thank you for the prayer,the boy who we sent down there is doing very good ,my daughter not so good,but better than she was,i will have steph write later about the many miracles the lord jesus has done thru this ordeal,things only god could have done.
Here's a recap (it's long but I'm trying my best to condense it):
Saturday morning: My sister called and was all upset she missed her praxis test she had to take to become a teacher. so my mom was talking to her and basically it was like what did she want us to do? Well then my sister admitted that they did need help from drugs. (we had suspected but didn't really know what was going on...she's 28 and an adult and has lived on her own basically since she graduated high school to go to college.) So we were under the impression that her boyfriends mom and brother were getting him help, and leaving my sister. So my mom just kept saying we gotta get down to pittsburgh to see what's going on. I said yeah ask dad and we decided we'd go.
Saturday evening: My mom called my sister and said we were thinking about heading down and my sis said oh yeah but well why don't you come down Sunday because we have to clean and stuff. Well we went anyways. Got there around 8:30, and they weren't home. All the doors/windows were locked and couldn't open so we decided to wait. They eventually come home around 11, he runs in the house and locks us out "accidentally" and she's trying to stall asking if we'd take her to the post office to mail an ebay package...at 11 pm. Well we got in the house and words can't describe...just filth. So we knew something was up big time, she still was lying to us and telling us she was doing xanax and pain pills but that was it. well he could barely be around us, but I happened to move a pillow on their couch and no one saw but I saw a tourniquet...a tie off like they throw around your arm to take blood or put an iv in. So I showed my mom and dad and we thought at that point that her boyfriend was shooting...he looked like he weighed maybe 90 lbs. Still we had no clue what we were in for. We left that night around 1am, and my mom and I stuck around a few last minutes to really make sure that the boyfriend's family WAS trying to help and he was like yeah they've been trying, looking into what kind of free funding and trying ot get me residence in MA and what not. Well my sister kept saying she was scared and would only do 30 days but that was it. So we live about an hour away and on the way home got to talking and we thought, maybe his family can't or isn't trying fast enough to get help...you see it was the first time we saw him in about 3 months and he looked like walking death. My sister still had some weight on her but he was wasting away and he said before we left it was only a matter of time, he had a couple days left in him, he just felt like he was going to die. So I called my sis at 2:30am and said Nicci we were just talking and we can try to get help for Nick too because he looks worse than you are! She started crying and said Steph we were JUST talking about that, because we don't understand he's wanted help for like 2 months now but nothing's happening (here he wanted help but my sis didn't, and she wouldnt' go without him). So we said ok, we're going to help both.
Sunday morning: My mom just started calling everywhere, thought she was calling one place and it ended up being a place in florida. So we thought ok we have to go back down there we can leave at noon (they were originally supposed to come back home sunday to check out rehabs online). We had a plan to at least try and get him some medical attention asap because we knew it was bad. Well we get there, and they were passed out...we couldn't get in again. Eventually we got to the point where she woke up and unlocked the door and let us in. So she goes, UGH WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE KIDNAPPED, and we were like what are you talking about? Go back to bed and just come up and talk when your'e ready. Well her boyfriend woke up and came upstairs and my dad was outside at the time. So he was sitting on the couch and told my mom and I, guys you know I'm really bad. We said yeah, we're not dumb. He said yeah I'm using needles. We said we figured and my mom asked how much? He said 25-30, and my mom said are you shooting the pain pills? He said no, 25-30 bags of heroin a day. We were speechless, I left to go outside to call the place in florida and say I need to get both in, and actually him first if I have to because he's going to die. So I was outside working on that, trying to figure out a way on a Sunday of how to get the large amount of money it would take. Well I saw my sis finally woke up and came outside in her robe and my dad gave her a big hug and as she was walking back in the house my mom was coming out and my dad came over to the back end of my jeep and said Steph...she just told me she's doing the SAME amount as him! She's shooting too! So we had to get BOTH of them in ASAP. It was just one thing going wrong after another...the price was too much, I only could get so much on my credit card...I couldn't put any money down to get them in sunday because if we couldn't get the rest I would need all the funds I had in case they'd need to be in a hospital.
Sunday evening: My dad and I said ok we'll try to get a loan through a place that works with the rehab but nothing can happen until tomorrow, so we told them we'd get them both in down there (having no clue if we could or not). My dad and I came back home to grab suitcases, I tried grabbing all the photos I could of happy times with them, of family, of everything, bible, game magazines he liked, some make up for my sis...just little things to help them out. Well my mom was still down there with them and was going to try to clean...the dishes had mold growing on them, there was a room with clothes piled 2' high across the entire floor which is where the cat litter box was, I couldn't even walk in that room without dry heaving, so I said don't touch anything we'll get it taken care of.
Sunday night: My sister was too tired to pack so was going to Monday morning. Well we couldn't even sleep just being in that place, we were afraid to leave them, my dad eventually dozed off and my mom and I were up until about 5am, then woke up for good at 7am. So we're all running on very little sleep and food.
Monday morning: I call to try and get the loan, it didn't open until 10am. I give them all my info they say ok it takes about an hour. An hour later the guy from the center calls to see how it went, I said I didn't hear back yet he said ok hold on. She calls back and says since the loan amount was so large they had to verify I made what I said I did to fax over pay stubs, I said I'm an hour away she said ok if your work can fax a letterhead saying you work there and your salary before taxes that will do. So I had to call my boss and was able to get through and they said they did talk to someone from that place who had called to verify. So I thought ok. Well times ticking away, they call me back around 11:30-12 and say with your income level we can only approve you for 5,000. I said 5,000 is nothing if I cant get it all. So they said maybe you can get a cosigner. We couldn't. No one would do it. While this was happening my dad even tried to call friends who had excess because we just didn't know what else to do, but all dead ends. I even tried to get my credit card increased to the amount but they said I would need a coapplicant on it who made at least 50,000 a year...so we were going to try my aunt's husband (she's now a stay at home mom) but she couldn't get through to him. Here it ends up he lost his phone at work! So it just kept feeling hopeless as the hours ticked by, all we could think is we promised help and now it looks like it's not going to happen.
Monday afternoon: So my grandparents called and said I think we can get a loan but it's only for X amount. So I figured ok well X amount plus exactly the X amount on my credit card, was the EXACT price they wanted to 2 people for the detox plus 30 days. So things were looking up, but in order to do it I had to put all that was on my card down that day and get to a fax machine so I could sign the agreement and get them the money. We made about 4 trips to the local staples that day. Well I call my grandparents to make SURE they'll definitely have it because I had to put that down the next day or so. They did so I go to Staples and wait for them to fax me the agreement, it's about 3:00 pm at this time. So I say ok mom you get on the phone and try to see if there's a direct flight to where they needed to go, I'll take care of things on this end. So wait for the fax it comes though, I send it and wait. They call and say it didn't go through, I said that's ok it's because of the amount I'll haveto call and ok it. So I call my credit card company. Wait. Wait. about 3:25 (every minute seemed like 100 years) they answer, sorry fo the wait we're having system issues...our new server which runs Windows crashed and now we're having to use a really ancient way of doing things. For each stage I had to repeat my number just so she could get through to see the charge pending and ok the amount for the day. It took about 15 minutes and the system came back up so she was able to do it. So it's 3:40. We head back to the apt. My mom says there's only 1 flight, it leaves at 5:55, there's a layover but they don't have to switch planes...but won't end up where they need to be until 11pm. They thought it would only be a couple hours, to them they didn't think they could make it that long but were willing to try. So we say we HAVE to go...because neither had current ID cards, Nick didn't even have any id card. With all the commotion going on we didn't know what time they'd be open til. Well my sis was dragging butt...not wanting to go...taking forever, crying this that and the other and nick was getting nervous. 4:00 pm we head to the id place which normally would take about 35-40 min to get to. While this is happening my mom had to wait 30 min for her bank to ok a higher limit for the day because the limit is $500 and the plane tickets cost...$520. So on the way to get the ids (so they could pick up the plane tickets and get through security) my mom calls back. It still wouldn't go through...we were on our way for ids and the airport with NO tickets! So she called my aunt and she was able to give us her number and book the tickets, and we paid her back the next day. So we now have the tickets, on to ids. My sis tells us shortcuts we get there and the clock in our jeep says 4:15, the door says closes at 4:15 we all run out I ran to the wrong place they were like NO ONE'S HERE! I said Don't worry, let's just go! We gotta try, I knew he had his social security card and bank cards and just prayed maybe that would do. So we were coming in from a way we usually don't take and somehow managed to find and get to the airport by 4:45. Ok so we go get the tickets and check the luggage, and they need id to check luggage my sis had two outdated photo ids but they still had her pic on it so she said it was ok. So we dodged a bullet, only to find out you definitely need id through security. So my sis and parents went to get something quick to eat and I called the place and was like I dont know what to do. They said just try, go to the ticket counter and explain the situation let me talk to them if they need to. So I figured what do we have to lose, I explained they were going to rehab and he iddn't have photo id just soc. card and bank cards, and she said ok we can just write no id let me see here. typed something in and said they'll check him down there. So we thought ok. So they wanted to go have one last cigarette before getting to security and their gate (which was A1, the closest, and you'll see why I make mention of this in a second). So times ticking, and we're getting nervous we tell them to double check their pockets and everything for a third time just in case and of course my sis found an alcohol swap in her purse and he found a couple of syringe caps and threw them all out. Meanwhile they're wearing clothes they've had on for who knows how long, his pants actually had blood and burns and holes in it....5:35 they're in line for security and the line had doubled from the short time we were outside. 5:55 the plane leaves. 5:45 security's giving them a hard time...they're not sure if they can let him through without a photo id...but they do! I mean in this day and age when would that ever happen without God pulling some strings. So they're waiting to get their bags I keep eye contact they keep waving, blowing kisses, I told my sister A 1 and she signed back A 1 and I said yeah and pointed to my wrist to mean time and made the motion of RUN! So they got their stuff waved and took off it was 5:49. We ran to the board to watch, 5:56 it says departed and 5:57 it disappears from the board. 8 minutes we thought, was it possible for them to have not gotten confused and made it?!? We waited at the airport for an hour and a half just in case they didn't. As we were walking out, my phone rang and it was my sis, she said steph we got to the gate, the door was closed they were getting ready to release the brakes (originally I thought they had released them) but she said they let us in! I guess that if the brakes would have been released there would have been no way. So they made it. The days are kind of a blur, they were just insane, but the only way my parents and I made it was with God's help to guide us and work through us, and somehow they made it. I mean, if God didn't have a plan for them they should have been dead by now. By His grace with all of the awful, terrible things they were doing somehow we found them in time and got them into a place for help. Now they have to let God into their lives to grow and fix it.
There are a lot of things in there I'm sure I missed, I'm still a little exhausted but gaining strength. I want to document all of this at some point. Nick is doing really well, he's excited and loves it and had an Angel of a worker by his side since the beginning of detox who Nick think's the world of. He said Steph this is the coolest, neatest guy I've ever met. He doesn't care I'm drug addict, he's all about recovery and the first day I woke up, I couldn't get out of bed but opened my eyes and there was this guy saying God Bless you Man, God Bless you. And he said I mean, I can't believe there are people like him, he doesn't know me and is all about helping me. He sounds already like a new person! Now my sister on the other hand has a little further to go down her path back to God. She one knew God, and turned, and is very "mental" right now. So like I said there's so much more to this story, I mean God's so great and we can't stop thanking him for what's happened so far...without Him none of this was possible. There's still a long road to go, but thank you all for your prayers...they're amazing. I just hope that they can truly repent, and for every person they hurt, they can help someone. I hope this story can reach out to others and show them that there is hope. We will write more in time. God Bless you all!
