StarBulletin.com

Now sober, ex-meth mom stays on track


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POSTED: Monday, May 11, 2009

Kimberly Nabarro lost custody of three children because of an addiction to crystal methamphetamine that she ended to keep her fourth child.

“;I was using meth since I was 13,”; said the 21-year-old woman, explaining she “;decided to use meth again instead of following through on a Child Protective Services plan.”;

Her ex-boyfriend's family adopted two of the children, ages 4 and 2, and her 6-year-old is with her mother under guardianship, she said.

She said she was able to get sober and keep her fourth child, Kayden Morris, now 19 months old , with services from the Perinatal Addiction Treatment of Hawaii clinic. She also had help kicking her “;ice”; addiction from the Salvation Army detox facility and Hina Mauka's residential program.

She had been at Women's Way, residential treatment center for women and children, but left to be with her boyfriend, father of her fourth child, when he was released from prison.

“;He ended up using again,”; she said. “;PATH was the only support I had, just to get out of the environment I was in. I was exposed to drugs all the time. I just wanted to stay clean.

“;I had no support from my family, no friends except the ones I met through meth using. My life revolved around people who used drugs, except the people at the PATH clinic. I would go there almost every day.”;

Dr. Tricia Wright, PATH founder and medical director, delivered her baby Sept. 5, 2007. It was “;very empowering,”; Nabarro said, because she had “;always been dependent on drugs”; and wanted a natural delivery. “;I felt a change all of a sudden as soon as I gave birth.”;

“;We've seen her change unbelievably since she was a 19 year old,”; said Renee Schuetter, PATH executive director.

Nabarro is searching for a job now, “;trying to be the best parent”; for her son, and plans to go back to school when she is “;financially stabilized.”;