SALT LAKE CITY – In downtown Salt Lake City, three friends gathered on the sidewalk in front of the City Creek Mall. In fact, it is the place where they met in extraordinary circumstances three years ago, and where Korey Hathaway used to camp and beg for money.
“In a way, I didn’t want to come back here. I hate to see what I was like here, but in a way, it’s kind of a closure,” explained Hathaway.
One of the friends who was with him on the sidewalk admitted that she did not think they would be together again in happy circumstances. “I wasn’t sure you were going to get off the streets,” said Candice Madsen.
In April 2017, Korey Hathaway lived with drug addiction and had been homeless for five years. He fell on the street after he broke his hand in a construction accident and became addicted to painkillers and then heroin.
“At first you want to. Then it gets to the point where you need it to survive. In the end, I wasn’t myself. I didn’t like myself,” said Hathaway. “The only thing that got me out of this was Michael.”
Michael Hansen found Hathaway when he bent down to give a sleeping homeless man a dollar and realized he was his best childhood friend.
“When I looked at him, my jaw dropped to the floor because he was my best friend from elementary school through high school,” recalled Hansen.
Madsen, a KSL-TV producer, happened to be passing by and noticed friends sharing a pizza in the middle of the sidewalk. “The more I watched, the more intrigued I became and finally I heard one of them say, ‘Let’s take a picture.'”
Madsen offered to take the photo and that’s when they said they hadn’t seen each other in 14 years. “So I said, ‘You will not believe it. I am a journalist and this is an incredible story.’ ‘
Madsen produced a story about the meeting for KSL-TV and after it aired, people around the world applauded his friend.
But taking Hathaway off the street was not an easy journey.
Hathaway said his addiction and fear of failing and disappointing his family 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 everything has been going up since then,” said Hathaway.
Hansen remembered driving to the hospital and thinking that 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 really live,” said Hansen.
It was a miracle that Hathaway survived. He spent nearly three months in and out of hospitals for heart, lung and kidney failure. The doctors didn’t think he would be able to get out of dialysis without a transplant, but he did.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for what doctors and nurses did,” said Hathaway.
Hathaway gave credit to many people for helping him get his life back – including the dentist who returned the smile. “I can eat food – real food.”
Many friends also encouraged him, but at the top of the list – his mother, who never gave up hope.
“What else can I say? She is my mother. Mothers are always there for you,” said Hathaway.
The rest of the family also managed to leave the past behind to receive it with great love.
“There is always forgiveness. You just need to find a way to receive it,” said Hathaway.
Since returning home, Hathaway has asked for a lot of forgiveness and has begun to heal many of his relationships – including the one with his son. “I’ve been trying to make up for it. Spend as much time as possible with him. Before it was Korey. Now I’m a dad.”
Hansen said his friend is back to the person he would trust his life with. “I saw him stop living right here on the sidewalk and start living at home, and you can see how incredible he is and a changed person,” he said.
Hathaway said there are reasons other than addiction that lead to homelessness. “Each person has their own story. What made a big difference for me is when people stopped and talked to me and recognized 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 on their journey. They teamed up with Madsen to produce an old radio show based on his story. You can hear the show here.