I have always prided myself on being a strong, independent, courageous woman. It was the way I was raised. Or rather, it is the direct result of practically raising myself, with parents who were too busy “surviving,” to really pay attention. Either way, my two sisters and I only know from hard work and trudging along, and have all as a result, ended up fairly well off because of it.

Sunday is Mother’s Day- a day to celebrate and honor mothers everywhere. Today is not your typical WomenOnTheFence.com Mother’s Day blog post. No, today, I decided to spotlight Portage, a substance abuse rehabilitation facility with a special Mother-Child program, helping mothers and children with addiction. I wanted desperately to give some of these nameless women who have fallen through the cracks, a voice for Mother’s Day.

I have to give credit my father, for it was his idea to do a mother’s day segment on these women. My dad is on the board Portage, one of Canada’s leading substance abuse rehabilitation facilities with locations across the country, and he told me about all the trailblazing work they are doing in the arena of addiction. Unique to Portage, they have en entirely separate Mother-Child facility where substance addicted mothers can live with their babies, and where newborns who are born drug-addicted can safely undergo drug withdrawal and not have to be separated from their mother. I walked the halls and saw these mothers and their children, and heard their stories. I was nervous going in, but so eager to hear the stories and showcase Portage’s work in this arena. I was only hoping I would do a good enough job to do their organization justice. I sat down with the facilitators who run Portage and asked them about what makes them so successful at what they do.