Sarah Gad, an up-and-coming former student of medicine, she overcame a difficult journey of opioid addiction and she became a successful criminal lawyer. Her inspiring story is an example of resilience and overcoming challenges.
Before facing addiction, Gad's life seemed perfect. She earned a full scholarship to the renowned University of Pittsburgh and had the opportunity to undertake internships at the prestigious Mayo Clinic.
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His dreams of a promising medical career were coming true. However, a car accident changed her trajectory. After the accident, Gad was introduced to opioids — powerful and addictive pain relievers.
She realized she had a problem when she found herself reaching for the bottle of pills first thing in the morning. The addiction led to isolation, weight gain and even dropping out of school.
When looking at herself in the mirror, she was shocked by the person she saw reflected. It was as if she'd fallen into a deep hole without even realizing it, and it wasn't until she hit the ground that reality dawned on her.
Transformative experience: from prison to rebirth
Between 2013 and 2015, Gad found herself trapped in a vicious cycle, alternating between prison, rehab and relapses.
What started out as a non-violent drug-related offense quickly became a spiral. downhill, resulting in physical injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a without end.
“Prison had no rehabilitative effect. I went in with an addiction and left with an addiction, plus PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, a broken nose and a 4-inch stab wound to my thigh.”
However, it was precisely in this dark moment that she found the light at the end of the tunnel. After being arrested for a third time for a non-violent drug offense in 2015, she faced the horrors of withdrawal behind bars.
(Image: Playback/Internet)
Time of change
Gad, whose full name he preferred not to disclose, returned home after being released to find a surprise: her family had removed all drugs from the environment.
However, her relentless addiction led her to a secret hideout, where an overdose nearly cost her her life. It was just this event that became a turning point for Gad.
Determined to put the past behind her, she started a buprenorphine/naloxone treatment, known as Suboxone, and has been sober ever since.
turn of key
The road to recovery was not an easy one. She went through a traumatic experience in a Chicago prison, but her story caught the attention of renowned attorney Kathleen Zellner.
Touched by Gad's desire to help fight wrongful convictions, Zellner decided to support her on her journey. “I found the work very rewarding,” revealed Gad, thrilled to share her experience helping Zellner free a man falsely accused of murder.
Inspired by this transformative experience, Gad decided to apply to law school. With unwavering determination, he graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law in 2020.
As a result of her new profession, the now lawyer came to work in the same court where she was once convicted and sent to prison for drug possession, a fact that sealed the change in her life.
A overcoming story of Gad serves as an inspiring example for all who face similar challenges.
