Bleau Newsome jump-started her new lease on life in August of 2023, six months after entering Project Hope. The Marshall Health program provides a supportive environment for women and children so addicted mothers can work on their long-term recovery.
“I’ve been to several different treatment centers, and this is the only one that worked,” said Newsome, a native of Wayne County who works as a server at an area restaurant. “I had already lost two children due to my addiction.”
While she experimented with alcohol in her early teens, Newsome took a turn after her mother died of a drug overdose when Bleau was just 15. She wanted to know: what was so good about drugs that her mother chose it over her?
Newsome set out to learn why, starting with marijuana, but the highs weren’t enough. She followed weed with a progression of harder substances – opioids, heroin, and fentanyl among them.
In 2022, knowing she needed support and help, Bleau turned to Cameron and Kelly Lester – the couple who had adopted Bleau’s two children – who welcomed Bleau with open arms. “Kelly and Cameron changed my life,” Bleau said reflecting on what the Lester family means to her. “If anyone loves like Jesus, it’s them.”
Soon after coming to stay with the Lesters, Bleau learned that she was pregnant with her third child. Their blended family began a search for a treatment center that would accept children. With the help of a counselor from a clinic in Hamlin and the Lester family, Bleau entered treatment through Project Hope.
After entering the program, Newsome’s therapist helped her to work through psychological barriers, like losing her first two children.
Being pregnant was another hurdle, Newsome said. Without drugs to lean on, she experienced constant morning sickness and other ills. Still, therapy helped her learn to accept the past without letting it wreck her progress.
The birth of her son in May of 2023 has given her strong motivation for staying sober.
“Having my son opened up a whole new world,” Newsome said. “It’s a world that was worth being in, worth living for.”
For recovery, she said a strong support system is necessary. She defines that as people who believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself. Like the Lesters. “They didn’t have to take me in. They chose to from the kindness of their heart,” said Bleau. “I was reunited with my children, not as their mother, but as a big part of their lives.”
“I don’t have any fears of relapsing, either. The reason I was on drugs is I hated myself. I didn’t understand why I was in foster care or other things. I wanted to void those feelings. Now I know how to express my feelings. I wouldn’t give this up for the world.”
