The

Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Campuses Advance-TitanVol. 128, No. 7 Oct. 22, 2020 advancetitan.com ‘What happened to Montee Ball?’ Photos taken or provided by Michael Cooney and FIXED participants Jenna Washuleski, left, has been has been surrounded by substance abuse her whole life, watching her sisters Carly, middle, and Leah, right, fight addicition. Odd one out: “That’s OK,” Jenna said. “I’m glad A family fights you’re taking steps to better your- self.” addiciton and Jenna is always delighted when she sees her club members succeed- for each other ing. These teens all share a common experience — they all come from dif- By Kaitlyn Scoville ficult lives where they need support, [email protected] such as living with family members who struggle with addiction. Just a day in the life Jenna knows what they are going Jenna Washuleski is in her ele- through. She knows what it’s like to ment. Despite the chaos of kids run- grow up in an environment full of ad- ning around at the Boys and Girls dicts and abuse. She knows what it’s Club of Oshkosh, she glides in with like to use. And she knows what it’s a special guest for a H.O.P.E. Group like to move past the addiction that — Hold On, Pain Ends. Montee Ball, still affects her family to this day. former Wisconsin Badger and Den- ver Broncos running back, came to share his experience with addiction Getting the call The call came in the morning when and alcoholism. Jenna was finally relaxing in bed af- Every Tuesday, Jenna facilitates ter a 14-hour work day, starting first this group for teens to gather and dis- as a substance abuse counselor and cuss some of the hardships they face then as a waitress. She didn’t want to in their homes. She created H.O.P.E. look at the Caller ID. Group in February 2019 to provide “Please, please, don’t let it be an outlet for teens to connect with about my sisters,” she thought. Jenna others who have been through sim- often didn’t know where either of her ilar experiences. sisters were. They could be in jail. These young people pour their They could be in the hospital from an hearts out about how they’ve been overdose. They could be anywhere. impacted by addiction, mental health Photos taken or provided by UWO alumnus Michael Cooney and FIXED participants She tried to ignore the ringing, but, issues, criminal activity and incar- Last year, Montee Ball, a running back for UW-Madison and former NFL player, as always, she couldn’t. She’s the re- ceration. opened up about his battles with addiction. sponsible sister. She always picked “I wanted them to have an area up. where they can relate to other peo- One week earlier, Jenna had ple their age,” Jenna said, smiling at reached out to Carly, her older sister, Former UW football the teenagers playing football in the and asked if she needed help. Carly concourse. “I’ve seen so many stu- had said no then. dents come forward about sharing “I changed my mind. I decided I their story. I want them to gain tools star talks addiction need you to take Makayla,” Carly they can apply to their lives, but to said. By Natalie Dillon comfortable. When I was drunk, it seemed do it in a way where we play games Jenna went on high alert. “OK, [email protected] like everyone loved me, and I did not un- and activities or by learning through when?” derstand I was creating some terrible hab- guest speakers.” “Tomorrow.” Pain and addiction its that I’d fall back on once I went to the A smiling teenage girl approaches Jenna thought to herself, ‘Oh my “What happened to Montee Ball? That NFL. Jenna, showing off her latest artwork God, tomorrow?’ “Are you serious? is the million-dollar question. “My room growing up was blue and or- from a tattered and worn notebook. OK.” “That is the question I saw on Google, ange with a wooden Broncos head on it, “Hey, that’s really great,” Jenna That “tomorrow” was Sept. 16, on Twitter, all the time. I was so anxious and that was my lifelong dream. said, as she flips through the note- 2017 when Jenna, then 26, took her to go out and to talk to people, so for me, “Fast forward to April 26, 2013: Draft book. “How is everything going?” then 13-year-old niece, Makayla, alcohol was my social lubricant. I fell day. John Elway was calling me when I “Good. I just got a job here at the into her home in Fond du Lac be- back on the drinking. was 22 years old and asking me if I wanted Boys and Girls Club, so I might not cause her sister, who struggles with “Why? Because when I was drunk, I felt to be a running back for the Denver Bron- be able to make it to H.O.P.E. much addiction and mental health disor- anymore,” the teen said. Jump to Ball / Page 6 Jump to FIXED / Page 5 Page 2 Page 4 Page 7 Page 9

County board vote Dr. Chancellor Nov. Election Letter: Save the blue lights Oct. 22, 2020 AdvanceTitan.com | 5 FIXED: Sisters’ addictions changes lives methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs and battery. For Carly, the charges include neglecting a child, disorderly conduct and theft. Jenna, somehow, was differ- From Page 1 ent from her sisters. She was living a double life between ders, couldn’t care for her. school and home. Jenna knew, at that moment, her At school, she maintained life would be changed forever. good grades and participated Winnebago County sees doz- in extracurricular activities. At ens of overdose deaths each home, she experimented with year. In 2018, 24 people lost drugs and alcohol with her sis- their lives because of opioids ters to try to stay close with and other addictive substances. them. The year before, 34 died from During her junior year of high opiate overdoses. school, Jenna began to distance Jenna plays an active role in herself from her family. She helping those who are willing to didn’t want to follow her sis- develop a life in recovery. She ters down the path of addiction. does this through her profession Their experiences drove Jenna’s as a counselor, as a member of desire to help others, so she the steering team and chair of went to college while her sisters the Prevention and Awareness were still active in their addic- Action Team for Breakwater, tion. ABOVE: Jenna Washshuleski formerly called the Winnebago “I went to class and we were and her niece, Makayla Brew- County Drug and Alcohol Co- talking about heroin. It was the ington, look through a photo alition, as a board member at day after I found out my sister album together. Jenna took Solutions Recovery, Inc. and at Leah was doing heroin. It was legal kinship of Makayla when the Boys and Girls Club of Os- really difficult to go to class and she was 13. RIGHT: From hkosh through H.O.P.E. Group. learn about these things as I am left: Carly, Jenna, and Leah as finding out that is what my sis- children. Jenna was just 1 when The early years ter is doing.” Jenna learned that her father left. Shortly after, her Jenna was only 1 when her creating healthy boundaries was mother lost custody and Jenna father left for work and never her next step. was sent to foster care with her returned. Her sisters, Leah and sister Leah, while Carly went to Carly, were 3 and 5, respective- The break-in stay with her grandmother. ly. Their mother, overwhelmed “Jenna, come with us,” Leah with being a single mom and whispered. Photos taken or provided by learning to balance working “What are we doing?” UW Oshkosh alumnus Michael third-shift with schoolwork, “We’re going to break into the Cooney and FIXED partici- struggled to cope. The hardship neighbor’s place.” of raising three children alone Jenna didn’t really want to weren’t looking for anything The overdose in a snap. Still, Jenna knew that with little support became too go, but she wanted to be closer in particular, but they all ran The text came on a Friday af- when it happened, she had to much; she lost custody and spent to her sisters. She’s the quint- around and grabbed random ternoon. distance herself, and Makayla, four months in jail on charges essential little sister who just things they thought might be of “Is there any chance we can from Carly in order for them of child abuse. Jenna and Leah, wants to fit in. She was a good value. Everyone except for Jen- reschedule the interview? I want to focus on their own mental then 5 and 7, went into foster student, an athlete and was well- na; she just stood there. to hang out with a friend I hav- health and self care. care; Carly, the oldest at 9, lived liked at school. Her sisters were ‘This is stupid, why am I en’t seen in a long time,” Carly . with their grandmother. rebellious, angry and sometimes here?’ Jenna thought. Fear raced sent. More on Makayla After a year apart, they re- violent with each other and with through her body, but a sound “Yeah, it’s no problem,” Jen- Since Sept. 16, 2017, Jenna united as a family. However, her. They reveled in the adren- from upstairs had broken her na replied. has been the de facto parent to the scars of losing their mother aline rush they got from doing paralysis. Breakwater, formerly the Makayla, Carly’s daughter, who and being put into foster care illegal things. “Jenna, come here. You got- Winnebago County Drug and now attends high school in Fond remained. Leah and Carly began Jenna knew her sisters were ta see this!” It was Carly and Alcohol Coalition, was doing du Lac County. abusing addictive substances, taking drugs — she avoided Leah. a project called “Live Stories” Jenna obtained kinship of starting with prescribed medica- all that, seeing how the drugs She slowly made her way up that interviewed people from all Makayla in October of 2017. tions: Ritalin, Adderall and Xa- affected them. That was, until the stairs to a room where the walks of life who were impact- This was done over guardian- nax. Leah used weed and drank sophomore year in high school. sisters were huddled around a ed by addiction. Jenna knew her ship because Jenna did not want alcohol at 12, which progressed Leah would take Jenna to lo- closet. As she got closer, Jenna family’s story would be perfect to see Carly completely lose to opioids, cal concerts in realized that the homeowners for the project. Jenna, her niece Makayla. According to the De- and then to Fond du Lac. were growing marijuana. That Makayla, and Makayla’s moth- partment of Children and Fami- meth when At those con- was the first time Jenna saw a er, Carly, signed up to partici- lies, “kinship” refers to “helping she was 28. How am I going to certs, Leah marijuana plant. pate. a family support a child in the Carly did would hand Someone grabbed the plant When Carly backed out, Jenna home of a relative that might be ecstasy for tell my niece that her pills — and shouted, “Jenna, come on! spent the day with Makayla and under stress or when the child three years her mom had over- they ranged We gotta get out of here!” Makayla’s grandmother, being has experienced abuse or ne- when she was from Oxycon- Jenna quickly followed. She interviewed for the Live Stories glect.” 22, which dosed? tin, Xanax, thought, ‘What am I doing here? project. They ended the long Makayla, who was 13 at the progressed Adderall, to I don’t want to be like this.’ day of interviews with a pizza time, was struggling to find a to heroin use, - Jenna Washuleski Methadone While her sisters continued dinner, then she and Makayla place to live after she and her then cocaine and more using drugs and alcohol, Jenna went home. mother were evicted from their at 30. — and say, stopped and continued the push The very next day, May 19, rental home. “When I “Here Jenna, to complete her high school ed- 2018, Jenna’s mom called. Car- Makayla had been sleeping was in mid- try this.” ucation. Both Leah and Carly ly had overdosed on heroin she on the couches of her mom’s dle school, I remember seeing And she did. did not earn their diplomas the got from her former dealer and friends’ homes. She also spent a [my sisters] experimenting with When the effects settled in, traditional way, as they had chil- ex-husband in Waupun. Her week living with her pastor and drugs and smoking, drinking she felt nauseous. She didn’t dren at a young age. lungs were deflating — it took his family. Her mother, despite and partying at our house when like the way the drugs made her “When Makayla moved in three shots of Narcan to revive her drug addiction, managed to my mom wasn’t home,” Jenna feel, but she kept doing them with me, I was going to college her. Doctors found a tear in her pull herself together and call said. “They engaged in criminal because it built a bond between to get my bachelor’s degree heart and told her if she kept us- Jenna for help. activity — robbing our neigh- her and her sister. in psychology. I already had ing, she would die. For about a month, from Sep- bors, stealing cars, ending up on As a teenager, Jenna knew my degree for substance abuse Jenna had mentally prepared tember to October, Jenna, who supervision and the bracelet.” taking random pills was bad, counseling, so I was working as herself for that phone call for was living in Fond du Lac, The “bracelet” is a court-or- but she tried not to think too a counselor, waitressing and go- years. would take Makayla to school dered tracking device for people much about it. She and her sis- ing to school full-time. The next She thought to herself, ‘How in Ripon each day, then head who have been convicted of a ters were getting along — some- thing you know, I am taking on am I going to tell my niece that to work in Oshkosh. Then she crime. thing she wanted her entire life. a teenager. I put school on hold her mom had overdosed?’ would drive back to Ripon to Both Leah and Carly Then came the break-in. Jen- and quit my waitressing job so I Both Jenna and Makay- pick Makayla up from school, have been arrested for vari- na and her sisters went to a could take care of her.” la knew better than to think then back home to Fond du Lac. ous charges. Some of Leah’s neighbor’s house and climbed that the struggles of substance That was around 100 miles per charges include possession of through an open window. They abuse disorders could be fixed day, about two hours on the road. 6 | AdvanceTitan.com Oct. 22, 2020 Ball: ‘Addiction does not discriminate’

Ball From page 1

cos. As you can imagine, I was standing on top of the world. I’m like, ‘See Mom and Dad? I told you I could handle my alcohol. I didn’t even listen to you and I’ve accomplished every single thing that I’ve wanted to accomplish.’ It was quick, boom, you’re gone. That fast. My dream since I was 8 years old, every single year of me working my butt off, it was like the blink of an eye.

“The Broncos was a two-year thing. My depression acceler- ated, and it took me to a very, Photos taken or provided by UW Oshkosh alumnus Michael Cooney and FIXED participants very dark place. A train wreck Montee Ball was nominated for the Heisman Trophy in 2011 and was drafted into the NFL by the Denver Broncos in the second round. happened. I projected my in- He played professional football for two seasons before his drinking and depression caught up with him. securities onto someone else. I was looking for someone else throughout therapy I learned son, but my therapist told me I platform to speak on something Montee Ball, a running back to blame other than myself. It that is only a piece of my puzzle. shouldn’t do that. My therapist greater than myself. I believe for the University of Wiscon- wasn’t my fault they released It was always something I did told me, ‘You should be sober that life doesn’t get easier. I be- sin-Madison from 2009-2012, me. When I was in jail for three for fun. It was only something I for yourself, because if you fo- lieve that we just get stronger. was a finalist for the Heisman and a half days, I watched the did to entertain myself, my fam- cus on being sober for yourself, We get stronger throughout our Trophy in 2011. He was draft- Broncos win the Super Bowl ily and my friends, but it does in a way, you fight harder to stay life. ed in the second round by the against the Panthers. The in- not define me. Once I retired sober.’ Denver Broncos in 2013 and mates around me are telling from the NFL, I struggled with “So the question, the mil- played for two seasons. Now me, ‘That’s supposed to be you letting that door shut. I strug- “My story did not end when lion-dollar question: What hap- retired from the NFL, Montee up there winning. You are sup- gled with, who am I now? Who the Broncos released me. My pened to Montee Ball? Life hap- is working toward his real es- posed to be someone we look up is Montee Ball? Addiction does story did not end once I stepped pened. That is the answer, you tate license and completing his to, but you are in here with us.’” not discriminate. It got me early, out of jail and had the world at- guys. Life happens to us all, but degree from UW-Madison. He but I’ve come out the other end tacking me for what I did. My it most definitely does not define is also a research specialist for Life in recovery stronger. I always told myself, story has just begun. I truly, tru- you.” Wisconsin Voices for Recovery. “I felt as if the game of foot- every day, to stay sober for my ly believe that I was given the All interviews took place in fall ball was my entire puzzle, but sport of football, I was given the 2019.

Makayla. pristine and elegant. There is munity,” Jenna said. Jenna said she and Makayla “When she moved in with no TV in their living room. It’s Having grown up with two have an opportunity to focus me, we didn’t know how long a space to create closer con- sisters who struggled with ad- on themselves. it was going to be for and we nections. diction, Jenna has learned to “We’re relieved because we didn’t know what was happen- take life and all of its ups and can finally just sit back, relax ing. I just took her,” she said. Life today downs in stride. and not worry about that phone This was new for both Jenna Jenna knows there is always “There’s always something,” call or what’s going to happen and Makayla. It was a rough something good that comes out she said. “You get a phone call next,” Jenna said. “We know start, but the two of them of hard work, dedication and and you’re not even surprised that they’re both safe, getting worked it out. They sat down focusing on what can benefit a anymore of what you’re go- treatment and getting the help and created rules and guide- healthy lifestyle. Her job as a ing to hear on the other end, they need.” lines for each other. substance abuse counselor, and because you’re normalized to Looking back, Jenna also “I just kept pushing through the relationship she fostered the chaos. Another thing that’s realizes that her relationship it, because that’s what you with Makayla, has allowed her pretty hard to talk about is that with Makayla has played a big have to do in that kind of situa- to create boundaries and guide there were times that I’ve al- part in who she is today. tion. You have to make it work, her sisters in the right direc- ready accepted that they’re go- “People ask me how I turned especially with Makayla. I had tion. ing to die from this. As a result, out so differently. I believe ev- to do what needed to be done,” Makayla has talked with her I decided I don’t want children erything happens for a reason,” Jenna said. “So although it was mother about how she does not because I fear that they could she said. “Now that I reflect very difficult, it’s very reward- want to move back in with her. also struggle with an addiction back on everything, I think me ing seeing the person that she’s Carly was supportive and un- like many members of my fam- needing to be there for Makay- become.” derstanding of her decision. ily. I don’t want to spend my la was a huge part of that. I was Washuleski These days, Jenna and Reflecting on how her- up entire life worried about things in a good place to be there for From page 5 Makayla like to hang out, play- bringing was quite rough, Jen- like how I didn’t want my sis- her and take care of her when ing board games and listening na realizes she wouldn’t be ters to know where I lived, it was needed, and that’s prob- So she quit one of her jobs to music in their tidy two-bed- where she is today without it. or leave them alone with my ably the most important thing and moved to Ripon, where room apartment. “Although their struggles purse, because I couldn’t trust I’ve ever done in my life.” Makayla was attending the Succulents are displayed have caused a lot of hardships them. It does feel really good eighth grade. Jenna had to put around the living room and the for our family, I’ve turned now that they are doing well, Editor’s note: All inter- her education on hold before ambiance radiates a positive those into a positive. Their ad- and I don’t have to worry so views took place in fall 2019. the fall 2017 semester began feel. Motivational posters hang diction gives me an opportuni- much about those things.” For more information on the at UW Oshkosh to take care of on the walls around the small ty to be a better professional Now that both Leah and Car- FIXED storytelling project, space. Everything is clean, and to give back to the com- ly are on their way to recovery, visit uwosh.edu/fixed.