Local Families Plan For More Joyful Holiday This Year

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving will be different and much better for at least two families in Wolf Point.

Last year, Chelsea Brown and Kristan Connor were each battling addictions which were destroying their lives. Their challenges even caused them to lose their children for different periods of time.

Again, this Thanksgiving will be different and much better for each of them.

Brown has now been clean for 16 months from using meth. She and her husband, James Brock, spent last Thanksgiving by themselves. This year, they will have their four children with them. She is planning to enjoy a big Thanksgiving dinner and has been grateful to be able to spend all recent holidays with family members.

Before taking the journey to recovery, Brown was homeless and her four children were taken away for eight months.

“We hit rock bottom,” Brown said. “The day they took my kids was the last day I touched a drug.”

She was able to get her children back in early April. “They were happy,” Brown said of her children when they returned to their parents. “When I had them taken away, I didn’t even have a place to live.”

Now, she has her own home and vehicle. In addition, her husband is working.

“Things are just going good,” Brown said. “Not everybody gets a second chance on life.”

Connor, who has been clean from meth and fentanyl for 15 months, says she believes in living one day at a time, but she certainly looks forward to really enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday.

“It fills my heart with joy,” she explained. “Last year, I was there but not really there.”

Connor and her husband, Tyrell Connor Sr., each spent time in jail and then went through treatment court. Now, both are sober. Being able to raise their 3-year-old son was a driving force for them.

“After working through the program, I understood it was for myself as well,” Kristan Connor explained.

Programs that Brown and Connor went through included wellness court in Poplar, the Spotted Bull Treatment Center, Intensive Outpatient Treatment and After Care. Brown said Justice For Families led by Stephanie Knowlton was very beneficial to her as far as opening up about her addiction.

They admit that the path to recovery wasn’t easy, and it was especially hard in the beginning.

“Take it one day at a time. You can do it, if you want to,” Connor said.

Brown added, “If you get the second chance, don’t take it for granted.”

They also give their husbands a lot of credit for their recoveries and being there for each other. “I know I couldn’t have done it without James,” Brown said.

The two women also keep setting goals for themselves. Connor is aiming to work at a daycare by the end of the year. “I have a lot of goals for myself,” Connor said.

Temptation still remains a part of their lives. Connor says that as a hotel housekeeper, she recently came across some drugs in a room. “God tested me, and the devil was there,” she said. Connor told her boss about the drugs and said, “I have to get out of this room.”

Connor explained, “You’re going to get tested. It wasn’t the first, and it won’t be the last. Stay strong.”

She noted that faith now plays a big role in her life. “Last year, I didn’t see myself like this. My faith has become stronger. I didn’t know

Clean Lives

who God was last year.”

If others are searching for help, they advise to contact Spotted Bull or Gwen Gourneau, Fort Peck Tribal court family case coordinator.

(Photo by Bill Vander Weele)

There are also many meetings with supportive groups in the area.

“If you want to be sober, you have to want to take the first step,” Brown said.