Success Stories

Every day, we see lives transformed with grace, support and hope. It’s hard to quantify all the ways we have seen lives changed, but below are a few of our family success stories. For more information on our outcomes, visit our annual report.

Know someone who might need Brigid’s Path? Anyone can make a referral in a few simple steps. 

When a woman reaches out for help, Brigid’s Path is here.

Addie struggled with substance use disorder and was in immediate danger of losing custody of her newborn son Henry. She saw a story about Brigid’s Path on the news and immediately called the nonprofit, asking for help to keep her son from being placed in foster care. She had a relative who wanted to help care for Henry but needed some time to get everything into place.  

On the same day Addie called Brigid’s Path, our family advocacy team was able to participate in her Family Planning Conference meeting, asking for Henry to be admitted to Brigid’s Path for medical care. This provided his parents with additional time to carefully choose the next steps for their family.  

A relative received temporary custody and allowed Henry to stay at Brigid’s Path. Addie was able to room in with her baby, bonding with him while she acted as his primary caregiver. Our team also connected the new mom with the resources and support she needed.  

At the same time the family was getting to know little Henry, his father, Rob, lost an older son in a tragic car accident. Because Henry was receiving care at Brigid’s Path, the family had support as they dealt with an additional trauma. They could mourn a son, knowing Henry was still receiving round-the-clock nursing care and attention.  

After completing his 90-day stay at Brigid’s Path, Henry went home with a loving relative who allowed Addie and Rob to visit with their baby while Addie participated in Family Treatment Court.  

Today, Henry is happy, growing and living with both Addie and Rob. Addie continues to do well in her recovery and keeps in touch with the team at Brigid’s Path.  

We believe there is life-changing power in advocating for others.

Lori had struggled with substance use disorder for many years, and she knew her newborn daughter Maria would be placed immediately into foster care. Then, Lori found Brigid’s Path. 

Our family advocacy team connected Lori to a local treatment center where she stayed as an inpatient for thirty days, and little Maria came to Brigid’s Path for medical and nonpharmacologic care while her mom received the help she needed. Her dad was very involved from the beginning, working to care for Maria and supporting mom in her recovery.  

Lori’s treatment provider transported her to Brigid’s Path twice a week for her to visit with Maria, and after completing her inpatient treatment, Lori was able to room-in with Maria, caring for and bonding with her baby. During that time, our team linked Lori to outpatient treatment to continue management of her recovery. We watched both parents and baby thrive during their stay with us.  

After 90 days of non-judgmental support and care from our medical team, baby Maria was able to go home with her mom and dad.  The family continues to do well.  

Families can rely on Brigid’s Path for support and encouragement.

Being a first-time parent is daunting, even more so when you’re a young parent. When baby Isaac came to Brigid’s Path, his parents, Megan and Joel, were facing a lot of uncertainty.

The entire team at Brigid’s Path provided a supportive environment for the new family, helping them bond in a safe and loving space. While the skilled nursing staff cared for Isaac, meeting his medical and emotional needs, they also mentored the young parents, teaching them how to feed, bathe, and dress their son. The staff openly recognized the parents as doing a great job in caring for Isaac, and the votes of confidence and support were transforming for Megan and Joel.

The time this young family spent at Brigid’s Path allowed Megan and Joel to engage in their own treatment and locate housing so they could be ready to bring their baby home.  Given the time and space to discover their own strengths, this little family left Brigid’s Path ready to grow together.

We help a mother use her own strengths to move her family forward.

Janet was already on her own road to recovery and living in a residential treatment program when she gave birth to her son, David. They were both welcomed to Brigid’s Path where Janet was able to room in with her baby and care for him while supported by our skilled nurses and volunteers.

As baby grew, her mom was able to continue her own recovery in an intensive outpatient treatment program. Our team managed all of David’s medical and nonpharmacological care every moment that Janet needed to be away from her son in order to manage her recovery, find employment, and search for housing. Janet could take on these challenges, knowing we had her baby’s safety and happiness well in hand.

Our family advocacy team helped Janet enroll in the Safe Families for Children program for support after being discharged from Brigid’s Path. This gave her additional time to locate and secure stable housing. With Brigid’s Path and Safe Families working together, baby David never left his mother’s custody.

Together, we help families achieve stability so they can care for their children for both the near- and long-term.

Baby Jordan was a surprise and a blessing. Her parents, Beth and Victor, had been together for years. However, they’d been struggling with substance use for much of that time, having two teenagers who lived under the care of Beth’s mother. Not believing she could get pregnant again, Beth was celebrating the coming birth and her ongoing treatment at the same time.

When Beth experienced a relapse shortly before Jordan’s birth, Child Protective Services referred the family to Brigid’s Path. The family was grateful for the unique opportunities offered by Brigid’s Path and supported the decision to treat Jordan here. They visited daily, bonding and helping to care for their daughter with the help of our skilled nursing staff. Shortly after Jordan’s medical treatment was completed, Beth’s mother assumed custody of the baby and moved her home. Brigid’s Path continued to support the family with our highly engaged family advocacy team staying in touch regularly.

Beth and Victor participated in Family Treatment Court and they remain consistent in their recovery. They’ve found employment, secured housing, and due to their hard work, have regained custody of their daughter Jordan. Brigid’s Path is very proud of the progress this family has made and is truly inspired by the challenges they’ve overcome.

We meet each mom where she is and use her strengths to move forward with her.

Mary overdosed six months into her pregnancy with Derek. She had struggled with addiction in the past, and her two older children were already in foster care. But this time Mary’s case worker at Child Protective Services wanted a new way forward for this mom and suggested Brigid’s Path.

At Brigid’s Path, Mary maintained custody of her baby while he received 24/7 medical and nonpharmacologic care from the nurses and volunteers on staff. She was able to room in with Derek, bonding and caring for him whenever she wasn’t working on her own treatment.

As Derek recovered and thrived at Brigid’s Path, Mary worked hard on her recovery. She demonstrated consistency and stability while searching for housing and finding a new job. Derek went home with his mom after 90 days at Brigid’s Path. Happily, and her other two children are in the process of transitioning home to join them. With a lot of faith, support, and determination, Mary got a second chance to parent her baby.

We work with community partners to provide strengths-based resources for our families.

At the time Michael was born, Charleena was ready to begin her recovery. She had already lost custody of her other children due to a long history of struggling with substance use disorder, so Charleena reached out to Brigid’s Path to prevent the possibility of her newborn being placed in foster care.

Child Protective Services agreed with Charleena’s plan for Michael to be transferred to our care. While our trained team of nurses and volunteers provided expert and loving care for Michael during his own treatment, Charleena was allowed to maintain custody her baby as well as focus on her own recovery.

At the end of Charleena and Michael ‘s stay with Brigid’s Path, Charleena went to an intensive outpatient program in Columbus. While Charleena transitioned to this program, her son was able to stay with a host family through Safe Families for Children. When she successfully finished the program, baby Michael was happily reunited with his mom. Our family advocacy team has remained in contact with Charleena, rejoicing as she continues to do well in her recovery and care for her son who is thriving.

We challenge each other to live out our God-given potential.

Due to Renesha’s struggle with substance use disorder, she did not have custody of her older children. At the birth of her son, James, Renesha had been in treatment and working on her recovery as she wanted to maintain custody of her newborn. But she needed a little more help to get started, and Brigid’s Path was ready!

Mom and baby came to Brigid’s Path to heal and grow, together forming a new little family. Using the latest therapeutic techniques in a comfortable, home-like environment, our skilled medical staff and volunteers showered James and Renesha with love and attention 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Renesha soon learned she was capable of being the mom she wanted to be. As they bonded, she became more and more motivated to stay engaged in recovery efforts and demonstrate stability.

It was a wonderful day when mom and baby transitioned home together. They continue to do well, and Renesha is a wonderful parent to her son.

Names in these stories have been changed to protect the privacy of our families.