One day, Hailey found Charlie sitting on the front steps of the Mission with tears streaming down his face. He was overwhelmed by his situation. Sensing his need for support, Hailey joined him on the steps. She started talking to him and that is when Charlie revealed he had an opportunity to enter a rehabilitation program the following day.

Hailey couldn’t understand why Charlie wasn’t happy and she encouraged him, saying, “Charlie, this is great. This is going to be the best thing for you.” He remained unconvinced. “I don’t want to go to rehab. My life isn’t worth it. I am over the age of 50 and there are so many younger people that would do so much better at rehab,” Charlie said.

He shared that he was scared. Having never had a support system before, Charlie was hesitant to leave the one he had finally found at Mel Trotter, where for the first time, someone genuinely cared about his well-being.

Even though he was initially hesitant, Charlie decided to enter rehab the next morning. Throughout his absence, Hailey and the triage team sent him letters of encouragement, with messages filled with affirmations such as, “You can do this. We believe in you. You are achieving great things.” These letters were sent to remind him that he had people rooting for his success.

After not hearing from Charlie for a few months, Hailey saw him sitting in the Atrium and ran over to him. She said, “I screamed his name at the top of my lungs and for a split second. I was a little bit discouraged because typically when I see our guests return, it’s not always on the best terms, but he quickly reassured me that he was just visiting.”

During their reunion, he expressed, “I will never understand why a young girl cared so much if I made it or not, but I am so thankful that you believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.” Today, Charlie is in a sober living community, and he has been sober for over a year.