“Your past doesn’t have to define you”, consistency is the key to change

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Everyone’s path in life is different, and many of us are just one bad choice, or mishap from everything changing for the worse.

News 40 recently came across Shawn Cockerham and Mary Osborne who have a touching story that was explored this week. Osborne runs a non-profit along with sitting on the board for another and Cockerham is recently housed addict in recovery coming from Nashville, Tennessee, but how did they come together?

Cockerham said he had been addicted to drugs since he was 21 years old and eventually came to Bowling Green to be with his children. Cockerham said while he came solely for his kids, he took his addiction with him and continued using in Bowling Green. He said he’d been in and out of rehab, relapsing “hundreds of times” but it wasn’t until he started to visit Room in The Inn that he stumbled upon Osborne who would help him begin to change his life for the better.

Cockerham and Osborne met in 2020 through Room in The Inn where Osborne was helping with registration that day, Osborne said “I took a liking to him and saw a lot of potential”. From there on, Osborne said she just kept showing up.

They would meet often at the episcopal church on State Street often where Cockerham would sleep at or near in the woods across the street and she would give him food and eventually become family. Cockerham said he’s been welcomed in by not only Osborne but her daughters and husband as well and told News 40 “they treated me no different, like I was part of the family”.

Cockerham told News 40 if it wasn’t for Osborne saying consistent and making an effort to always be present he’d be “dead in a ditch, real talk.” and said he owes her and her family more than he could ever repay.