T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Nathan Cuellar, right, pictured with Judge John Haney, left, officially graduated from the Enhanced Supervision Court (ESC) program, also known as Drug Court, during a ceremony at the Marshall County Courthouse on Friday afternoon.

Dry eyes were hard to find inside the grand courtroom of the Marshall County Courthouse on Friday afternoon as Marshalltown’s Nathan Cuellar officially graduated from Enhanced Supervision Court (ESC) — better known as Drug Court — and celebrated 477 days of sobriety, an announcement that drew a loud round of applause, after rebounding from what loved ones had described as a zombie-like existence for the last 12 years.

“In all honesty, I’m not doing it because I have to. I’m doing it because I want to. This choice today has given me my life back, in all reality, and then some. I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Cuellar said he has grown stronger spiritually and has become a liaison with God’s Way Ministries, which operates sober living houses in Marshalltown and recently hosted its inaugural “Smoking for Recovery” cookout event at West End Park. In order to graduate from Drug Court, participants must get involved with a giving back project in the community, and Cuellar chose Smoking for Recovery because he felt it was an amazing opportunity to share recovery with the community and prove that individuals who are going through the process can still have fun while being sober.

As attendees occasionally interrupted him to laugh at some of the photos on the projector behind him — including one of Judge John Haney, who graduated Cuellar, participating in the dunk tank at Smoking for Recovery — he told the crowd that the God’s Way representatives were so impressed with the turnout that they plan to make it an annual event.

In a letter to the ESC team, Cuellar described his life before Drug Court as a “trainwreck” situation that one had to see but couldn’t help to watch out of hope and desperation that something would convince him to change. He did what he wanted, when he wanted without regard for himself or the people around him and called himself a liar, and manipulator who sold drugs and turned against his family.

When an officer stopped him on a warrant near The Depot and asked Cuellar if he had anything illegal on him, he admitted to possessing methamphetamine, marijuana wax and paraphernalia. Cuellar’s boss subsequently bonded him out, and at the time, he said he was showing up to meetings under the influence, dropping positive drug tests and lying to his parole officer. He was sentenced to the halfway house in Marshalltown and ordered to participate in the drug court program.

“My personal reflections on the ESC success are, in my opinion, extraordinary as well as exceptionally remarkable. This program as well as my support group has allowed me to develop into a remarkable adult, role model, father, friend, grandparent and productive member of society,” he said. “And most importantly, to be able to love and be honest with myself.”

It has allowed him to rebuild relationships with his children, grandchildren, family and friends, get involved with God’s Way, get baptized and become active in his church and sponsor three other individuals in the AA program. Despite the odds being against him, he has also managed to become a “statistic breaker.”

Going forward, he plans to continue his spiritual growth, get his driver’s license back, sponsor other recovering addicts in AA and NA and stay involved with God’s Way. Several individuals then read character letters, including Cuellar’s wife Amanda, who thanked those who started the Drug Court program for helping to change her husband’s life.

An emotional Amanda described Nathan’s existence for the last 12 years as being like a “zombie” and thanked him for taking control of his own life because ultimately, the decision to do so was his alone.

“I do believe that this program has reformed him and that he is enjoying being clean and sober and a law-abiding citizen,” she said. “And I think he’s going to continue to do those things. What a lot of people don’t understand who aren’t addicts is (that) when you lose yourself to an addiction, you literally are no longer human. You don’t think of yourself as human, and it’s really hard to get back in and look at people and think that we’re human… That man up there has literally been dead for 12 years, and because of this program, I have my friend back. My children have their father. My grandchildren get to climb all over him and not worry about breaking him because he’s the size of a house, not the size of a toothpick anymore.”

She expressed confidence that he would walk out the doors after graduation and do something amazing with the support of family, friends and the recovery community.

“Thanks, Nate, and welcome back,” Amanda said.

Other supporters reading letters of support included his sponsor, New Life Church Pastor Rushton Reed, God’s Way Ministry Leader Rob Ackerman and various court officials and attorneys Nate had interacted with over the years. Finally, his daughter Vivian read a letter equally as emotional as Amanda’s describing her father’s situation over the last several years.

“I thank you for bringing back my dad that I never thought I would have again. This program has helped him in so many ways,” Vivian said. “Nathan is the strongest person I know. He’s been through so much. He has lost so many people (close) to him through addiction and through his own manipulation and choices, but yet he has continued to strive and do his best to get those relationships back.”

She urged Judge Haney to place his trust in her father to stay on his current positive path, and about an hour after the ceremony began, Haney officially granted his graduation request, presenting him with an official certificate and a plaque that read “You got this” as Cuellar and other drug court enrollees enjoyed pizza and refreshments to mark a milestone new chapter in his life.