Filed under: British Columbia
The first time I met DJ was in 2009. She was zipping around at such a speed, it was dizzying. At the time, she was a 48-year-ancient reformed sex worker and crack cocaine addict, who weighed a mere 90 pounds.
This tiny dynamo stopped long enough from her volunteer duties to tell her life tale.
She’s been raped, beaten and nearly killed. DJ has lived on the Downtown Eastside for more than two decades. From the age of 13 to 28, DJ had hundreds of “clients” and a lifetime addiction to crack cocaine.
Today, DJ, 51, weighs 100+ – she doesn’t want to divulge her exact weigh other than to say she’s “healthy” – and she’s been clean of drugs for nearly two years now.
Known as Mom on the streets, DJ credits Beauty Night with giving her purpose in life and making her feel excellent about herself – something that is echoed over and over again throughout that wintry night three years ago by many of the women there.
Continue reading Beauty Night: A Party like None Other in the Downtown Eastside
Beauty Night: A Party like None Other in the Downtown Eastside originally appeared on AOL Travel Canada on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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