PHOENIX — If you can see it, you can be it. There's a Valley healthcare worker who is proving that right now - not just for her patients, but also herself.
Melissa Zimmerman took a painful moment in her past and turned it into purpose - and is now advocating for people struggling with addiction. And now, she is using her path to light the way for so many others stuck in the darkness.
"Never in my life did I think I'd be doing this," says Melissa.
You could say Melissa had a totally unexpected dream job.
"I don't even feel like I'm working," she says, stating she loves her job that much.
Melissa works as a clinician at the Terros Health's McDowell Health Center, near 48th St. and McDowell Rd. in Phoenix.
Part of her job includes conducting group therapy, individual counseling, or just being a friendly, understanding shoulder to cry on. She helps patients dealing with all sorts of obstacles, from substance abuse, mental health issues, and families broken apart.
Melissa says each day, she sees a bit of herself in her patients - and not just because she's good at her job, but also because she shares a very special bond with them.
That's because Melissa is working at the very clinic that helped her turn her life around.
About 15 years ago, struggles with mental health, an addiction to meth, and run-ins with the law left her feeling hopeless - at one point, she even lost custody of her son.
"When they changed my case to severance and adoption, that is when I said no one else is raising my kid for me."
The idea of losing her son permanently, then three years old, was too much to bear for Melissa and became a real turning point, which led her to Terros' Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. Program. It stands for "Families In Recovery Succeeding Together," and combines treatment, peer support, and other resources for people involved with the Department of Child Safety.
"It's transformative for patients," says McDowell Health Center clinical site director Amanda Chavez. "And for staff too. It's why we get into the field."
Amanda also happens to be Melissa's boss and gets to see her success each day.
"I am incredibly proud of Melissa," she says. "I have worked with patients at a place where Melissa started. And that perseverance and strength to overcome things that are not always their faults and out of their control, and that amount of effort into becoming a better version of themselves."
Now celebrating more than a decade of sobriety, Melissa says she has been able to find purpose through the pain. It may not have been easy - but it was worth it.
"Sometimes, people have nothing," says Melissa. "And all they have is hope."
To learn more about Terros Health, the Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. Program, or to make a donation, click here.
