Treatment for Tania

UPDATE: Unfortunately Tania's demons got the better of her and she chose to run away from rehab on Christmas Day. We have not had word from her, nor do we know where she finds herself today. My agreement with her was that I would support her and continue to raise funding for her recovery for as long as she is prepared to help herself and show improvement. At this stage I would like to sincerely thank each and every individual who contributed to her recovery, we couldn't have done what we did without your help. With great sadness the agreement has been terminated and we can only hope for a favourable outcome for her family and those close to her.

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"Helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for one person"

It is with a heavy heart that I've started this Go Get Funding page. Many of you may know Tania, she and I studied art together at Port Elizabeth Tech many years ago. You may have wondered over the years what happened to that gothic girl, the one with the jet-black hair, that coffin-kid I called my best friend at 16....but you may not know the predicament she finds herself in today. She has been living on the streets in George, where I found her two weeks ago. She has certainly made some very bad decisions in her life, but the world has also been very unkind to her. She lost her dad about two years ago, her daughter Jade committed suicide and her husband Thomas Kelly died from septicaemia, caused by his heroin addiction. Tania is a full blown heroin addict and at a point where she couldn't help herself even if she tried. She has a long history of drug abuse and everything else that goes along with supporting an addict's habits. Her story is long, dark and consists of many unpleasantries society likes to turn a blind eye too. Having struggled with addiction myself, I have empathy for her situation because I know a child doesn't wake up one day and dream of becoming an addict. The sad reality is that somewhere along the lines at a young age, things happened in her life that injured her being - today we see the symptoms of that hurt. Something that was never resolved, something that was never treated has festered into what is left of her today. I would like to do everything in my power to put her in a position where she can get help to heal the hurt, to resolve the cause of the addiction and to enable her to live a life that would allow her to be a mother to the two children she has left.

I am working with Freddy Trout from George, who started the organisation "People Against Substance Abuse" to get Tania into a program in Cape Town. I currently have her at Minnesota House, the drug rehabilitation centre in George where she is undergoing detox. Getting her to Cape Town and into the program will cost R15 015 followed but R4500 per month. An addict should spend 1 year in rehab for every 5 years of heroin addiction. Tania is living on the street without an income and not in a position to find employment. After meeting her in George I am convinced that this is a life or death situation. She is asking for help, although statistically there is less than 1% chance of recovery when heroin addiction is involved, I feel compelled to help her and give her one last chance. I am asking each and every person reading this to open your hearts, to show Tania and her family that there is good in a world that can be so cruel. Please help me with this cause, every rand is a rand closer to our goal of getting her help. The money will go directly toward her treatment, we have all the right people lined up to work with her. To give her the crutches she needs to stand on her own two feet again, to heal her wounded soul... but we can't do it without financial support.

****UPDATE*** Thank you so much to each and every person that has donated so far. We moved Tania to the rehabilitation centre in Eendekuil, Western Cape just outside of Cape Town. She has taken the first step in her recovery. It is a long, difficult road and she really needs our support. I am so very proud of her for making this decision, if anyone can see it through, its Tania! We managed to get the transfer costs covered, we do however need to keep her in treatment for a min of a year, we are hopeful for a two year program. We are looking at R4500/per month to cover the treatment costs and supplies like toiletries. It takes a team to tackle recovery, it's not something a person can do on their own successfully. Her family is so grateful for the help and kind gestures from every single person that has gotten involved. She can't receive phone calls at the moment, she has to get through the first 5 weeks first, but I have been checking in on her. We want her to know that she is loved and that we support her recovery. If you could find it in your heart to donate to this cause, we are seeing progress and she is taking all the right steps. We will be forever grateful. Please share this post and let's help her get through this very tough time. Many thanks on behalf of her family and everyone that holds her dear. Its fitting that her recovery is at the rehabilitation centre called "Together we can". Let's make a difference in her life and help her overcome the hurt that got her here in the first place...with your help, the healing process has already begun! I will continue to post updates throughout her recovery process. Thanks guys!!