avg_rating: 4.54
name: Sandra Swenson
about: Sandy Swenson is the mother of two sons—one of whom is an alcoholic and drug addict. The Joey Song chronicles her journey through the place where love and addiction meet. --Life was good. Then my son became an addict.The Joey Song: A Mother’s Story Of Her Son’s Addiction chronicles my journey of finding a way to survive my son’s addiction even if he does not.When Joey was a toddler, I would sing to him the only song I knew all the words to: I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart; I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.He called it the Joey Song.Well, Joey is down in my heart to stay — no matter what happens. And, I’ve learned the importance of keeping joy do Sandy Swenson is the mother of two sons—one of whom is an alcoholic and drug addict. The Joey Song chronicles her journey through the place where love and addiction meet. --Life was good. Then my son became an addict.The Joey Song: A Mother’s Story Of Her Son’s Addiction chronicles my journey of finding a way to survive my son’s addiction even if he does not.When Joey was a toddler, I would sing to him the only song I knew all the words to: I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart; I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.He called it the Joey Song.Well, Joey is down in my heart to stay — no matter what happens. And, I’ve learned the importance of keeping joy down in my heart — no matter what happens — too.I’m not ashamed that my son is an addict; I’m sad he’s an addict. So, no more silence. I hope that on the pages of my book, this website, and my blog you find comfort and strength for your own difficult journey. You are not alone. We can be one strong voice against addiction; let’s sing The Joey Song together. --A vagabond since college, Sandy found community service opportunities wherever she moved. Between unpacking boxes, hanging curtains, and figuring out where her kids would attend school, Sandy volunteered as a first grade teacher in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia; co-founded a volunteer group dedicated to providing life-altering medical care to orphans in India; and photographed cleft surgery patients for Operation Smile in Dharamsala.As a member of the Junior Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase, Sandy created the Bistro Boyz – a program in which she and a team of Bistro Galz meet weekly with young men from the National Center for Children and Families’ Greentree Adolescent Program to plan menus, budget, grocery shop, cook, and share meals together. In 2012, the National Center for Children and Families awarded the Junior Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase the Spirit Award for Humanitarian Advocacy. In both 2011 and 2012 the Maryland Federation of Women’s Clubs awarded the Bistro Boyz program the Advocates for Children Award. And, in 2013 the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs — the largest philanthropic women’s organization in the world — nominated the Bistro Boyz program for their International Advocates for Children Award to be awarded in June.Sandy loves to garden, read and travel, and enjoys every moment spent with her son Rick, a recent graduate from American University in Washington, D.C. Sandy now lives in Austin, Texas. ...more