When Danny Duchene was 16, his parents left him home alone while they traveled for "business." He expected them to return home to Redding, California, on Christmas Day. But instead of waking up to presents on Christmas morning, he woke up to the shocking news that his parents were behind bars. They had been arrested in Mexico for attempting to smuggle cocaine from Peru.
Danny remembers the pain he felt in that moment. This harsh reality shook his foundation. "My response was, if this is what they’re going to do with their life, then that's what I'm going to do [too]," says Danny.
He began using drugs and alcohol daily to cope with the stress of his circumstances. Within a couple of years, he was expelled from school, homeless, and addicted.
