Brittany Dodd-Santiago

One Woman's Journey Brittany Dodd-Santiago

I was vaguely aware of all the meth heads and dealers in the room watching me fall apart. "Give her a shot," I heard Chulengo say to someone. I didn't know whom he was talking to or what he was talking about, and before I even tried to figure it out, a strange man kneeled on the ground next to me. He grabbed my arm and told me to try to relax. I lay there lifeless, watching him and not knowing my life was getting ready to take a turn for the worst. He tightened a belt around my upper arm and closed my fist. I felt his fingers sliding up and down my arm. He pierced my skin with a sharp needle, and I saw my blood squirt back into the tube, mixing with whatever was in there. Slowly, he pushed the contents into my arm. My body became hot and the blood rushed to my head. I coughed so hard and felt my eyes widen and my heart beat faster. I had never felt a rush quite like this one. I had never been this high before. Every ounce of sadness and pain left my body and every tear I had left dried up. My whole world as I knew it had just changed in an instant.