"Hope Alliance made it possible for me to get the help I needed. All I had to do was say yes. I was given access to a top notch treatment center free of charge to me. My family and I are forever grateful."
​~Ryan M.

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My Journey of Recovery and Faith

My name is Kimberly Redance.  I was only 8 years old when I smoked my first cigarette. By 12, I was smoking marijuana. My mom was a great mother—she worked hard to provide for me and did her best—but she had no idea what I was doing while she was working. I learned to hide things, and I did a lot she never knew about. What started as a cigarette at 8 and marijuana at 12 led me down a road I never imagined.

Addiction does not stop where it begins—it progresses. Over the next twenty years, I went from smoking marijuana while having “fun” with friends to becoming an IV drug user. I was arrested countless times, convicted of many crimes, sent to jail after jail, sat in prison, and committed myself to detox. I spent years on probation and parole that I could never finish because I couldn’t stop using. A simple Google search of my name or a public record search would show it all. I stole from stores, conned my way through situations, and lived in a way where officers knew me by name. Addiction stripped me of everything—literally everything. My dignity, morals, and hope were all gone.

I honestly thought I had no purpose. I never dreamed of being anything in life. I believed my story would always be about drugs and crime, and the worst part is I was almost ready to accept that fate. Meanwhile, my health was collapsing under the weight of my choices.

I was constantly sick from infections. I was diagnosed with bilateral cellulitis and pitting edema more times than I can count. I damaged my liver and kidneys from drinking. I had alcohol-induced seizures and acute pancreatitis—just to name a few of the health conditions caused by my destructive lifestyle. My body was shutting down from the way I was living.

I thought I was beyond help, but God had other plans. He put people in my path who believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. My turning point came when Officer Barrineau at the Nash County Probation Department saw something in me. She knew I wanted to quit using but didn’t know how (she told me this later after I got clean). She asked the judge to let me go to treatment instead of back to prison for yet another crime I committed. He agreed but specifically said he doubted it would work. I had no insurance and no way to pay for treatment, so I thought prison was where I was headed. Around that same time, a friend’s mom connected me with Terry Pierce from the Hope Alliance, and she helped get me into a 30-day treatment center. She set everything up so all I had to do was go. I went to Changing Tides in Kitty Hawk, NC, and that’s where my life was forever changed.

At Changing Tides, I had a whole team of professionals behind me that are very passionate about what they do, especially Dr. Angel Miller—who I still text with daily. The care team there made me feel heard for the first time and gave me the tools needed to begin the healing process. They also took me to outside 12-step meetings, and something finally clicked. For the first time, I had the real desire to get clean. I picked up the phone and told my family, “I never want to use again.” That was the beginning of my new life.

On July 3, 2023, I surrendered to the disease of addiction and stepped away from all mood- and mind-altering drugs. Later that year, I also quit smoking cigarettes after 25 years. And on July 14, 2024, I gave my life to Christ as my Lord and Savior. I also started attending church with my 14-year-old son—a moment that reminded me how much God has restored in our family. For the first time in decades, I am completely free from the court system—no probation, no parole, no papers. That is a freedom I never thought I would see.

Today, I am an active member of Narcotics Anonymous (NA). I attend a meeting every day, work the steps, and practice the program. I have a sponsor with 32 years clean (whose sponsor has 57 years), and I now sponsor women in the program to give back what was freely given to me. I help facilitate a NA newcomers' workshop on InTheRooms.com and chair meetings for the NA Live group once a week. I also reach out to women in jail, sending recovery literature and answering calls to be a listening ear, because I know how much it means to feel heard in the darkest times.

Recovery has also given me true friendships. Today I have people in my life who are there for me unconditionally. We encourage each other, support each other, and when life gets heavy, we are each other’s rocks. Those friendships gave me the strength to start showing up differently in life.

For the first time, I was able to hold a job long enough to earn paid time off. People count on me. I am trustworthy, consistent, and dependable. I also write and send out Inspiring Words every morning via text to encourage people. On September 8, 2025, I celebrated the 2-year anniversary of doing this daily, and it continues to be one of the ways I give back what God has given me.

As my body healed and my routines grew stronger, I also discovered a love for health and discipline that I never thought possible. Since getting clean, I have lost 114 pounds. I wake up bright and early every morning to run or jog five miles with my dog, Mr. Boots. I love catching the sunrise and taking pictures as it rises. Those simple mornings remind me how much recovery has given me—peace, purpose, and things I never had before. The breathtaking views remind me how precious life is. My son and I also complete 5K and 1-mile races together to support different organizations and give back.

Education has become another area where God has completely restored me. As my life began to stabilize, I realized I had a desire to learn. Today, I am a college student pursuing my bachelor’s degree in theology with a concentration in biblical counseling. I hold a 4.0 GPA and have made the Dean’s List every semester. This is something I never thought possible when I was lost in addiction, but today it’s my reality.

Life today is by no means perfect. I carry the reality of being a convicted felon. I don’t own a house or a car yet, and I am still working through financial debt. But none of that defines me anymore. Each day I keep building, one step at a time, and I know that real life takes time to grow. I may not have much in the way of material things, but I am overflowing with what matters most—I am rich in spirit. I have God, and I have a circle of amazing friends in recovery who love me, support me, and meet me right where I am.

Every day, I make a living amends for the harm I caused in active addiction. Today, I am a productive member of society. I’m a full-time employee, a thriving student, a mother my son can look up to, and a woman living in freedom that I once thought was impossible.

I will never forget where I have come from, and I am beyond blessed for every trial, tribulation, and difficulty I have faced—because they have made me who I am today. None of this would be possible without God. All glory goes to Him.

I share my story because I want people to know this: no one is too far gone. I went from an 8-year-old sneaking cigarettes to an IV drug user whose body was shutting down, whose name was known in courtrooms and jail cells. Yet today, I am free. By God’s grace, I am not who I was. If you’re struggling, don’t give up. Keep showing up. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Because one day you will look back, like I do now, and see that every painful step was leading you toward a life you never thought you could have.

Important to Note: I am not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, any organizations, treatment centers, or platforms mentioned in my testimony. They are simply part of my story. God is also part of my story. These are my personal views, and I understand that others may connect with recovery through a Higher Power of their own understanding. It is absolutely possible to get clean and live free no matter how you define that Higher Power.

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My name is Terry Pierce. I am the Hope Alliance Coordinator for Wilson. 

I knew at a young age I wanted to work with people battling the disease of substance addiction.  Living with a “functional alcoholic” father and a sister battling crack/cocaine addiction, I watched my mother cry endless tears in pain as her first-born child was battling a hell storm.

I remember going to the jail to get my father out as he was arrested on another DWI. I remember not having a bookbag for school, but my father had his beer. I remember going for days and not seeing my dad because he was with his buddies out drinking and I would be asleep when he got home.

Years of living like this I knew I had to do something to prevent another mom from crying over her child or a wife bailing her husband out of jail for another DWI. Trying to talk to my sister or my father about getting help would always cause arguments within our home.

Throughout the years, my mom and I would call every treatment facility, every mental health facility, every resource we could find. Time and time again we were told unless you have insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket for treatment and it was always thousands of dollars. It felt as if no one cared about the person, just the money. I knew there had to be someone that could or would be willing to help our family but without the insurance, we kept facing rejection. The tears I witnessed my mother cry after being told “unless you pay out of pocket, there is nothing we can do”, set my heart on fire to find that help! How can someone put a price on saving a life? Is a life not more valuable than that? Not understanding this led me to my career today. 

I started my studies at Barton College where I obtained my bachelor's degree in social work with a concentration in substance use. I then went on to Ohio State University where I received my master’s degree in social work with a concentration in substance use and mental health. I then attended East Carolina University for my certification in Addictions Prevention and Treatment Studies. 
 
Although these degrees are important and look good on a resume, having these does not mean anything to a family trying to save their loved one, or to the person using trying to free of substance use.  While I learned a lot from both colleges, having hands-on experience teaches you so much more than sitting in a classroom. There is no “textbook addict” or alcoholic. Those pictures we always see of how a “junkie” or alcoholic looks are by far nothing more than stigma. What those textbooks don’t show us is those that are battling addiction look like you and me. They are the coworkers we see daily, the doctors we go to when we’re sick, the lawyers that help us out of a ticket, the tellers at the bank, the kids we are cheering on at our schools’ game, etc.  They look like my father getting up daily going to work.  They look like my sister that had several college scholarships due to her performance playing high school ball.

Just as those college degrees are a title on a resume, our social status or professional title means nothing to addiction. Addiction does not care about your status, wealth or who you are, just as the dope dealer doesn’t care about your life other than making a profit from your battle or the demons you fight with daily. 

Having a career with Hope Alliance has given me many heartwarming moments. Meeting people at the lowest times in their life, giving them hope, encouragement, support and seeing them overcome their addiction has been the best achievements of this career. Saving a son, daughter, mom or dad is what makes this a career and not a job. Having a family member come to you and personally thank you for the opportunity given to their loved one, or the person calling you to say thank you for saving them, to those referrals that come from someone who has gone through Hope Alliance is priceless. 

While those blessings are amazing, this career does come with its heartbreaks. Seeing those you have tried to help overdose or lose their life to addiction is hard to accept. Having to tell a mother and father that their child has overdosed and is now deceased, is the hardest thing I ever had to do. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is hope and it’s only a phone call away. 

Hope Alliance is only a piece of puzzle, it takes a whole community to come together to overcome addiction. It’s not just that person’s problem. It’s a community problem. Hope Alliance is blessed to partner with other community agencies that are just as passionate about saving lives from addiction and we have joined together to give residents of Wilson another chance at a better tomorrow. 

Had there been a Hope Alliance or a community that offered these resources, that I could have reached out to, chances are I would still have my father. Although my sister is aware of Hope Alliance, I can only pray that she will take that step before it’s too late; yet in the meantime, I just keep reaching out to her and others in hopes they will accept the help and resources our community offers and realize they too can overcome this nightmare. 
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While there is still work to be done in Wilson and surrounding areas, our community will keep fighting for sobriety!!  

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