Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.“My story is not a sad story. It’s a real one. It’s a story about a girl who fought through a storm she thought would never end.” - Hannah Blum  Here is just a glimpse of that story: Kayla started using opiates when she was just 15 years old. She explained that she felt lost, and she lacked purpose and self-esteem as a child. Her father struggled with addiction and her mother wasn’t quite ready to be a mom, so her grandmother really raised her and has always stood

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Sharon Chapman is a person in recovery from a substance use disorder Interviewed by Emily Jung Sharon started using drugs when she was just 15 years old. She not only overcame her substance use disorder, she also overcame the abusive household she grew up in and the abandonment she felt due to her mother’s substance use. Sharon has been through a great deal of trauma throughout her year’s, and she fell in and out of recovery because of this, but each time she worked her way up from bottom.

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Liz Connors shares her Journey of Recovery & her Work in the Field Interviewed by Emily Jung Liz Connors has her Masters in Social Work from St. Louis University. She is currently working at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health on the Connecting the DOTS Project, where she strives to transform interactions between first responders and people who use drugs, as well as enhance resource networks in high-need communities to help overdose survivors get connected with services. Her previous role was as the Counselor Supervisor for the State Opioid

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Wilbur Smith shares his Journey of Recovery Interviewed by Emily Jung Wilbur Smith was born and raised in Ft. Myers, Florida, where he currently lives with his wife and their three beautiful boys. He is the owner and operator of Calusa Recovery, a successful treatment facility in Ft. Myers. Although busy, he tries to live life simply. Today, Wilbur Smith enjoys every second of the life he is living, because he can live it. Whereas seven years ago, in the midst of active addiction, he wasn’t truly living. He

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Chase Martinson shares his Journey of Recovery Interviewed by Emily Jung According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year… [and] 1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression,” (CDC.gov). People with mental illness are more likely to develop other medical conditions in addition to an increased risk of poverty and substance use. As people with mental illness search for a way to cope, they

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Don Willey shares his Journey as a Caregiver Interviewed by By Emily Jung Don Willey is the Business Manager for Laborers’ Local 110 in St. Louis. He joined the local in 1984 and worked for various contractors such as Fred Weber, McCarthy Brothers, K & S, J.S. Alberici, and Tarlton. In 1999 he joined the local staff as an auditor, then was elected to the Executive Board serving as Vice President, President, Secretary-Treasurer and now Business Manager. Today he sits on the boards for the Welfare & Pension Funds

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Dr. Rottnek speaks on his work in Addiction Medicine and his  involvement with the ARCHway Institute Interviewed by Emily Jung
View the interview video at the bottom of this page.
Dr. Rottnek is a Professor and the Director of Community Medicine at Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Physician Assistant Program. He is a graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Master of Arts in Health Care Mission Program at Aquinas Institute of Theology. His clinical practices have included

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Sharing his Journey of Recovery Interviewed by Emily Jung As Eric Gentry was interviewed, anyone observing could see the heartache that he has endured as well as the triumph he has felt throughout his recovery, leading him to the life he enjoys today. His tone and mannerisms changed drastically from the beginning to the end. At first, he seemed nervous and uptight. His voice was low and sounded defeated almost as if he had reverted back to the codependent boy he once was. By the end of the interview,

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Heidi is in long term recovery with a sober birthday of December 26, 2012. Interviewed by Emily Jung After years of active substance use, the road to her recovery was beyond difficult, harder than one could possibly imagine, but the fight was worth it. Today, seven years later, she is working in a career she loves as an interior designer, is a wonderful mother to her son, Oliver, and is surrounded by a support system of family and friends. Heidi continues to work on her recovery daily and lives

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Dan & Jan Stuckey Share their Journey as Caregivers in Recovery Interviewed by Emily Jung ​One cannot fathom what it is like to be the parent or sibling of a loved one in active addiction. The hurt of a caregiver is extensive and isolating. They often suffer in silence, unsure of what to do, where to go, and who to trust. Along with being angry and resentful towards the addict, they blame themselves. They ask themselves, “What could I have done differently?” They become “addicted” to trying to control

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.An Advocate for Recovery Colton Baker is a certified peer specialist with five years of sustained recovery. Interviewed by Emily Jung He works with ARCHway Institute, Recovery House, and the EPICC Project (Engaging Patients in Care Coordination) in order to help others struggling with the disease of addiction. Colton is an advocate for medically assisted treatment, transitional living, and peers with lived experience working in the field. He does numerous speaking engagements including trainings centered around the use of narcan and medically assisted treatment along with resource development. He

Stories of Hope ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.Jordan Hampton shares his Journey of Recovery
As interviewed by Emily Jung Jordan Hampton grew up in Farmington, a small town in Southeast Missouri. It was a football town, and Jordan was the star of his high school team. As captain, Jordan appeared to have it all. Everyone knew him and everyone liked him. He was by any other definition “a good ole American boy” as he put it. He had a smile on his face. He walked tall and confident. He was a leader. But this was the