‘If there is breath there is hope’; Ripley organization hosts recovery walk

Breath of Life in Ripley hosted its first recovery walk on Saturday outside the Jackson County Courthouse with organizers and families celebrating the lives of those who were able to recover from substance abuse while honoring the lives of those who could not.

“If you have breath, there is hope. I just want to keep believing in people and loving people until they believe in loving themselves,” said Melissa George, the organizer.

It’s a cause near and dear to Melissa and many families across West Virginia. According to the CDC, West Virginia has the highest drug overdose mortality rate in the county, at about 80 percent. That’s why groups like Breath of Life are helping people take their first steps on the road to recovery.

“I just hit seven years clean, and I really didn’t even know that there was resources out there. I didn’t know about detox. I didn’t know about sober living,” George said.

Organizers asked the event attendants to bring a pair of shoes. Over the next few weeks those shoes will be given out to those in need. These shoes symbolize the life of someone who lost their battle with substance abuse.

Community members circled the Jackson County Courthouse and prayed over the shoes to give hope for the person who may wear them next.

“Recovery’s got a stigma, but there’s a lot of walking testimonies around here that we do recover,” said Robert Wolfe, a Breath of Life team member who started an outreach program.

Breath of Life accepts donations so they can continue their mission of helping those in recovery and proving their community with resources. For more information, visit their Facebook page .

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