Chilon's Story

 We knew our brother Chilon needed professional help in order to overcome his addiction. Chilon is a smart, compassionate and nice person. He just chose the wrong path of addiction for many years and lost himself along the way. As his siblings, we did all we could and all we know to help him but that wasn’t enough. Coincidentally, Yeng and Xianna launched Koom Recovery, a non-profit organization, to help and support people with addictions especially in the Hmong community. At the same time, Chilon was also ready to change his life around but didn’t know where to start. We are so grateful we found Koom Recovery. Getting in touch with them was the start of Chilon’s journey to recovery. They did what they said they would. They met with us, guided us and helped us with the entire process. Chilon still has a long journey ahead of him but he’s on a great path to recovery, to find himself and to find his purpose in life. We are so proud of him. It hasn’t been easy for Chilon and us but professional help and family support are keys to his recovery. “Keep coming. It works!” Koom NA meeting Everything happens for a reason. 

Youki and Jason + family

Dear Koom Recovery Team,

I'm writing to express my deep gratitude for the life-changing support Koom Recovery has provided me. As a Hmong person in long-term recovery, I struggled with addiction for decades and often felt silenced by language barriers in traditional treatment settings. Koom Recovery gave me the culturally specific support I needed. Through your translation services, I finally understood the 12 steps in my native language, which is something that took me over 20 years to grasp. This understanding has empowered me to sponsor 2 others on their recovery journey. Your Hmong and Asian focused meetings at Recovery Café became a safe space where I could share openly. The sense of community and belonging has been impactful to my healing. Koom Recovery also inspired my passion for physical wellness. I’ve completed three marathons, including the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon, and now lead weekly recovery runs at Phalen Lake. With your support, I also started a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on St. Paul’s Eastside and am preparing for my peer recovery specialist certification. I’ve seen your impact extend beyond Minnesota, such as supporting elderly Hmong parents from other states who seek help for loved ones. Koom Recovery has not only transformed my life, but it’s also helping change our entire community. Thank you for your commitment. I proudly recommend Koom Recovery to anyone seeking culturally responsive recovery support.

Hey! My name is Va Xiong today I would like to give a shout out to KOOM RECOVERY. They have been with me throughout my years of incarceration in the state Prison system. They are always willing to see how I'm doing. Then came my release date and when the person that was suppose to come get me didn't. KOOM RECOVERY came without any hesitation. They picked me up and they pointed me in the right direction by referring me to a treatment center also know as Professional Counseling Center. I knew that I had these built up emotions that needed to be dealt with or else I was gonna fall back into the same cycle of reoffending again. Now I'm on track thanks to both KOOM RECOVERY and PCC and my next steps are to become a Peer Recovery Specialist so that I can give back to my Hmong community. Again thanks to KOOM RECOVERY for being there for me and showing me that they care. It means alot to me.

Hi, my name is Sue Vang. Here’s a little introduction about me. I am a Hmong dad of 4 kids. I am 30 years old and not the perfect husband or dad. I’ve been in my addiction since age 15. Koom Recovery has played a big impact in my recovery. I was facing a 1st degree sales and 1st degree possession; Koom Recovery was relentless in fighting for my freedom to get me another chance to get back to my family and continuing my good work in my recovery. Koom commutative is praiseworthy in the efforts they do for their people who’s redeeming a second chance to turn life around. In the Asian community when your known to be an addict you seem to be forgotten and not dependent on. All the shame and guilt you carry for so long having no one to express to has finally change because of Koom community. Having a community of my people who’s going through the same situation has giving me a vision to see the lights that it’s never to late to turn my life around. This community has inspired me to go to college for my substance use disorder and mental health addiction degree so that one day I can work at Koom community to pay it forward to help the next person in recovery. 

Thank you, Koom Recovery