Alice and Amanuelle
(Photo courtesy of Alice)

My name is Alice V. Triplett. I am in recovery and I have 14 months clean. Things are going so well for me. In 1999, I wrote an article in the Project Read Newsletter about my baby girl Amanuella Patterson and how I lost her to Child Protective Services (CPS) due to my drug addiction. I hadn't seen her since she was two years old, and now she's about to be twenty.

In May of this year Amanuella googled her name and the Project Read Newsletter from 1999 came up. She contacted Walden House and since I was still affiliated with them they put us in touch. We were reunited on May 14, 2008. When I saw her, I was scared. All I could do was hug her. I cried and she cried. We went out to lunch and talked. It felt really good to hold my baby. It was a miracle.

I also completed Walden House at the end of May. I have been working at Goodwill for 9 months and now I have my own place to live. I have a lot of people around me who care what happens to me. I have a sponsor who I love very much. She keeps me going when I'm feeling down.

My man is my biggest support when I just need someone to talk to. My man and I have been together for eight months and I have learned a lot from him. I have three other children that I love very much and I know if I stay clean, some day Precious, Angel, Ernest, Amanuella and I will all be reunited as a family. I am looking forward to that day.

This letter is dedicated to all the addicts who have lost their children to CPS. This is a letter of hope.