Part 1 – Tragedy

I lived a pampered life. I was married, had a large home, owned a business that provided holistic healing and arts, drove a Lexus, and had a husband and three children whom I loved. I was living a dream life until my husband told me he no longer loved me, divorced me, and took my children to live with his new girlfriend. I had a complete breakdown and turned to drinking, and eventually drugs, to make myself feel better. Very shortly after my spiral began, I was arrested for distribution, when a man I thought was my friend asked to buy a small amount of drugs from me. He was an informant and I was entrapped. My lawyer advised me to take a plea deal, stating that I would be out and receive community service, but I was instead given a five-year prison sentence with no option for early release. My life had turned completely upside down in a matter of 5 months. Once I was released from prison, I found myself with no resources to restart my life. I was a dry drunk without a program and had no relationship with my children. I found myself in poor housing situations where I was once again mistreated, abandoned, and left to my own devices. I went from a toxic live-in nanny situation to living in a Stratosphere hotel room. I was hit by a car and after they treated me enough for me to be released in a wheelchair, they left me on the sidewalk in the homeless corridor of Las Vegas, instead of working with me to find short-term housing or to access other community resources that might help me. I spent a few days in my wheelchair on the sidewalk when a homeless man approached me and offered me safety and respite from the elements in “the tunnels” - stretches of underground pathways under the city that were created for rainwater to alleviate flooding. 

Part 2 – Survival

Instead of helping me, this man kept me captive there and kept a chain around my ankle so I could not escape. My world had now gone from upside down to a complete psychological nightmare. Twice over the three years that I was held captive did I try to escape, each time I was caught, beaten, and almost died. I saw dogs that were treated better than I was, better than other women that I knew were locked down there too. Over time I gained the trust of those keeping me captive and was tasked with taking care of a group of “dangerous Cubans” where I cooked, did laundry, and gave the men haircuts. I learned that these men go out into the city and take advantage of women by taking their money and whatever else they can get. Other men heard about the food I was cooking and the haircuts I provided and I had to serve them as well. As they trusted me, they gave me more freedom. I no longer had the chain around my ankle. One day when I was left alone, I took my belongings and my service dog and I ran! They found me, took my meager belongings and my dog, but let me have my life. I finally escaped. 

Part 3 - Perseverance

I was now living on the Las Vegas streets, and was working odd jobs for food and other things I needed. I cleaned parking lots, collected cans, and lived in homeless encampments that routinely were broken up by city workers. Of course, no one believed me when I told them about being held captive in the tunnels, not even the people who were providing resources to the unhoused, they thought I was mental or high. I saw things no one should ever see, experienced things no one should ever experience, and no one cared. I found myself in repeated situations, and felt so exhausted and hopeless. One day when I was on Fremont Street, I cried silent tears and prayed for help. Right then, a woman walked up to me, offered me a cigarette, and asked if I needed help. Because of my history, I was wary of people offering help, but I could tell that she was different. She worked with a community outreach program called “Shine a Light.” She helped me find short-term housing and for the first time in years I showered and put on clean clothes! It was an incredible feeling! I also had a list of community resources and a bus pass, through those resources I identified and went to Vegas Stronger, which was nearby. 

Part 4 - Recovery & Hope

That was two years ago, November 2022, and I've been coming back to Vegas Stronger consistently ever since. I graduated from the intensive outpatient program where I received treatment for substance use, I received mental health counseling to help me deal with the trauma I had experienced, and I found a community that didn’t judge, but was caring and compassionate and welcoming. Thanks to the resources that I now have access to through Vegas Stronger, I have secured free housing for medically fragile individuals. I am getting healthier every day, and I know longer have to fear how I’m going to get my next meal, where I’m going to sleep, and whether or not I am safe. 

While I don’t currently have a job, I do volunteer at Vegas Stronger in the Clothing Closet, where I organize and do inventory for this vital resource to Vegas Stronger clients and those experiencing homelessness in the Valley. I take so much pride in my work and am thankful that I can begin to give back in this way. In the short-term, I am continuing my mental health journey. I am taking classes online, thanks to a local healthcare agency that provided me with a computer. And I will continue to volunteer working in the clothing closet. In the long-term, I would love to write a book and maybe even teach others who are older how to use computers. In my previous career, I taught salespeople and dealerships how to streamline profitability, I also sold finance services of the dealerships to banks. While I know it’s going to be difficult to find work with a felony on my record, I am not giving up. I know that business owners and managers out there understand the diseases of addiction and offer second chances to those who deserve them, and I’m excited for future opportunities! 

Thank you, Vegas Stronger and all of the people out there working to keep the unhoused safe and aid them in their recovery and reintegration back into society!

How You Can Help

Vegas Stronger accepts donations of clothing and hygiene items Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (located at 916 N Main Street in downtown Las Vegas). We also accept financial donations which are paramount to our being able to continue assisting members of our community like MaryJane. To make a monetary donation online, click the Donate button in the top right of your browser window!

If you own or work for a business that would like to come tour Vegas Stronger and explore providing greater financial support, contact [email protected]. She would love to show you around and help you have an impact on our work in the community through corporate philanthropy. We have several unfunded areas of our programs that we provide because we believe that they are vital components of our clients’ overall success rate (which is currently 86%). Together, we ARE Vegas Stronger!