Origin Story
He speaks with honesty, vulnerability, and raw emotion about where he has been, where he is, and where he wants to be. Our conversation is grounded in a "Journey Map" inspired by the lives of those with pregnancy-associated death in Maine. The composite patient’s “journey” was created by the Maine Maternal, Fetal, and Infant Mortality Review Panel to humanize the study’s data. The events captured on the Journey Map closely parallel his lived experience.
A husband and a father, he knows the cycles of addiction and consequences of choices made to survive. His life forever changed when a social worker arrived at the hospital shortly after his daughter’s birth. A series of events led to losing his business, his home, his freedom, and his family. His wife, who has a history of perinatal substance use, at times managed with Suboxone, has not been seen or heard from since parental rights to their two daughters were terminated.
Today he is seven months in recovery, taking college courses, working as a recovery coach, and training to become an overdose responder.
He wants the system to set families up for success rather than separation. He believes the best helpers are those who once needed help themselves. He is committed to supporting fathers who have known similar grief and trauma.
He said, “My life is not a happy story, but maybe it can be a testimony.”
Rebecca Wilson, Listener Poet
September 2026
This is Not a Happy Story
By Rebecca Wilson, Listener Poet
imagine, as your newborn opens her eyes
a stranger from the state arrives
celebration halted by investigation
joy silenced by interrogation
a dark cloud over your beautiful baby’s birth
imagine, losing it all
old habits in the mirror behind you
mail stacking up on a hotel table beside you
benefits expired, appointments cancelled
medications denied
bills piling high and higher
rent, food, diapers
staying compliant or staying alive
you choose to survive
imagine, eyes of the system upon you
urine tested, character questioned
doing everything possible for reunification
only to be permanently separated
terminated rights an unrecognized grief
trauma a lifetime sentence without release
imagine, seven months clean and sober
every day a choice to recover
a mother gone, whereabouts unknown
a father keeping his daughter’s blue blanket
on top of his own
a soft reminder of hope in a harsh world
where only the happy stories get told
He speaks with honesty, vulnerability, and raw emotion about where he has been, where he is, and where he wants to be. Our conversation is grounded in a "Journey Map" inspired by the lives of those with pregnancy-associated death in Maine.
She has worked in addiction medicine for 20 years. As we spoke, we reflected on a "Journey Map" inspired by the lives of those with pregnancy-associated death in Maine. The composite patient’s “journey” was created by the Maine Maternal, Fetal, and Infant Mortality Review Panel to humanize the study’s data.
“This is my life’s purpose,” she says. “This is where my heart comes alive, where I need to be.” She is a peer recovery partner to women with substance use disorder who are pregnant, parenting, and seeking custody.
