We were touched by each of our speakers this year, at our 8th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil. Aidan, Cini and Ben each did an amazing job, each coming from a different background and each with their own individualized pathway to recovery.
Aidan C. started off our speaker program, following a powerful introduction from Aidan’s mom, Jacqueline. Aidan’s testimonial, complete with intro, was made into well-produced film by our New Canaan high school film intern, Jude Antoniou. Please view the result of Jude’s efforts here: Aidan’s Story. As you will hear, Aidan believes that while sobriety is time-consuming, the work is “beyond worth it.”
We also have the stationary camera version of the testimonial. Stationary camera version here. We wish Aidan the best of luck, as he continues his education at Sacred Heart University, while living in the recovery residence of SHU’s Collegiate Recovery Program.
Cini Shaw was the second speaker of the 2024 New Canaan Vigil, and she did an outstanding job of giving persective to her life as the Darien housewife who bought into the myth of the “mommy wine culture” and later found recovery through a customized “patchwork” which works for her. She concluded her speech with gratitude for the recovery community family which has made her stronger with a “light worth shining”. See Cini’s testimonial here and her written speech here.
Ben Tuff was the third and final recovery speaker of the evening. While many of us were already familiar with his recovery pathway of long-distance swimming, per his award-winning documentary Swim Tuff, Ben emphasized the importance of family for both his addiction and his recovery. With his New Canaan-based brother Alex doing the intro, Ben’s speech emphasized the importance of connection, especially to someone he met who agreed to both be his Sponsor and also to teach him how to swim so he could compete in triathalons. While recovery involves at times swimming in “choppy waters”, the positivity of both his blood relatives and others he considers family is the key to his long-term success. To view Ben’s testimonial, click here.
[To learn more about New Canaan Parent Support Group, go to ncparentsupportgroup.org. To view our Vigil and other event videos, go to our YouTube Channel.]