“Life will not always be filled with abuse, neglect, and pain . . . you will be the rose that grew from concrete.” That’s what Zulema Salazar would tell her younger self. As a child, she endured toxic stress and was shuttled through foster care due to her mother’s heroin addiction. Zulema would later battle her own drug problems, spending nearly a decade of her life in prison and losing custody of her children at one point due to her addiction. She found inner strength and recovery with help from intensive residential treatment and 12-step support. Today, Zulema gives hope to others in the throes of addiction, and surrounds herself with strong, sober women whose friendships sustain her recovery.