The City of Brotherly Love most certainly lived up to its name the weekend of September 25. I had the privilege of attending the national recovery walk and rally held at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, Pa. Recovery Walk 2010 was part of the National Recovery Month’s celebration of recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs, held each September. The greater Philly walk was the national hub for all Recovery month events around the nation. The weather was perfect - bright and, sunny, which seemed to reflect the mood of most in attendance-- the currency of the day being primarily hugs and smiles and a spirit of celebration. Before and after the walk there was a rally where dignitaries and a few celebrities gave speeches to a captivated audience. Among the key speakers were Mayor Nutter (Philadelphia), Gil Kerlikowske (National Director Office of Drug Control Policy), who read a proclamation from President Obama , and famous actor Christopher Kennedy Lawford, to name just a few. The number of people who came together to celebrate was awe -inspiring. In attendance were persons in long-term recovery, their family members and allies in addiction treatment and prevention fields, faith-based community members, and mutual support fellowships. It was the perfect demonstration of the collaborative effort that has become an integral part of the national growing recovery movement. It was amazing to see so many people come together from so many different paths to celebrate recovery. I spent most of the day listening to messages of hope, inspiration and love. It truly was a celebration of recovery. The announced number of those in attendance was upwards of 11,000. What follows is a sampling of viewpoints about the day and recovery in general. After all that’s what the recovery movement is all about, the people whose lives have been affected by addiction and recovery.
Helen Maloney is the owner of Freedom House, a halfway house for women, located in Levittown Pa. Maloney, in recovery for 12 years, had this to say about the event, “This is such a positive reinforcement that recovery is possible…it shows how prevalent this thing is, everybody knows someone affected by it — we come here from all walks of life and we do succeed in our recovery.” Through her work, Maloney sees firsthand that recovery is a reality and still keeps in touch with some of her former clients who now have eight and nine years sober.
There was so much positive energy at the walk that it was palpable. It really was a feel-good day. One of those contributing to this energy was Brenda Hicks, 21 years in recovery. Ms Hicks thinks that “society has a certain way that they see addicts…but here you see all these clean, bright, happy faces, strong faces ready to walk- it’s a wonderful thing. There is so much positive energy here.”
Another person who had an inspiring message was Elves Rosato. Mr. Rosato, is 18 years in recovery, and works at a counselor at CADE kids. He pointed out that at this rally we were in fact “celebrating change” and conveyed to me a story about a child he once worked with who told him “you still saw me as a human being even when I was at my worst.” Rosato believes it is his mission and job to “take the ugliness out of the disease and to see the addicted individual as a person.” What a testament to the love and compassion of the dedicated professionals who work in this field.
The idea of change seemed to be another recurring message echoing throughout the day. Dave from Trenton, 17 years in recovery, has been attending the Philadelphia Recovery celebration for years. “Seeing this many people together in recovery is awesome…the public gets to see all these people here today…the same people who used to rob and steal from them, they get to see them as changed human beings who deserve a chance, it shows that we do recover!”
Unfortunately, the concept of change and recovery is ellusive for some and the consequences are dire. One of the tragic stories that I heard was of Anthony Ditullio. Anthony died from an overdose in 2006. Mike and Stacy from Folcroft, Pa., were attending the rally and walking in honor of Anthony. Mike was amazed at how big the event was and thought “more awareness will definitely reduce the stigma attached to addiction.” He believes Anthony’s legacy will live on through those affected by his tragic death, people who continue to support the cause of recovery.
That the challenge of stigma towards addiction remains is hardly in dispute. It was embodied at the Rally by one attendee’s reservations about choice in use of illicit drugs. The view was expressed by Brian Cassidy , who attended the event in support of his sister, Laurie, who has been in recovery for 28 months after becoming addicted to prescription drugs. During his sister’s active addiction, Brian felt a great deal of resentment towards her, largely stemming from how her actions had disrupted their family. As she entered treatment and recovery, she gradually won back his trust. Brian said he could forgive Laurie’s addiction to prescription drugs, but could not imagine how anyone could use cocaine or heroin and not expect to become addicted. There is still a long way to go in removing this type of thinking, but events like these will certainly further that cause.
These are just a few of the voices from the many individuals that make up the recovery movement. Some of their messages were tragic, some inspiring, all real. Saturday was their day, the day was about them, each and every beautiful one of them. It was their day to celebrate life and to celebrate recovery. Their voices could be heard in unity screaming loud and clear: ”We do count and we do recover!”
By: Tom Allen
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