“10 Years Later”
In the summer of 2023, I suffered a severe hand injury at work, cutting through one nerve and damaging another. Nerve pain, among the most excruciating, led me to surgery and months of physical therapy. Though I’ve regained full use of my hand, part of my pinky remains numb—a permanent reminder of that experience.
At the time of the injury, I was prescribed strong opioids, despite my history with addiction. Ten years earlier, a knee injury had ended my sports career and plunged me into substance abuse. Faced with the same choice a decade later, I took a different path. I endured the pain, physical and emotional, and stayed sober.
This event was a turning point—a commitment to a clear mind, no matter the cost. These images capture the injury, the pain, and the hope that followed. They represent resilience, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the unshakable resolve to move forward substance-free.