God has redeemed the story of Shania’s life and begun writing a new story that is filled with more beauty than pain. Her powerful testimony demonstrates how the roadblocks that once seemed insurmountable became stepping stones on her roadmap to independence.
A Story of Survival
Shania’s early years on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation began with promise. In a stable two-parent home where her Marine Corps father and mother, who worked for the Leap office, provided for their five children, life held the warmth of family and security. But at age seven, when her father was deployed, everything changed.
“My mom began using drugs heavily,” Shania recalls. “She brought men into the home, and our home turned into an extremely unhealthy environment. There was abuse, neglect, lack of safety and quite a bit of drug use.”
The abandonment came suddenly and devastatingly. “I remember the day so clearly. My mom jumped out of the back window in the middle of the night and abandoned us for the rest of our lives. She left an empty bottle of Black Velvet and a note that said, ‘I’m tired of your dad and I don’t want to be a mom anymore.'”
What followed were years of escalating trauma. When her father returned from deployment, instead of the rescue the children hoped for, the situation deteriorated further as both parents descended into addiction. Shania and her siblings were left to fend for themselves, and Shania often missed school while caring for younger children and searching for food.
A Cycle of Pain
Surrounded by substance abuse, Shania began drinking at 12 and using drugs at 13. When her father was imprisoned, she and her siblings entered foster care until their great-grandmother, at 79 years old, took them in.
“She was my angel on earth,” Shania remembers fondly. “She taught me everything I know – how to cook, how to bead, and how to survive. She was a lady.”
But even this sanctuary couldn’t shield Shania from further trauma. At 14, she became pregnant from a non-consensual relationship, feeling “terrified, alone and had nowhere to go.” Threats from the perpetrator’s family kept her trapped in an abusive situation until she was emancipated at 16.
When her great-grandmother passed away at 17, Shania’s grief led to deeper addiction and another pregnancy at 18. By age 20, facing legal troubles and working toward reunification with her older children who were in foster care, she found herself pregnant with twins.
A Moment of Choice
The pressure was overwhelming. Authorities told Shania she had to terminate her pregnancy if she wanted her older children back. “Terrified and all alone, I was just so sad, and I felt so guilty,” she shares.
But then came Tabitha, a case manager in a Christ-based recovery program (and now Case Manager at Love & SONshine), who would change everything.
“Tabitha approached me with kindness and compassion, and asked me what I ‘wanted’ to do, what I genuinely wanted,” Shania explains. “I broke down and said I wanted to keep the babies, but felt I couldn’t. Tabitha offered unconditional support saying she would be there for me regardless of my decision.”
This moment of genuine care gave Shania the courage to choose life. “Tabitha was ‘speaking the words of the Lord into my ear, even before I found Jesus,'” she reflects. When Shania announced her decision to keep her babies, authorities responded harshly, but Tabitha stood beside her just as she had promised.
Finding Home at SONshine
Facing prison time and needing support during her pregnancy, Shania kept hearing about Love & SONshine Ministries. When she finally knocked on their door, crying and desperate, she found something she had never experienced before.
“They brought me in. Heather asked if they could pray over me, and after a course of events, I was able to move in. It was different from any other home I had been in – there was a lot of grace and kindness. It was really clean, and it was the first place where it felt like home.”
The support continued through her delivery and beyond. When the twins were born via C-section and required NICU care, and Shania needed blood transfusions, the SONshine Home staff visited regularly, helped with the babies, and ensured she had everything needed. Upon returning home, volunteers provided 24/7 support for two weeks.
“No one ever helped me with my other babies, who were taken away,” Shania notes, highlighting the stark difference this care made in her life.
A New Story Begins
Today, Shania’s life tells a dramatically different story. “I have personally observed God’s faithfulness in so many ways – today I have my freedom, I’m not in jail (that is a blessing), and no longer feel like I need a guy to find my significance.”
She has been sober for over a year, CPS is no longer involved with her twins, and all of her children are in her life. Her dreams now include becoming an advocate for young mothers in recovery and creating a thriving home for her family.
“I want all my kids to be with me, and to be a single mama who is thriving. And I want to make my house a home. Love & SONshine is helping me achieve that dream.”
A Message of Hope
Shania’s words to other young women facing similar challenges ring with hard-won wisdom: “There is a way out, and she is not alone. There are people who would love you for YOU.”
Her gratitude to Love & SONshine’s supporters is profound: “The love, guidance, support and acceptance has affected me in such a positive way – I saw what having a loving home, stability and a future for my family looks like. Despite all the trauma, abuse and neglect, I am resilient.”
The Power of Believing
Perhaps most powerfully, Shania speaks to the transformative impact of being believed in: “I believe in this organization, this mission and most importantly, how they believed in ME – without even knowing my past. I now have a future and a hope. God had a plan for me.”
Through the SONshine Home, Shania discovered not just housing and support services, but what it means to be truly loved. She found people who showed her unconditional care and helped her see that despite everything she had endured, there was something better waiting.
Today, Shania’s story continues to unfold: no longer defined by trauma and abandonment, but by redemption, hope, and the unshakeable knowledge that she is loved. Her journey from darkness to dawn illuminates the life-changing power of the SONshine Home’s mission and the incredible resilience of the human spirit when met with grace.
