Avoiding death row: a mother’s inspiring transformation
Meet June, one of the Mamas who has been part of the New Life Stories’ (NLS) incare programme in the past (she was featured in this video we filmed in 2020!).
Having been in the wrong place at the wrong time, June narrowly missed a death penalty and instead served a 5-year sentence in prison - a miraculous second chance at life. Since her release in 2019, we caught up with her to find out how NLS has helped her.
Learning about NLS
June described learning about NLS when our CEO Saleemah Ismail walked in as part of a roadshow in Changi Prison to introduce the inmates to NLS. She admitted to being skeptical at first about how much help NLS would really be. “I remember her then asking me what my goals in 5 years would be,” June said during the interview. “All I answered then was ‘to be a better mother’, but after that I stayed up in my cell thinking about what that even meant.”
The Journey of Healing
June eventually signed up for the incare programme. As part of the programme, we brought in volunteers to visit her son at home for weekly befriending sessions. “The NLS programme taught me so many things, including different concepts of life to change the way I think. I used to be a very negative person and would always blame everyone but myself. Now I’ve learned to forgive,” she reflected. She described the NLS staff and volunteers as people who were truly there to help, and who have always been there for her even to this day, 4 years after her release. While she recognizes that the road to recovery is never-ending, through faith and support from her family, she believes in staying strong and being sincere in her efforts.
June and her son, Ulhaq, in 2020
Her Source of Motivation
Her son Ulhaq, along with her own mother, has been her pillars of strength throughout her journey. June knew she did not want her son to grow up following her footsteps. As part of the incare programme, she wrote ‘Power of Faith’, a story featured in our book ‘Love Beyond the Walls’, dedicated to her son. According to June, writing this story and having family therapy sessions helped her to be more open and vulnerable with her family, and especially with her son.
After walking the journey of healing together, their relationship has never been better and their bond is unbreakable. Ulhaq thrives in school and has won many medals for track and field, something his mother makes sure to show him full support in. He also loves cooking and working out, and still keeps in touch with his volunteers from the befriending programme. June also now distributes her home-cooked food to seniors every week as a way of giving back to her community.
““Every day is a challenge but I know I have to be strong for Ulhaq. I think about providing for his future - where will he stay? What will he grow up to be like?””
June’s message to others
We end this story with a message June wanted to send others recovering from addiction:
“It’s never too late to start your recovery. There are so many resources out there to help us; we only need to ask. There will always be stigma but I believe society loves us and our family loves us. We have been so strong to survive the life inside, we just need to love ourselves and be honest with ourselves.”
Read ‘Power of Faith’, the story written by June for her son, in the book ‘Love Beyond the Walls’ - you can purchase a copy here!
