Choose Life
A slight light illuminated the dark room which I had imprisoned myself in for so many years.
JO KEPPLER has been to hell and back. Now she lives to be a light of hope to those struggling through their own life challenge. She tells her story:
In April, I had the privilege of sharing at the treatment centre that I attended two years ago. I was asked to share my story of substance abuse recovery: what it was like, what happened, and what my life is like today.
As I spoke, I looked at the patients staring at me intensely. They were hanging onto every word I said, in anticipation for some hope that they too could change their lives. I remembered being in that position 30 months ago when someone told me that I could do great things one day.
As I received that beautiful gift of hope, a slight light illuminated the dark room which I had imprisoned myself in for so many years.
After my talk, I began reflecting on my life, as well as the run I had done a few days earlier. This was the Ultra-Trail Drakensberg 100 miler - not just any run. It was actually 167km and not 160km, which distressed me at the time, but in hindsight it’s quite funny to get upset about 7km when you’re running 160km!
Childhood dreams and troubles
From a young age, I had a recurring dream in which my father and my cousin Pantelis were carrying a coffin. As I watched from above, I saw the coffin being lowered into the ground. On the tombstone was written Ioanna Eleftheriou 1988-2018. My name.
The life I had always known would come to an end so that I could be given a second chance.
This is what I then equated my life to – a limit of 30 years. Little did I know then that I would die a different death at 30. The life I had always known would come to an end so that I could be given a second chance. Borrowed time.
It is difficult to say exactly where it all started but I know that I loved the feeling of escape from a young age. I will never forget having a drink at the dinner table at the age of 11. It was not abnormal in a European upbringing to toast at a meal, but the difference was that as most kids turned their faces to the taste of the alcohol, I somehow loved the way it made me feel. It felt as though I had arrived.
I went around the table downing all the
