Making Memphis Healthier One Relationship at a Time With the Regional One Health Foundation’s support, ONE Health is addressing complex needs to lift up our city’s most vulnerable residents. By The Reverend Alaenor Faye London “I got a blessing,” said the soft-spoken voice coming from the woman with the big personality. This was her first response to my question, “How did you come into contact with the ONE Health team at Regional One Health?” When I met Shanyn for the first time, I didn’t know she had celebrated six months sober about 72 hours before our meeting. I also didn’t know she was only eight days away from moving into stable housing after walking away from 25 years of active addiction and, as she put it, “a man who wasn’t very nice to me.” As Shanyn spoke to me about her shame and how she found herself losing significant relationships with family, friends and even her faith because of feelings of “unworthiness,” I began to understand something about her. She is the blessing of which she thought herself unworthy. Shanyn told me that after seeking detox and short-term intensive outpatient therapy, she became violently ill and was rushed to the Regional One Health Emergency Department. regionalonehealth.org/foundation/change-a-life-donate-today/ 11
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