Walter’s face lights up when he talks about his twelve-year-old son. Born prematurely to a drug-addicted woman, “Max” was cared for by Walter and his wife for his first month of life. “When I first held him in my hand, I loved him,” Walter says. “I thought he was a beautiful baby.” Walter and his wife cared for the boy on and off for the next seven years. When Max told them that he did not want to return to his biological mother’s house, Walter and his wife formally adopted their son. Now they live together in loving, stable two-bedroom home. “He’s making As and Bs,” Walter says proudly. “None of that would have happened without Jerusalem House.”
When Walter looks back at his life, he’s amazed at how far he’s come. At 17, his mother died and he began using drugs. He spent the next three decades drifting in and out of jail and rehab programs. He met and fell in love with his wife at a rehab program, but his instability led to a separation. Walter knew he needed more than rehab.
In 2009, Walter came to Jerusalem House with 25 T-cells, no job prospects, a marriage on the rocks, and newly sober. “Jerusalem House took a chance on me,” Walter says. He used his newfound stability to get healthy—now his viral load is undetectable and he has more than 700 T-Cells. With encouragement and support from Jerusalem House, he took a Commercial Trucking course and became a truck driver, fulfilling his dream of working as a trucker. He and his wife celebrated their 17th anniversary last July. Now, Walter is saving for his own home.
“Thank God for Jerusalem House,” Walter says. “This program will help you do whatever you want to do.”