Area resident encourages others to join on a recovery journey

“I slept in her crib every night she was gone,” Heather Clark says of the time her daughter Vienna, then 4 months old, was taken from her household by child protection services. “But even that didn’t get me to change.”

 

Clark, 22, has been a Waseca area resident for the past two years. She tells of having spent 8 years of her life drunk. “I was a very heavy alcoholic,” she summarizes. “I had to have a bottle every day. It was horrible.”

 

She admits she broke numerous laws, but managed to stay under the law enforcement radar. Her addiction blinded her to the many mistakes she was making in her relationships and in her role as a mother. If she had expectations for the future at the time, she says they were probably, “that you drink until you’re dead.”

 

Now in recovery for 2 years, due to marry in a few weeks, and mother to Vienna and one-year-old Zella, Clark quotes a well-known phrase: “Sobriety gave me everything alcohol had promised me.”

 

Clark tells of having been arrested and being compelled to complete court-ordered steps as part of probation. “That’s what finally woke me up,” she states. 

 

“I hated it at the time, but now I’m grateful. I want to say thank you to the courts.”

 

Clark was one of six recovering addicts who appeared at the Waseca County Board meeting on Sept. 1 to request that Waseca County join the national observance of “Recovery Awareness Month” during September.

 

Megan Radel, a former Waseca resident now working as a peer recovery coach with WeCovery in Steele County, acted as spokesperson for the group, telling commissioners “I’m proud to say I have celebrated over two years of sobriety. I’ve successfully completed probation, rebuilt relationships with my family, and found purpose in giving back to others. I now work as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, helping people who are where I once was. Every day, I get to remind someone that recovery is possible because I’ve lived it myself.

 

“Recovery didn’t just save my life–it gave me a life worth living.”

 

In response to the group’s request, the courthouse will be lit in the color purple throughout September, as it was in 2025.

 

“Last September, when Waseca County lit the courthouse purple, it meant more than many people probably realized,” Radel told county board members. “To someone driving by who was struggling, it may have been the reminder they are not alone. To someone celebrating another day sober, it was recognition that their hard work mattered. To families who have stood beside loved ones through addiction, it was a sign that their community sees them and supports them.”

 

Clark says, in her experience, even after users recognize they need to change, they are hesitant to seek help both because of stigma, and because they feel they have sunk so low they don’t deserve help, or that no one would want to help them.

 

To people feeling that way, Radel and Clark reassure there are people who still love them, who want to see them change, and are willing to give support.

 

“It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help,” declares Radel. “It’s a first step to a positive change.”

 

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done,” says Clark. “You can change. You can do it, just like some of us have. And we’ll help you, because we know how it changes your whole world, your whole life.

 

“You can’t even imagine how much better your life will be.”

 

During her comments to the county board, Radel said, “Recovery benefits all of us. It strengthens families, improves public safety, supports local businesses and creates healthier communities. 

 

“When one person recovers, an entire community becomes stronger.”