LaShunda Duty

Before LaShunda Duty joined Nexus Family Recovery Center, she was a mother searching for hope. Her struggle with substance use began at a young age with alcohol and gradually escalated to drugs, taking over much of her adult life. The disease cost her everything: her home, her sense of self, and her ability to provide stability for her children. While surrounded by a supportive family and church community who stepped in the care for her children, LaShunda fought to rebuild her life at the Dallas 24 Hour Club and Tillman House, determined to regain custody of her kids. 

In April 2021, LaShunda interviewed at Nexus as a Recovery Advocate. Walking through campus and seeing stories of women who had transformed their lives, something shifted. She realized her past pain could serve a higher purpose: helping others find their way to healing.

Since then, LaShunda has served as a Recovery Advocate, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Coordinator, and now Philanthropy Associate. While her roles have evolved, her core mission remains unchanged: to look struggling women in the eye and say, “I’ve been where you are.”

As a mother who fought to reunite her own family, she is especially moved by Nexus’s ability to let mothers keep their children with them during treatment. Today, her children are 14 and 16 years old, and LaShunda gets to be a fully present, active parent in their lives.

“I often say that my journey was never really about me; it was about being prepared for the people I would one day have the privilege of serving,” LaShunda says. Through Nexus, she continues to help restore hope for women and children, one family at a time.