12/15/2025
When April first walked through the doors at 4th Dimension, she told herself she would give it one month. She did not expect the light, warm energy that greeted her or the kindness of the women coming out of the group as she settled in. “I was nervous, but I felt safe,” she said. Before arriving, her life had reached a breaking point. On August 30, 2020, she overdosed while driving and crashed into a wall. She woke up in the hospital, but the true wake-up call came later when she was home alone. “It felt like a spiritual death,” she said. “I never want to feel that again.” That moment pushed her to try something new.
Once she began her recovery work, April committed fully. For twenty years, she feared the 4th step of AA, but when she finally completed it with her sponsor, everything shifted. Step 4 is a searching and honest personal inventory that helps people look closely at the patterns and pain that shaped their lives. “All that weight I was carrying just lifted,” she said. “That was the moment I knew I could really do this.” The community at 4th Dimension helped her grow, too. She remembers coming home on her birthday to find the women had decorated the house with balloons, streamers, and a homemade cake. “I did not even think they liked me,” she said. “They made me feel loved in a way I had not felt in a long time.”
Today, April is proud of the life she is building. She recently received the Wisconsin Community Services Caregiver of the Year award, something she once believed was impossible for her. “I am forever grateful,” she said. “4th Dimension helped me change my life.” When asked what she would tell someone who is standing where she once stood, she keeps it simple. “You are not alone,” she said. “You have people who care about you. Just breathe, stay open, and take a leap of faith.”
