Portland, OR -- Her life is a series of habits and addictions. Drinking. Stealing. Domestic violence. Incarceration.

Kelli Elliott started at age 12 and it steadily got worse. One drunk driving night in January, 2008, she ran from the police. Kelli drove into oncoming traffic on the freeway, crashing into a barrier. She nearly killed her friend in the passenger seat. By the time she sobered up, she was on her way to prison. She left behind four young children who would become her saving grace and motivation to work toward early release. And yet that saving grace proved her greatest challenge, for to be a parent, Kelli had to face herself.

This video was produced at - theportlandworkshop.com - and published on OPB.org. 

Bend, OR -- Rachael Scdoris became the first legally blind person to complete the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska in 2006. She has since shed the limelight, sponsorships and television appearances to live with her father, husband and over 100 sled dogs on 40 acres in Central Oregon. 

Produced by Tommy Pittenger, Matt Leslie and Alisha Jucevic. 


A skydiving accident in 2011 left Timberly Eyssen with a broken neck, which eventually lead to a prescription opioid addiction. After years of drug abuse, Eyssen attempted suicide in in April of 2017, but has since begun a treatment with Suboxone, which helps to treat her pain and addiction. “After eight years of spiraling down,” she said. “I’m 80 percent better and moving forward.”

View the full story in collaboration with writer Jake Thomas and photographer Nathan Howard here.

Produced by Alisha Jucevic. 


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