Recovering from addiction, parents turn to Globe Santa for a helping hand

Anyone who has battled addiction ­­or watched a loved one struggle with the affliction knows it is a disease of isolation. Those caught in the debilitating grip of substance abuse nearly always end up alone.

“Eleven years ago, I was a hopelessly addicted heroin addict in [MCI-Framingham] with nothing and no one left in my life,” the mother of a 3-year-old girl wrote to Globe Santa.

But since that low point, she’s managed toturn her life around.

“Fast forward to today, and I just celebrated 11 years clean,” she wrote, with pride. “I have a super smart and beautiful little girl, and family and friends who love me.”

Still, the last few years have been tough. The restaurant where she had long worked, and where her co-workers had become like family, closed permanently due to the pandemic.

She’s since found a part-time job that gives her the flexibility she needs to care for her daughter, but it leaves them struggling financially.

“Any little money that I earn goes to rent, utilities, car, phone etc.,” she wrote. “After all that, I am still in the red, but it’s OK because I know I’ll get there.”

As someone accustomed to being self-sufficient, she wrote, asking Globe Santa for help was not easy. But the thought of disappointing her little girl during the holidays led her to put pen to paper.

“The one thing I can’t currently do is give [my daughter] the Christmas she deserves,” she said.

Another mother who wrote Globe Santa is just beginning the journey of addiction recovery.

She recently entered a treatment facility and hopes that it will be the first step toward a new life, one she can share with her 2-year-old son.

“Being able to have your assistance to provide my only son with gifts this Christmas will not only bring a smile to his face, but help me to feel like I am on the right path working on myself to help my family in the future,” she wrote.

These families, along with thousands of others throughout Greater Boston, will receive a visit from Globe Santa this year. Their children will be able to celebrate the holidays with new games to play and books to read.

The campaign relies on the extraordinary generosity of its donors, so please consider supporting Globe Santa and visit globesanta.org today.

Christopher Tangney can be reached at [email protected].

For 68 years Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need at holiday time. Please consider giving by phone, mail, or online at globesanta.org.

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