Ryan’s Story
Five years ago Ryan was living on the streets in Port Coquitlam.
Here he is recently (on the left), smiling with his Dad, Marty (right) and Larry, the pastor who baptized them both (middle).
In his late 20’s then, Ryan had already been homeless for four years. He was using fentanyl and other drugs. Life was scary and depressing.
Looking back, Ryan remembers feeling resigned to this fate. “It got to the point where I fully expected to live the rest of my life that way.”
But in 2021, he got hit by something unexpected.
What Ryan remembers is using the last of the drugs he could find that day, and then going to sleep.
But when he woke up, it was in Royal Columbian Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Ryan had been struck by an ambulance while wandering the streets, high and unaware. He fractured vertebrae in his back and neck. He broke his arm and had 15 staples in the back of his head. His body was wrecked.
Today, Ryan credits that painful accident with saving his life.
When he was ready to leave the hospital, his Dad, Marty, convinced him to give recovery a chance. He knew how powerful it could be — he was a recovering addict himself.
More than a decade earlier, Marty had walked through the doors at Hope for Freedom. Desperate to get Ryan into recovery, he called his old friends. They welcomed Ryan in with open arms.
Over the last four years, while Ryan had been homeless, Marty had been praying relentlessly for his son. He was always tracking him down on the streets. He sought him out to check on him, to give him some food or money and make sure he was still alive.
From his own experience with addiction, Marty knew how hard, but empowering recovery and the 12 step program could be. And he never gave up hope that Ryan would find his way to sobriety too.
Ryan walked in the door to Hope for Freedom broken and unsure four years ago.
At first he always had an escape plan on hand. But as he did the work, one step at a time, the escape plan faded a little bit more each week. And then one day, he realized there was nowhere else he would rather be.
Looking back, Ryan remembers Hope for Freedom as a welcoming place. He remembers that there was always food to eat and something new to learn.
And after a year in recovery, Ryan started to see a way out: a new life. He saw a chance to build something for himself that could last.
And that’s exactly what he’s done. With four years of sobriety under his belt and a whole lot of hard work, Ryan now runs Hope for Freedom’s aftercare program for men and women who graduate from the recovery program and are taking steps to rebuild their lives. Ryan supports them in finding housing, work and an ongoing support system.
Ryan knows what it’s like to rebuild, forgive and restore.
Through tough conversations, empathy and love Ryan and Marty have found their way back to a restored relationship. They get to spend time with Ryan’s sister and her children. They go fishing and camping together.
Generational cycles of addiction are being broken by men who have learned how to care for themselves and those around them.
Will you help the next person start their recovery journey today?
For a gift of just $50 this Christmas, you can open the door to freedom from addiction.
Ryan now enjoys fishing and camping with his friends and family.
