PELLA, Iowa — Believing in someone is sometimes all a person needs to make a big change, and that's what an addiction counselor in Pella has become so known for: being a person who sees the best in all her patients.
Change is never easy and Deborah Kay-Ostrander understands that. She’s a natural listener.
“I like being part of the change to guide people through the process,” she said.
It’s the ear she has for people that inspires a change of heart.
“You meet people sometimes when they’re at their lowest and then you watch them make good choices. One good choice leads to another good choice, to another good choice, to another good choice and they just blossom,” Kay-Ostrander added.
As a therapist specializing in helping people with addiction at “Keys to Success” in Pella, this has been Kay-Ostrander’s life work for more than three decades.
It’s work that has helped Brittney Kuntz reclaim her life and build relationships with her children again, something she’s grateful for.
“Oh my gosh! I never thought I’d be an average mom. I remember sitting in rehab and I’m like I would do anything just to take my kid to school just one more time,” she said.
Kay-Ostrander’s help didn’t stop there. Kuntz is now a drug and alcohol counselor at “Keys to Success” where she got some of the help she needed.
“I’m very empowered because when you come from a place of addiction, you don’t have anything. You as a business owner, agreeing to hire someone that has a one percent chance of making it is a huge risk for that owner,” Kuntz said. “People would look at my record and see she has a checkered past but Deb was like ‘Let’s do it. I believe in you.’”
It’s amazing to Kuntz how Kay-Ostrander never stopped seeing the best in her even through difficult times even as Kay-Ostrander navigates a life far from easy.
“I went blind, totally, in 2003 and you just … people say ‘How do you do it?’ and I say ‘How do you not do it?’” Kay-Ostrander said.
“Keys to Success” is the only addiction agency in Pella and the surrounding area.
Losing her vision meant re-learning parts of the job.
“My computer talks to me. My phone talks to me. Everything talks to me. You just motivate. There’s another way to do it. I have a lot of energy, a lot of zest,” Kay-Ostrander said.
“What’s most impressive is her wisdom of everything she knows and everything she’s taught me … to always be myself,” said Miranda Lopez, Kay-Ostrander’s daughter.
Lopez has seen her mother adjust and been a helping hand along the way.
Today, Lopez doesn’t just work at “Keys to Success” with her mother, but is also her mother’s biggest fan.
“Authenticity and to love with everything you’ve got and to never give up… it’s one of the biggest thing I’ve seen from her,” Lopez said.
“She too was raised with a mom after third grade who couldn’t see. She went through a lot herself. She’s a wonderful child,” Kay-Ostrander explained.
She sees the person, not the problem: that’s what the children say about their mother.
“There’s a phrase ‘We’re all miracles in progress’ and I just think to give people a chance, especially when it comes to addictions and working with clients, recovery is recovery,” Kay-Ostrander said.
Helping others get there will always be a part of her purpose and vision.
“I’m going to continue. I mean, I’m 55, which I probably shouldn’t say on air,” she said as she chuckled. “But, I don’t know how to retire. My spouse is like ‘When are you going to retire?’ and I’m like ‘Therapists don’t retire. We just take less clients.’”
“Keys to Success” is located near the square in Pella. Kay-Ostrander said she’s open to working with clients from throughout Iowa. You can find more information on “Keys to Success” here.
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