Loretta Rouse

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPH:

“The reason I chose this picture was because 10 years ago, my using was so bad that my daughter disowned me. Since then, she's got four beautiful boys. And about a week ago, she texted me, and I said, I'm doing great. She said, Are you done using? And I said, Yes. I said, I've gone on this journey. I've tried to get sober for 50 years. My dad gave me alcohol in the sippy cup when I was a little kid, about five years old. So my liver shut down. And she said, Why don't you ask your counselors if I can come pick you up? I'd like you to meet my boys. So we sat at her house, and in that picture, the kids sat on me the entire four hours, I was there. Today I want to live because I want to see them grow. And I want them to be proud of me. And I want my daughter to be proud of me.”