A Recipe for Redemption
“I wanted to drink until I died.”
When K’wuan was six years old, he stood in the kitchen with his grandmother preparing the Thanksgiving feast. He made the macaroni and cheese. From that day on, he wanted to become a chef like his father, his paternal grandmother and his maternal grandfather.
At age nine, K’wuan became a big brother and was no longer the center of his family’s attention. At fourteen, he had his first drink. At sixteen, he got his first job.
Here’s his story in his own words:
“Growing up, I felt socially awkward. I was always considered mature for my age and since my father moved out when I was three, I was technically the man of the house. If I wanted to buy anything, my mom said I would have to get a job.
At first, I drank only on weekends. I was responsible and not in trouble with the law. I just did typical teenage things. I graduated from high school and focused on working. When I was twenty, I was in my first serious relationship and became engaged. After two years, I realized I could not provide for her the way I felt I should and asked for time. She responded by breaking up with me. That is when my drinking escalated.
At first, I would drink myself to sleep and became a functioning alcoholic. Then I started missing shifts because of drinking. For the next ten years, I was caught in a cycle of moving in and out of jobs and places to live. Eventually, I was living with a friend who was evicted and soon found myself sleeping in a park or on chairs in a dark office at work.
Over the years, I had multiple periods of sobriety followed by relapse. I finally reached the point where I wanted to drink until I died. I lost passion for everything. I had no job, no place to stay, just the streets. I searched online for homeless shelters near me, called Helping Up Mission and two days later walked through the doors.
HUM is a safe haven filled with brotherhood. During the year, there were times when I wanted to leave, but I knew my family, who supported me, would be hurt. At first, I was happy to be working in the kitchen, hoping to cook, but I was moved to the treatment office. Working on the fourth floor taught me patience, helped me loosen up and reminded me how to laugh.
While at HUM, I attended a mentor retreat called The Heart of Man, where I learned how to shoot a bow and I finally felt grounded. Thanks to Tim Engers, Life Preparation Coordinator, I achieved a major milestone when I enrolled in FoodWorks and became ServSafe certified in food handling and management. This was my first formal experience in the culinary field and it unlocked my childhood dream. To my recently passed grandmother, my biggest cheerleader, I promise to make her proud. Every time I cook, I feel like that six-year-old boy in the kitchen dreaming of becoming a chef.”
