This East St. Louis native came to Champaign to find the help he desperately needed. Being raised in a bar and mimicking the behavior around him combined with childhood molestation and addiction didn't set Steven up for success.

 Listen to this mild mannered dad to two sons and a daughter (that he until recently thought was his biological child) explain the tattered tapestry that created the fabric of his life today. Regardless of the mess that was his childhood, teens, 20s and even 30s, Steven has worked hard to presently give back to others and create a safe place to raise his two sons. Fighting passionately to prove his worth and value as a citizen and dad, Steven has had to navigate the court system to legally get and keep his sons under his roof in Urbana. Letting go of childhood trauma, blaming himself for his father's death and absorbing the resources around him to recover from drugs and alcohol allowed him to clean up his act. Losing both parents to drug and alcohol abuse, going to jail, experiencing homelessness and having a girlfriend strip to keep bad habits afloat is just the beginning of this story with a happy ending. 

Emily Harrington, here! Mom, wife, retired communications liaison and host of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast. Each week I bring you a pod where townies and transplants share their tales of tears and triumphs, losses and wins. In an effort to provide a way for those that don’t want a public podcast, but still have a story to tell friends and family, I’ve created, In Retrospect: A HyperLocal(s) Project, a private podcast. Visit hyperlocalscu.com/in-retrospect

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