SALT LAKE CITY – In the middle of Salt Lake City, three friends gathered on the sidewalk in front of City Creek Mall. It is actually the place where they first met in remarkable circumstances three years ago and where Korey Hathaway used to camp and beg for money.
“In a way, I didn’t want to go back here. I hate to see how I was here, but in a way it’s a kind of closure,” Hathaway explained.
One of the friends sitting with him on the sidewalk admitted that he did not think they would be together again in happy circumstances. “I wasn’t sure you would ever go out on the street,” said Candice Madsen.
In April 2017, Korey Hathaway was addicted to drugs and had been homeless for five years. He landed on the streets after breaking his hand in a construction accident and became addicted to pain medication and then heroin.
“At first you want him. Then he gets to the point you need to get through. There, in the end, I wasn’t myself. I didn’t like him,” Hathaway said. – The only thing that got me out of it was Michael.
Michael Hansen found Hathaway when he bent down to give a homeless man a dollar and realized he was his best friend from childhood.
“When I looked at him, my jaw hit the floor pretty much, because he was my best friend from elementary school to high school,” Hansen recalled.
Madsen, a KSL-TV producer, happened to pass by and noticed friends sharing a pizza in the middle of the sidewalk. “The more I looked, the more intrigued I was, and I finally heard one of them say, ‘Let’s take a picture.'”
Madsen volunteered to take the photo and then they told him they hadn’t seen each other in 14 years. “Then I said, ‘You won’t believe that. I’m a journalist and this is an amazing story. “
Madsen produced a story about the meeting for KSL-TV and after it was broadcast, people all over the world cheered the friend.
But taking Hathaway off the street was not an easy journey.
Hathaway said his addiction and fear of failing and letting his family down again kept him on the streets. “I always wanted a way out of being homeless. I just didn’t know how,” he said.
Hansen’s long journey to get Hathaway off the streets finally ended in the spring of 2018, when Hathaway was hospitalized.
“Michael came and gave me a blessing and he’s been going up since then,” Hathaway said.
Hansen remembered driving to the hospital and thought his friend was going to die. But when he offered the blessing, he knew that his friend could live.
“At that moment, I knew that if he did everything the doctors asked him to do, he would actually live,” Hansen said.
It was a miracle that Hathaway lived. He spent nearly three months in and out of hospitals for heart, lung and kidney failure. Doctors did not think he would be able to give up dialysis without a transplant, but he did.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for what the doctors and nurses did,” Hathaway said.
Hathaway credited many people with helping him regain his life – including the dentist who gave him a smile. “I can actually eat food – real food.”
Many friends encouraged him, but at the top of the list – his mother who never gave up hope.
“What else can I say? She’s my mother. Mothers are always there for you,” Hathaway said.
The rest of his family was also able to give up the past to greet him with much love.
“There is always forgiveness. You just have to find a way to receive it,” Hathaway said.
Ever since he got home, Hathaway has asked for a lot of forgiveness and has begun to heal many of his relationships – including his son. “I tried to cope. I spend as much time with him as possible. He used to be Korey. Now I’m a father.”
Hansen said his friend had returned to the person he would trust in his life. “I saw him go from living right here on the sidewalk to living at home, and you can see how amazing a changed person he is,” he said.
Hathaway said there are other reasons besides addiction that lead to homelessness. “Every person has their own story. The thing that made a big difference to me was when people stopped and talked to me and acknowledged that I was human,” he said.
Hansen and Hathaway wanted to do something special to give back and thank all the people who helped them along their journey. They teamed up with Madsen to produce an old-fashioned radio show based on their story. You can listen to the show here.