This book will be a treasure both to anyone who loves someone battling addiction and to those seeking to support the family members of addicts. Nishani’s poems – each one preceded by a paragraph giving context to its words – invite the reader into the heart, mind and experience of the family members of those battling addiction. I came to the anthology expecting it to be a heavy read. Instead, I found my spirit lifted by the depth of compassion, wisdom, grace and humanity that shone through each poem. Each poem explores a different experience of walking alongside an addict. The poems shine the light of insight and understanding into the raw experiences and battles fought by those who accompany an addict. Writing from the perspective of a deep Christian faith, Nishani’s poems will nevertheless be helpful for people of all faiths or none, for what shines through is her authentic humanity. The poems are arranged into helpful sections – “Addiction”, “Recovery” and “Hope, Healing and Wholehearted Living” and the reader can read it from start to finish, or dip into different poems as they wish. The hard-won wisdom, compassion and wholeheartedness of the author is a reminder that suffering, in whatever form it is experienced, presents us with an opportunity to be refined into God’s image and to grow in God’s grace.

Ian France – Minister, Methodist Church of Southern Africa

There is a very true saying in the recovery circles: The addict will use drugs alone, but it takes the entire family to do the recovery together.
This book, born out of the life lessons, lived by Nishani and her own son’s recovery struggle, is a must read!
This is a much needed book addressing the system around an addict which is the crux of success in rehabilitation. A valuable tool those who love an addict as well as those who care and work to support recovery through restorative justice in our social systems.

Derick Matthews,

Winner of Best Rehabilitation Centre, Gauteng, 2024, Pastor and Founder of Freedom Recovery Centre, Transformation Halfway houses, Ministry Against Drugs and Recovery Church South Africa.

This book is a story of hope! I read it in one sitting, and I kept marvelling at the triumph of the human spirit of Nishani and her family. It takes you from the depths of addiction to the depths of a mother’s love. Profound, beautiful, inspiring. This is a story which will stay with you forever!

Helen Nicholson 

Founder and CEO of The Networking Company

Nishani Ford’s story is a powerful account of the reality of some of life’s difficult challenges and the remarkable miraculous blessings that occurred despite all of it! This story is a must read as it offers hope and builds resilience to the reader.
I have heard Nishani share her heart wrenching story multiple times and to finally see it captured in this book is indeed going to be a great inspiration to all those who read it!
This is not just another beautifully covered book but a source of great content filled with hope , enduring faith and love!

Anthea Nagoor

Director – Focus on the Family

Nishani, firstly, thank you for the privilege of editing your beautiful expression on addiction, which is often such a misunderstood and maligned disease. Secondly, for trusting me to receive the gifts contained within the pages of your poetry in ‘Wholehearted – An offering of hope and healing for those who love someone struggling with addiction’. I don’t feel like you have any idea of the extent of the ripple that this defiant and triumphant expression through poetry will have on those dealing with or healing from addiction – I predict it will be epic and will become the pointy end of your gift in the world.

Your poems evoked a resonance and compassion for your struggle as a mother and warrior watching your child self-destruct, as I had been the child watching my father do the same and felt the helplessness of that vantage point. You have revealed how vitally important acknowledging the issue is in addressing the struggle, in a world that seems hell bent on denying and pushing away the pain that sits at the root of addiction in the first place. I love what Dr Gabor Mate’ says about addiction; namely, “We need to stop asking why the addiction, and instead ask what is the pain?”

Using your magnificent gift of poetry to convey the pain, suffering and ultimately the victory is a stroke of genius as it allows the critical and rational part of the brain to lie down and awakens the part of the brain and heart that lets unconditional love, compassion and empathy live; where so often these human qualities are pushed aside in the frustration of trying to get people to stop leaning on their substance of choice. You reveal how through unconditional love for the person and strong boundaries around what is tolerable in respect of their addictive behaviour became the winning formula to breaking co-dependency and holding a different standard of accountability.

This magnificent collection of poems is a triumph of the human spirit, walking with the knowing that there is always a force greater than us, living within us, always working in our favour even when it’s hard.

Wendy Nagel
Founder of The Potentiality Co 

Reading this book, took me to a very deep and emotional place. Having read something so authentic took me to places of my own heart that I had forgotten.

Addiction is a disease, a condition that effects a living organism and impairs it’s normal functionality. In this book, the dangers and difficulty of handling addiction are thoroughly felt and explored through its effect on the addict and those who care about them. The author accentuates that addiction is indeed a family disease, where an inevitable trauma is endured by all those who love an addict. There is a tangible mental and physical health burden that affects not only the addict but the family, requiring them to wrestle with their own recovery. Consequently, a genuine and complete recovery is undeniably a family process.

In these pages, you will find the author’s soul stripped bare and laid out for us all to read and join her story. Written in a remarkable poetic verse, this is an absolutely ravishing and invaluable read for anyone looking for their place in the world whilst battling the disease of addiction.

Dr Alisha Govender , MBBCh (WITS) 

Words are events, they do things, change things. They transform both speaker and hearer, they feed energy back and forth and amplify it” Ursula K Le Guin

This is an ode to the mothers, parents, loved ones of addicts. Especially to the mothers.
It is both heartbreaking and joyful and in the depths of despair we learn how Hope prevailed.

Nishani weaves each stage of the journey with poetic imagery, herein lies the joy, hope and despair, captured in the lines that brought me to tears on occasion.

It may be pocket size but it reveals a huge beating heart of a mother that would not give up either way “ A Mothers Prayer “ will reveal the moment of acceptance and have you looking for your own breath. We also get to know others who are impacted and The Boy in the Back Seat will tug at any heartstring.

This is a reveal of one family’s journey through addiction and it will speak volumes to anyone who has been in the depths of despair when a loved one morphs into a stranger through substance addiction.

Sharon Jansen

Executive Coach and Coach Supervisor

Mindshift Executive Coaching

Wholehearted is a deeply moving collection of poetry that captures the raw, emotional
journey of a mother facing the unimaginable – her son’s struggle with drug addiction. Each poem feels like a window into her heart, filled with the love, pain, and hope that only a parent could express. The verses are tender yet powerful, speaking to the complexities of love, resilience, and the strength it takes to hold on when life feels like it’s unravelling. As a reader, I felt each word resonate, reminding me of the profound bond between a mother and her child, even in the darkest moments. This book is a testament to the enduring power of love and the healing that can be found in expression. It touched my heart and will stay with me for a long time. Through heartfelt and honest verses, the book reveals how addiction doesn’t just affect the individual but ripples through the entire family, leaving a lasting impact on everyone involved.
Reading this book helps you realise the profound weight addiction places on loved
ones—the sleepless nights, the emotional toll, and the quiet endurance of those who care for the addict. It paints a vivid picture of a mother’s undying love, the painful loss of a brother’s childhood, and the collective struggle of a family caught in the storm. But beyond the hardship, the poetry also reflects the slow, hopeful journey of recovery, showing that healing is possible through love, patience, faith and resilience. It’s a powerful reminder that addiction is a family battle, and recovery is a shared journey.

Anusha Chetty (Proud sister and aunt)