Angel Perez and Macayla Smith
Angel Perez and Macayla Smith work out at the gym. They try to eat a low-carb diet. They have two cars, a nice apartment and enjoy spending their weekends with the kids.
Just another typical Yakima Valley family, right? Not even close.
"It's so awesome getting up and not chasing the dragon," says Angel.
The dragon was heroin.
"We were very active in the drug scene," Angel says. "I was in gangs. I've been in prison twice. Macayla and I were on the streets; We were homeless. We used everything from heroin to methamphetamines to alcohol, but heroin was our drug of choice."
That was almost three years ago, when the couple began their long journey to get off the streets and out of addiction.
"We'd hit rock bottom; I was done," Angel says. "Ever since they took my little boy it kinda woke me up and opened my eyes. I told Macayla, 'No, the streets ain't nothing for us. Our son is our little angel, and we're going to get him back."
Angel and Macayla got themselves into out-patient treatment; they go to classes, see counselors. As Angel says, "Whatever it takes, we did it and we did it as a couple. We set some goals and . . ."
"We met them one by one," says Macayla, finishing Angel's sentence, holding his hand.
One of those goals included dealing with Hepatitis C. Angel long knew he had Hep C, but "I was kinda scared, and when you're using you don't care."
His doctor referred him to Yakima Valley Memorial's Liver Clinic, and now the couple can add being Hep C free to their list of accomplishments.
"In the beginning it was hard," says Macayla of their transformation from homelessness and addiction to being the parents of three with playdates and jobs.
How did they do it? "Well, we fell in love, that's for sure!" she says, laughing. "We've had each other's backs ever since."
"We go to Planet Fitness," says Angel. "I go five days a week. It gets your body back. I feel so good to be getting my health back, you know what I mean? Now, instead of smoking, I get ready for the gym.
"We did an awesome thing. We showed them. We tell other people, you got this, you can do this, too. We got rid of our old friends, but whenever they see us they say 'Good job!' "