Victoria Chittenden, Metropolitan Development Council’s (MDC) Care Coordinator Manager was the guest speaker for our Annual Share Breakfast. As the cornerstone of the event, Victoria’s triumphant story captivated the crowd of nearly 300. From discussing her life in the throes of active addiction to absolutely thriving with success, education, and empowerment, the crowd erupted in a standing ovation. Victoria rose through the barriers and now shares her story as a beacon of hope. In a beautiful twist of fate, Victoria now helps those in her community through the very same programs that empowered her. MDC is honored to share her speech, and take into mind, while reading, that everyone deserves a chance.
“Hello and Good Morning, Everyone,
Before I start, I would like to take a moment of silence for everyone who is dealing with a struggle no one knows about.
Standing here today, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for being able to share my MDC story because I am an MDC success. My story does not start much differently than those we hear every day. I came from a broken, chaotic, and abusive environment where all my parents were addicts in one form or another and had mental health issues. I had to grow up quickly to ensure that my siblings were taken care of and protected from the abuse that was happening in our home. To control and in some cases forget I began experimenting with different substances, which led to me being an addict at a young age.
I did not know that there was a different way of life, and I felt lost, hopeless, and doomed to repeat the past until I found out I was pregnant with my first child, and I wanted something different for him. During my pregnancy I was able to get clean, but it did not last once he was born, I started using again, but my addiction was different this time. I had some serious life lessons that I needed to learn.
Shortly after I started using again, I found out I was pregnant with my second child and was able to get clean again and thought that I had beat my addiction, but my disease had other plans and shortly after she was born, I relapsed. I told myself it was because I was a single mother of two and I needed the energy to be the mom they deserve. The reality was that I was scared and using allowed me to mask those feelings.
As my addiction progressed my father, who had gotten sober, decided that I was not the best person to be around my children and he removed them from my care. He hoped this would help me to get clean because my children were everything to me. It did not work how he planned because I did not get clean, but it was one of the major events that led to my rock bottom in December of 2004.
This is where my MDC story starts, I ended up hospitalized, and the doctor would not release me until he knew that I had somewhere to go that would be safe. He called Tacoma Detox at MDC, and they had a detox bed available. I was scared, but ready to live a different life for myself and my children.
When I arrived at Tacoma Detox, I was a shell of who I used to be and was nicknamed the human pinball because as I walked down the hallway to the elevator, I bounced off every wall. I almost let the elevator keep me from going to detox because I could have sworn that I was pushing the button, but I was not. My first encounter with the staff was full of support and genuine concern for my wellbeing, which was a new experience for me, and I did not know how to react, so I reverted to my way of dealing with the unknown, I was mean.
What happened next for me was nothing short of a miracle, no matter how mean I was, the staff never gave up on me and continued to help me find the strength and courage to change. The staff at MDC worked harder for me than anyone had in my entire life.
I completed my time in Detox, but like many others I had nowhere to go except back out onto the streets, and I knew it would lead to relapse. MDC then gave me another meaningful and life changing opportunity, they placed me in one of their recovery houses and enrolled me in outpatient until I was able to get a bed date for inpatient. No one had ever invested in me like the staff at MDC, which left a lasting want to give back to those who are forgotten and overlooked by most in society.
I have been clean now for almost 21 years and have a life I never dreamed possible. I have four amazing children and only two of them have seen me in active addiction. I am married to an amazing man, who supports me and tells me every day that he is proud of me and that I am his living angel because I want others to know they are important even at their lowest point because it was so freely given to me by MDC.
I took full advantage of my new life and accomplished goals that I never thought possible. I have a master’s degree in psychology, I am the manager of care coordination at MDC, and I am fulfilling my purpose everyday through working with our clients and the community.
I hope my story provides some inspiration and motivation to continue the amazing work that we do for those who come to us at their lowest point. I was one of those clients and I am honored to be up here today to say that MDC is a beacon of light and hope. “
If you would like to be part of the change and support other Pierce County residents on their path to stability, please consider donating via our website. Everyone deserves a chance at stability, to grow, to learn, and to flourish.
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