“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says. Daphne’s journey, like so many, didn’t begin with addiction; it began with life circumstances, relationships, and choices that slowly led her down a difficult path. Raised in Kentucky, she spent years in Florida where she became dependent on pain pills. Over time, what started as use became something deeper. Something that distanced her from her family, her purpose, and ultimately, herself.
“I never thought I had a problem before,” Daphne shares. “I had been to programs before, but I never really worked them. I just had what they call ‘dry time.’” That changed at the Hope Center.
For the first time, Daphne didn’t just go through a program, she embraced it. Through recovery meetings, the 12 steps, and a supportive community, she began to understand not just how to stop using, but how to truly live.
“This isn’t just a place to quit using,” she explains. “It’s a place to learn how to live life without having to turn to drugs.”
That shift has made all the difference.
Today, Daphne speaks with clarity and conviction about her sobriety. For the first time in her life, she says she no longer has the desire to use. Instead, she has something she never had before: purpose.
“You have to have a purpose,” she says. “Even if it’s just saying one good thing to one person that helps them stay another day, that’s enough.”
That purpose is showing up most powerfully in her role as a peer mentor at the Hope Center. Once someone who planned her escape, Daphne is now someone others look to for strength and encouragement.
“When I first got here, I had an escape plan written out,” she admits. “Now they can’t get rid of me. I love being here.”
But perhaps the most meaningful transformation in Daphne’s life isn’t just internal, it’s relational.
“The biggest joy has been rebuilding my relationship with my children,” she says.
For years, even when she was physically present, she wasn’t truly there. Now, she’s showing up in ways that matter; answering calls, spending time together, and creating new memories. With a grandchild on the way, Daphne is stepping into a new chapter with hope and intention.
“I look forward to waking up every day now,” she says.
That statement alone captures the heart of the Hope Center’s More Than campaign.
Because Daphne is more than her past. More than addiction. More than the mistakes that once defined her.
When asked what “More Than” means to her, her answer is simple, yet profound:
“I’m a child of God. I’m a grandmother. I have a future. I am more than my past.”
Her story is a powerful reminder that transformation is possible, not just in sobriety, but in identity. Through the Hope Center, Daphne didn’t just find recovery. She found herself.
And now, she’s helping others do the same.