William Kilfara

My name is William Kilfara. I was born in New York on September 10, 1975. My family and I moved to Georgia in 1979. On the surface, my family was what you might call privileged, living in a mansion in East Cobb near Atlanta. My brothers and I wanted for nothing, attending the Marist School in Atlanta and continuing on to college. But, looking beneath the surface, all was not well in “paradise”. My father was a raging alcoholic which ended several years later when he shot himself all of 20 feet away from me. I was 19 at the time, and the damage done that day was incalculable. A reputable job, marriage to a beautiful woman, and a home near Dunwoody describes the 10 years of my playing the world’s game. Still, psychological damage lingered on, and I used a knee injury to start abusing painkillers. The pills numbed the pain I felt inside, for a while. Before long, I was neck deep in an addiction of my own. I allowed nothing to stop my efforts to get and stay high. It cost me everything, even my freedom, as I was arrested. Upon release from jail, my family would not allow me to live with them in my condition and took me to the Mission. Since coming to the Mission, I have accepted Christ as my Saviour. My walk with the Lord has only just begun, but I am very grateful for what I have learned and continue to learn each day. I can truly say, “I once was blind, but now I see” – even God’s purpose.