Tommy Roan

I came to the doors of San Diego Teen Challenge on January 30th, 2016 as a seven year meth addict. It would be the first time in my life I entered some kind of rehab program and admitted that I had a serious addiction to a very dangerous drug. I completed the induction program at San Diego that following May and eventually graduated the castle in Riverside in January of 2017. I was assigned to do my apprenticeship at the Orange County center over the Timothy House, another year program for adolescents. After being told by TC Leadership they were considering hiring me staff after my apprenticeship, the previous commitment to attend TCMI ultimately went out the door and not too long after that, I was issued my cell phone. Everything I had completed in a years time with TC just flew out the door after I had reconnected with people online to go back out to Birmingham, Alabama to party and use meth. I did exactly that for about two years and another two years in Florida with varied results of sobriety on my own within that time frame. I eventually made my way cross country back to California during Covid and after settling down back in San Diego and getting a blessed job with Toyota, I relapsed again—-hard. This time, it took a medical toll on me and I was diagnosed with end stage renal failure. Ended up in the Coronado Hospital for 4 days and after being released, knowing how bad things had gotten I still went back to the drug house and used again for another several months. My safety and my health were collapsing and it was more than clear I needed to get out of this house. I had no other option but to tell my mom and dad that I was stuck in a drug house and I needed them to pick me up and take me back to Teej Challenge. My parents drove all the way from Santa Barbara, CA and got me out of that terrible place that took so much of my life away from me. I re-entered Teen Challenge on November 9th, 2021 and was ultimately granted a shorter restoration program which I completed on May 9th, 2022. I have now been on staff since that time, so four years and I am headed towards 5 years of sobriety this November. I cannot believe it will fiver years since I got delivered from the drug house, from my awful addiction to crystal meth. My gosh, the Lord has been so good to me and has saved me from so much destruction. Today, I am the Creative Coordinator at San Diego Teen Challenge. I teach the first class our students take in the whole program and I also conduct the choir, training our students to sing songs and share their testimonies similar to mine at churches all over San Diego County. Thank you for supporting me and this 5K Walk—it goes towards a bigger picture beyond myself, making a tangible impact on the lives of men looking for the same deliverance I have received.