Mia's Story
Names have been changed to protect the victim.
PART ONE
Mia has long, straight, blonde hair and a big, bright smile. She’s endearing and a little nervous. And Mia has a story no one could imagine by looking at her. When she was 8, Mia was molested. For almost all trafficking survivors we rescue at The WellHouse, sexual abuse and victimization begins in childhood. Mia’s father was in prison; he was not around much at all. Her mother was addicted to drugs for much of her childhood. “When I was 10, she’d leave me for three days at home by myself,” Mia said. Mia described running around the neighborhood looking for her mom and going to the known dope houses to find and bring her home.
At 14, she got to know a 40-year old lady named Kitty, a neighbor who introduced her to drugs. Because of Mia’s complex and traumatic childhood, she was vulnerable to drug use. First, it was smoking pot every day after school. Over time, that escalated to crack and various other drugs, and then to pain pills. The pills were what started her addiction. For a while, they helped numb the pain of her difficult upbringing.
Kitty told Mia she could have one pill for every one she sold, so she went out selling to classmates and neighbors. She got to where she was taking three a day... and more and more until she was in need of seven per day. “At 15, it was hard to find people to buy seven pills a day to support my addiction. So, I turned to a different form of easy money. But that happened only a few times.” It was a toe in the water compared to what she would get lured into next.
Mia had a boyfriend who ended up in jail. While he was in jail, she was desperate to help him in any way she could, and she needed money to do that. She recalls crying about this on the bus home. A girl she met on the bus who seemed concerned asked her what was wrong. After Mia explained the situation, the girl told her she knew a way for her to make money. “I didn’t know it then, but I was being groomed,” Mia said. Mia didn’t have any family support, had dropped out of high school, and was left with no options. So she went with the girl.
“She took me to a hotel to meet the pimp, and they started showing me how to use Back Page, an online sex buying website. But something wasn’t right with these two, they were acting crazy... so I got out of there.” On her way out of the hotel, Mia encountered a man in a Ferrari who offered her a “better opportunity.” He was also a trafficker. “Hey baby doll, call me Genuine,” he said. Genuine took her to a nicer hotel, and from there she was prostituted for months. She never got to keep any money she “worked” for. She was a slave, her body being used for sex.
After time, Mia thought often about leaving “the life.” Though she entered somewhat by choice, she felt as though she was stuck in it, trapped. “I felt so much shame about what I was doing. My family kinda figured out what was going on and I couldn’t go home to face them,” she said.
Mia was trafficked for years by two additional traffickers, one of which was her boyfriend. Her third trafficker was the worst. He was a gang member, drug and sex trafficking ring leader, and she was caught in the middle of it. After law enforcement caught wind of his activity, he and his affiliate were arrested. Mia was arrested, too. “These two monsters were involved in a massive drug and human trafficking ring that saturated the streets with heroin and cocaine, and even fed these addictive drugs to young trafficking victims to further coerce and exploit them for sex,” a news report stated.
He was one of two major gang members who were taken down. Mia testified against him. “Scariest time of my life,” she recounts. The two were charged with racketeering and conspiracy to engage in racketeering. They couldn’t pin them for trafficking. Even with testimonies, sometimes human trafficking is too hard to prove.
About her former life, Mia says, “I was disconnected from my own body. Making money became addicting, even though I wasn’t able to keep it. My coping mechanism, from an early age, was drugs. I just felt lost in it.”
PART TWO
After Mia testified against her traffickers, they were each sentenced with 25 years in prison! Her bravery to stand up to them helped lock them away, and no longer can they harm young girls.
Mia was offered the chance to enter a recovery program to avoid jail time. She started off in drug rehabilitation programs, then moved to a trafficking recovery program before coming to The WellHouse. Mia was unsuccessful in her first four programs; she was kicked out for not following rules and continuing to return to drugs. She almost gave up and thought about going to jail as a last resort.
Then Mia found The WellHouse. She got to The WellHouse and felt a sense of grace immediately. Early in her stay, she attempted to sneak out to use drugs one night, but was caught. Instead of dismissing her, The WellHouse team understood the difficulty in managing addiction, and gave her a second chance. She never got in trouble again. That little bit of grace kept her going. Sometimes, showing grace just one more time can change a person’s live, forever.
Mia describes her experience at The WellHouse as “overall AMAZING!” Initially, The WellHouse bought her airline ticket to get to the program. When the Rescue Coordinator picked her up at the airport and asked her where she wanted to get a bite to eat, this act of kindness helped earn her trust right away, and made her feel at home. When Mia arrived on campus, she was a little overwhelmed by meeting so many new girls, but eventually, she became a social butterfly. “I was met [at the safe house] by Ms. Bev, the house coordinator, and she said ‘Ohhh I like you! You are a sweet girl,’” said Mia.
Mia explained that later, she started to love the program because of how many girls there were, the relationships they were forming, and the fact that there were always activities going on to keep her mind engaged. She didn’t have time to think about using drugs. she progressed through the long-term program, she started to fully participate in everything, and she loved it. She enjoyed the daily programs such as art therapy, ShopWell, Jobs for Life, equine therapy, exercise classes, cooking classes, Bible study, and more. This structure of a daily routine helped her become grounded, and she still maintains a daily routine.
Mia says that her favorite classes were Ms. Trudi's gym class every Friday and Ms. Adrienne's Matrix class. Matrix, led by a licensed therapist, is a substance recovery group that gives insight into addiction as well as tools to help when they struggle. She also enjoyed art with Ms. Nikki. Mia had a tough time going through therapy for a while, because she was struggling with the fact that she was being required by the court to be in the program. She felt she didn't have a choice.
“Almost every counseling session was about me feeling trapped here. And then, BOOM! I got it. I let go. I let God in, and I surrendered to the process. It's a daily challenge I deal with, today but I give it to God when I realize I want control,” Mia explains. Mia said she always knew about God growing up, but God really became real to her through the relationships formed at The WellHouse. Her faith has grown and is stronger than ever.
Mia learned life skills at The WellHouse, one of which was to make a plan for her recovery. That plan could include moving, changing jobs, or simply creating the next week's agenda! Planning was a skill she says she didn't have before. “God comes first, then recovery, then family,” Mia said, “It has to, or I won't remain sober.”
Mia learned a lot about herself during the program. “I learned I actually like structure! It's my addiction that doesn't. I love fitness and working out. I like to garden, and I draw or color when I am experiencing high anxiety,” she said. “I also learned that my feelings shall too pass. And the feelings, or urges to use, should only last roughly 15 minutes or so.”
Mia also found a love of reading and writing poems. This is a poem Mia recently wrote, titled “No Love”:
Pimp after pimp, date after date
she had no love, only hate.
Trick after trick, just to keep from being dope sick
she hates herself, she hates her name, she's done with
her life, she wants to end the pain.
But it's not that easy, she sees her veins and it sends her into
a frenzy.
She fights, cries and has fits; just wanting a fix
But that's just it, one is never enough, she cries to God
looking up
He says trust and believe, it's not my fight; He already achieved
So just remember He'll never leave!
The WellHouse assisted Mia with getting her license back, and she saved up to buy a car. Because she was successful in the program, all of her charges and fines have been dropped. In fact, a lawyer was assigned to her case to file for expungement, which is in the process of being finalized. Mia’s relationship with her mother, who is sober now too, is stronger than ever.
PART THREE
Mia is now in the process of enrolling in college, and plans to major in Exercise Science. She wants to be a personal trainer! She is working full time at a local pottery studio, and she is living in our transitional living apartments.
Mia is living proof that God has grace for all of us, if we’re willing to let Him into our lives and have control. She’s a living testament that even though we all mess up, or get off God’s path, God can recover and restore all that was lost, and make us brand new.
At the end of October, Mia graduated from The WellHouse’s long-term recovery program, Next Steps to Freedom. During graduation, each resident has the opportunity to share a few words, if she so chooses. Mia wrote and read a speech that touched us all. Here is what she said:
First off, I want to praise God for bringing me to this point in my life.
Secondly, I want to thank my Aunt S. for setting me on the path to recovery and not giving up on me. And of course, my mom for being my backbone! Third, Ms. Cindy for being the best mentor ever and her family for making me feel like their own.
Last but not least, The WellHouse. For being the hands and feet for God. For showing me grace upon grace. As well as loving me until I could love myself. Thank you.
I have a story I want to share...my mom and aunt do not know about this incident that occurred two weeks after arriving at The Wellhouse. I snuck out the bedroom window with four other girls. We didn't get far before Ms. Bev. hunted us down. For a few days, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. We sat on room restriction for a few days and prayed. Two of the Four girls were permitted to stay. I don't know why they chose us but, I'm so grateful they didn't give up on me.
In short, this has been a long time coming. I've been in jail or a program for the last four years. Since August 27, 2015, I was arrested on racketeering charges and was sentenced to five years prison. I made a deal with the state to testify against my trafficker in return for a program. Five programs later, I never thought I'd graduate one. It’s been a long, hard road toward recovery.
In return, I now have my life back, my family back, and a support system, as well as goals and aspirations. I now feel as though I have unshakable faith due to the grace God has shown me. It's led to a relationship I have with God today. For the longest time, my major obstacle was to surrender. It’s a daily challenge, but I have God on my side. Thank you.