When Sharon arrived in Toronto last year for Renascent’s Road to Recovery Walk/Run, she carried more than gratitude with her. She carried years of fear, heartbreak, hope, relief, and finally, joy.

Sharon flew from Florida and joined her family in Ontario to support the organization that helped save her son Donovan’s life.

“May 27 will mark a year and a half in recovery,” she says. “It’s a miracle. I’m so, so proud of him.”

For years, Sharon watched addiction slowly take hold of her son, who first began struggling as a teenager. Over time, what started with cigarettes and marijuana grew into something far more serious. Sharon says there were many attempts to get help over the years, but addiction kept pulling him back.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he would have died,” she says quietly. “I truly believe that.”

The turning point came when Donovan called her one night in crisis – the first time he had ever directly asked for help.

“I got on a plane and went to Canada,” Sharon recalls. “I knew something was terribly wrong.”

As she searched for treatment options, Sharon saw an ad for Renascent and made the call herself.

“At first, I didn’t know what to expect,” she says.  “But when they opened the door, the kindness was unbelievable. One man hugged Donovan and said, ‘Come on in.’ I just went back to the car and cried because I knew they were going to take care of him and he would be safe there.” 

Today, Sharon says the difference in her son is impossible to miss.

“My son’s back,” she says. “Not only back, but new and improved.”

She describes a man who now wakes up before dawn for work, walks his dog, is rebuilding trust with his family, and is learning to truly live in the present.

“You can see it in his face,” she says. “His countenance speaks for him.”

That gratitude is what brought Sharon and her family to the Road to Recovery Walk/Run.

“It was amazing,” she says. “You realize how many people are affected by addiction and recovery. It brought our family together in a way we really needed.”

One moment especially stayed with her: participants were invited to write on their shirts who they were walking for. Sharon says the experience opened conversations within her family and reminded them they were not alone.

“Recovery is a family journey,” she says. “We’re all healing together.”

Now, Sharon encourages other families living through addiction hold onto hope, even when it feels impossible.

“Never give up,” she says. “People need to remember this is a disease. The person you love is still in there.”

For Sharon, taking part in the walk was a way to celebrate how far her family – and her son – have come.

“It’s like he was reborn,” she reflects.  “He truly feels, laughs, loves, and lives in the moment. I am so thankful for all the prayers prayed for Donovan, for Renascent’s guidance and for God’s right hand, that reached out and brought my son back to all of us. And to Donovan, for his courage to work every day to hold on to his new life.

Thanks to Renascent, Donovan has his life back,” she says. “And we have him back, too.”