05/19/2026
Success Story Time ❤️
My name is Michael Sean, and for six long years, the streets of Ponca City were my home. I was completely lost in the grip of addiction and alcoholism, enduring the freezing winters and scorching Oklahoma summers. I know firsthand what it feels like to be cold, hungry, and hopeless. Back then, organizations like A Path Forward and the Ponca City Noon Lions Club were a literal Godsend to me. Whether it was a safe, warm place to stay in the winter where families and pets could find shelter or a cold bottle of water from a hydration station in the summer, those small acts of compassion kept me alive.
The turning point in my life came through a raw, honest conversation with a dear longtime friend named Misti Scott at Bridgeway. She looked at me and told me the hard truth: "If I didn't make a change, I was going to die out on those streets". After that talk, I went and got high, but the joy was gone. Her words just kept replaying over and over in my head. A week later, I walked into Bridgeway weighing 122 lbs. and completely broken mentally with tears rolling down my face and asked for help.
That choice started a long journey of hard work. I went through treatment at Catalyst, spent a month at an Oxford House in Enid, and eventually moved back home to Ponca City into the Kaw Springs Oxford House in February of last year. I was actively looking for work, but things were tight, and by April, I was facing a crisis. I was about to lose my place in the house because I couldn't pay my rent. I was right on the edge of being right back on the streets.
That is when I reached out to A Path Forward. They didn't just offer words. They stepped up and provided the funds to pay my rent, keeping a roof over my head when I needed it most. That stability changed everything.
Today, my life looks completely different. I am now renting my own home for me and my dogs. I am employed full-time at Little Caesar's and I am still doing the work on myself, taking outpatient classes at Bridgeway and working "The Journey Begins" step study at Celebrate Recovery. I am also actively writing two books. One a book of poetry focusing on my addiction and recovery and the other a memoir of my life and legacy. And on the weekends, I have the absolute privilege of chairing the Saturday and Sunday 7:00 PM PB4P Narcotics Anonymous meetings, helping others find the same freedom I found.
Just the other day, I was able to buy seven cases of water out of my own pocket to donate to the hydration stations being put out by A Path Forward and the Ponca City Noon Lions Club. Standing there in my yard talking to Amanda Scott as she picked up the water, I realized my journey had come full circle. A Path Forward helped save my life when I had nothing, and today I am blessed enough to help them save someone else's.
Recovery is possible. Change is possible. And to anyone out there still struggling on the streets of Ponca City, don't give up hope. There is A Path Forward.
We want to thank you for sending us your story to share. Stories like this give hope to those who have none. We are so glad to be able to be a part of your success as much as we were your struggle. Thank you for giving back and thank you for not giving up 💕
