from the moment i open my eyes to closing them at night... I still find myself waking up in the middle of the night just to check on my babies and to make sure that this isn't a dream …" She says she is doing extremely well, that her children are content and that she is receiving lots of support from the community. She also expressed her gratitude to her sisters, the Facilitators and the film crew who "believed in me enough to not give-up on me and stuck beside me through thick and thin... no matter how dfficult i may have been. I feel sooooo lucky to have friends like you... I couldnt ask for anymore – your positive feedback, quotes, outbursts & even swearing at me did me wonders."

Mealinda's Christmas

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:10:57 GMT

After not seeing or hearing from her 18 year old daughter since she she was 12 (6 years ago), Mealinda reconnected via email with her daughter Roberta who now lives in Whitehorse, Yukon. Over the past 5 months, they have corresponded a few times and Mealinda has asked for and received Roberta's forgiveness. And two days after Christmas, Mealinda received the best Christmas gift ever when Roberta came all the way from Whitehorse to visit! Over the past 9 days, Mealinda and Roberta have been inseparable - cooking, shopping, chatting, and even having sleepovers. Roberta even came to the group and shared her inspirational story with the sisters. Today, Mealinda has been clean and sober for 2 months and 4 days and she credits reconnecting with her daughter for the sobriety and stability she now has. Roberta is so happy to have her mother back in her life and doesn't want to leave and return to the Yukon. It has been the merriest of Christmases and happiest of New Year's for both.

Aboriginal Women’s Support Group: Session Number 60

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:24:30 GMT

Today was a remarkable session.

When we began filming 7 months ago, 6 of the 10 Street Sisters were homeless, living on the streets or in shelters. Today, all of the sisters have a home!

Each of the sisters who attended today talked about how much their lives have changed in the past 7 months and how positive and hopeful they are about their futures.

Janet is excited to be moving out of an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) Hotel in the downtown eastside (DTES) and into market housing outside the DTES with her boyfriend this Thursday.

Meleanda talked about how badly she wants to reconnect with her 18 year old daughter like several of the other sisters have with their children. She has emailed her daughter who lives up north and is looking forward to being a mother again and having her daughter back in her life.

Kim continues to heal in a residential treatment facility that she and her boyfriend Doug reside at in Surrey. With the exception of two minor slips, Kim has been clean and sober for 6 months. She also shared how much pain accompanies getting clean and sober.The sisters helped Kim celebrate her birthday today with a cake. She turns 35 tomorrow.

Gloria, Sam and newborn Richard are all doing remarkably well and are looking forward to going home in the middle of November.

Sophia, who is 5 months pregnant, is doing well on a methadone maintenance program, abstaining from all other drugs and looking forward to getting married to her boyfriend Ron in December.

Sonia (Sandra) will be missing 6 weeks to participate as a cast member in the Headlines Theatre production of After Homelessness. Darlene was sick at home with the H1N1 virus.

Rosa, Vanessa and Sarah did not attend.

Spirituality

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:15:43 GMT

Dr. Gabor Maté facilitated the group today and asked the sisters how important spirituality was/is for them. He suggested that it might be an important dimension of their healing journey.

Janet spoke about her lack of identity and trying to find herself as a child growing up as an orphan in Vancouver. She spoke of the joy she experienced dancing with her daughter at the Pow-Wow this summer.

Mealinda spoke of being raised a Catholic, the daughter of a preacher and how painful it still is to talk about.

Sonia was raised white and went to Catholic school. She hates Christianity but believes in a higher power and wants to find her spiritual side. As a child she was taught to be ashamed of being native.

After residential school, Rosa’s mom didn’t want her children going to church or learning the native ways. Rosa ended up hating churches after hearing about all the abuse and missing children in the residential schools. On the walk4justice, Rosa met her parents for the first time in 38 years and they told her that her Indian name means strong spiritual woman.

Vanessa was born and raised in Vancouver and has never really connected with her native spirituality. She has some CD’s of native music which, out of respect, she only listens to when she’s sober.

Darlene grew up Catholic and was both an altar and choir girl but her grandmother also taught her their native language and traditions.

When Sylvia first got clean and sober she hated God but realized she had to change her attitude towards spirituality. Her spirituality is now a blend of many different teachings.

Mealinda's Thanksgiving Dinner

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:18:14 GMT

After being homeless for more than a year, Mealinda and Dave celebrated their new home at the newly renovated Savoy Hotel by cooking turkey dinner for the sisters. To see the difference in Mealinda and Dave in such a short time, simply as the result of having a home, is remarkable. Mealinda put so much effort into the dinner. She and Dave walked all the way from downtown to the Superstore at 12th & Renfrew to purchase the food! And Mealinda even woke up in the middle of the night because she had a nightmare that someone had stole the turkey ... Fortunately no one had and the dinner was amazing - roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, carrots, gravy, pasta salad and pumpkin pie. It was a wonderful evening …