Hailey Hesch was just 12 years old when she started using drugs.

Now at age 19, she’s recovering from years of heroin abuse at the Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Hailey was one of the speakers at the New Mexico Youth Opioid Awareness Summit held this past spring. She hopes that her story will inspire others.

 “I finally realized that I am worth so much more than burnt foil and dirty needles,” she said at the event. “I am worthy of a beautiful life.”

In the video below she discusses her “rock bottom,” her time in treatment, and more.