Linda Siegel was an addict most of her adult life. Even when she was pregnant, she couldn’t — wouldn’t — stop using drugs.
“Oh, God, please just make my baby healthy and I won’t use again,” she prayed.
The infant, born on Jan. 23, 2002, was perfect. She had all of her fingers and toes, and the cocaine had not damaged her brain. While Linda was relieved, it made her think the drug must not be so bad, and she broke her promise with the Lord. It was back to the same old routine, getting high every day.
That is, until the fall of 2006, when the police knocked on the door of the hotel room where she, her husband, Jerry, and their 4-year-old were living.
Linda was sent to prison for trafficking in cocaine.
“The best thing that happened was getting caught,” Linda said, noting that she sent the judge who sentenced her a thank-you card every year until he recently retired. “He did for me what I couldn’t do for myself. My first day clean was my first day in prison.”
In prison, her head was clear for the first time in 25 years. She swore to make something out of her life. Certainly, those types of promises are common behind bars, but Linda made good on them.
She and Jerry, who is now a successful business owner, agreed there would be no more drugs, no more running, no more poverty. And they vowed to lift each other up when life got tough, whether it was because of jobs, health or anything else that came their way.
Today, Linda, an honors student from Wooster, joins 1,000 other students getting degrees from the University of Akron. The 52-year-old is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Naomi White, senior instructor in the school of social work, said she has grown as an educator because of her interactions with Linda.
“Linda’s current life has the potential to be a reflection to future clients that anyone can change their mind, change the choices one makes, and the outcome for a client’s life can change,” said White, who described Linda as an “educator’s dream.”
But things weren’t always so rosy.
Linda spent 120 days in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. It was there that she realized she would be dead soon if she didn’t do something about her life. After being released, she faced discrimination while working at a low-level job and was fired. Jerry gave her 24 hours to whine and sob, then told her to wash off the tears and self-pity and enroll in classes at the University of Akron’s Wayne College.
What she learned, though she may not readily admit it, is that she is pretty darn smart. Her feelings of unworthiness, ingrained because her biological mother had given her up for adoption while keeping six other siblings, were beginning to fade. Though she was beyond middle age, her ugly life experiences and transformation just might be enough to give someone else hope.
“It’s about giving back to a community that I previously took so much from,” Linda said. “I want to help those who have been victimized by domestic violence, those returning to society from jail and prison, and raise awareness of the need to address these issues.”
Facing another battle
In 2012, three years after Linda had hopped on the collegiate track to a better life, she felt a lump in her breast. Sure enough, it was cancer that required a bilateral mastectomy followed by months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. But that didn’t keep Linda out of the classroom. She returned — complete with drainage tubes.
“My fellow classmates were absolutely amazing,” Linda said. “There were days when I didn’t feel well … The faculty was equally supportive; some wondered why I was even there, but supported my determination.”
Despite the pain, she completed her spring and fall semesters with a 4.0 grade-point average. Next spring, she will apply to UA’s graduate school to pursue her master’s degree.
She is also proud that her daughter is a happy and very bright preteen.
Linda was quick to tell me that she’s not alone, that there are many other students like her who have horrific histories and are now contributing to society. But she’s special enough that the University of Akron contacted me to tell me the story of an extraordinary woman who has won the hearts of many — and is expected to change the lives of many more.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com. Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kim.honemcmahan.