Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Marshall
Hi Mark, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was an addict for 31 years of my life. I lost my mother when I was 10 and we moved around a lot. After she passed, my dad moved us to Oklahoma. He remarried there, divorced, and we ended up in Chandler Arizona. He worked all the time so I was pretty much unsupervised at 12 years old. I started on crack, caught more charges than I could count. I was in and out of juvey. We moved back to Sevierville and I continued to use drugs. I was in and out of jail and prison. I was incarcerated more than I was out in society. My first daughter, Chelsea was born when I was 21. I continued to use but was smoking pot and justified it cause I wasn’t using the hard stuff. I was still lazy and it dulled my decision making. I was a father for a few years but lost complete control of my life once I started using opiates and Oxycontin. I slept on couches at friends houses until I wasn’t allowed to any longer. I rarely saw my daughter and my second daughter Kylee was born in the midst of that chaos due to drug use and being in and out of jail and prison. I became a father who no longer showed up for his girls because of so much shame and guilt. I use to ask God to take my life because I was too much of a coward to do it for myself. I was so lost and hopeless. I started using Meth and it took my soul. I was admitted to Park west due to intravenous use that almost took my life. I was there for 70 days fighting for my life. God had other plans. I was living at the mission until they kicked me out for using in the bathrooms. I lived outside in freezing temperatures and miserable heat. I felt that I wasn’t worthy of anything, and honestly, I wasn’t. God had a plan and purpose for me that was bigger than anything I could imagine. I was facing 20 years when my run came to an end. Only by the grace of God I ended up with 1 year in jail and 10 on probation. I am now 8 years through that probation sentence. There was a time in my life when i wouldn’t show up for the first appointment. God is good, I give Him all the glory. I spent 21 days in CenterPoint as part of my plea agreement and hit my knees and prayed. If God would deliver me from my addiction and the actual problem, myself, I would give everything I had to the program and His will. I kept that promise of 8 years ago. I graduated rehab and was placed in EM Jellinek Halfway House on August 21, 2017 as a client. I worked the steps, went to meetings, obtained a sponsor, and was active in service work. I prayed and surrender myself to God multiples times a day. I came to understand God as Jesus and gave my life to Him. I was truly free at last. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things pass away, all things have become new. I have an absolutely new way of living today. For that I am grateful. I graduated our 90 day halfway house program and was moved into our 3 quarter house. I was a Jellinek man. The me problem was no longer a problem. I was a productive member of society, a man with good character and integrity. I always thrive to do the right next thing. I was hired by EM Jellinek as a substance abuse counselor on October 17, 2018. I have been free of alcohol and all other mood and mind altering substances since May 5, 2017. I’m currently working on my LADAC. I have been married for 3 years now to my beautiful wife Tiffany, I have 2 grandsons and 2 grandchildren on the way. God has restored all my relationships and gave me the opportunity everyday to help others find a new way to live. I have a step daughter( daughter ) who is almost 14 and has epilepsy and Alpers, a rare genetic disease, who has been in Children’s Hospital of Knoxville and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for 4 months now. Her disease has progressed and she’s fighting it. It has left her completely disabled. My wife and I are so grateful to be present today and remain at her side as she deals with this disease. We know that God is in control. There was a time in our lives that we couldn’t even care for ourselves. I am not just an addict, I am a father, a grandfather, a husband, a step father. I am dependable and responsible. I have been redeemed. God has given us way more than we deserve. We are beyond grateful for EM Jellinek and my wife’s co workers and friends for supporting us through everything that comes at us. It could be worse. In spite of all that’s going on, we continue to help others and show up for everyone every day. Honestly, this isn’t my story, its Gods story. I give Him the glory. I had to surrender in order to win, there is no substitution for surrender. This section couldn’t possibly hold all he has done for me in my 8 year journey of complete abstinence and surrender. There are countless victories and trials that I have encountered along the way that has cultivated a lifetime of experiences. I dont ask for victory over my circumstances, I ask for the strength to endure them. Most of all, I’m grateful to be asked to share my story in hopes that it touches someone else’s life that might be dealing with what I have dealt with. We keep what we have by giving ourselves away. I have so much to say but will leave with this. There is always hope no matter what giant is staring us down. Thank you for this opportunity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, incarceration, hopelessness, depression, relationships destroyed, lost my father, my mother, my father in law. In and out of rehab, halfway houses. Several near death experiences. The struggle has always been with self, with me. The inability to get out of my own way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a substance abuse counselor at EM Jellinek going on 7 years now here in Knoxville. I do one on one individual therapy sessions, group interventions, anger management, trauma therapy. I sponsor men outside of my work place. I take men to get their ID’s, birth certificates, job interviews, court, mental health appointments. I deal with men with mental health issues. I’m know for meetings others right where they are, and for loving them no matter what they have done. Love for others is my greatest attribute. I’m most proud of being close to being licensed, my LADAC. What sets me apart is still being present and available for others while I go through my hardest trials in life.
What makes you happy?
My restored relationships with my family. That my grandchildren will never see me high or drunk. Spending time with my daughter, son in law, and grandsons. Being married to my wife who had similar experiences as I did. She’s my best friend and the most amazing mother I know. My step daughter (daughter ). All the years I lost with Chelsea, hope that I will have a relationship with my daughter, Kylee. God restored the years I missed with Chelsea and Kylee through McKenzie. Tennessee basketball, football, baseball. Why? I should have died in my active addiction but God showed me grace by saving my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://emjellinekcenter.org/about-us.html
- Facebook: Mark Marshall
- Other: 865-896-8495 Call if you have someone that needs help with substance abuse issues
