Client Story: Daniel Hagadorn

Daniel Hagadorn was eight years old when his mother went into cardiac arrest. She had suffered massive brain damage, and doctors prepared the family to take his mom off life support, but she miraculously survived.

“The doctors told us if she could recover within a year, she will be back to normal. But if she didn’t, she would be an invalid all her life. I prayed and prayed and prayed. That year went by, and nothing changed. It planted a seed of resentment toward God.”

Around the same time, Daniel was volunteering as an altar boy at his Catholic church. There were accusations that the head priest was molesting some of the other altar boys Daniel was friends with. Rather than looking into it or even pursuing prosecution, Daniel’s church protected the priest by moving him to another diocese.

“My upbringing in the church provoked challenges in my life. My experience was that it was very hypocritical, and I didn’t like it. I went from a perfect little angel in public school, to developing a wild streak when I got moved to Catholic school. I was horrible. I was rude, disrespectful, disobedient, I purposely made my teacher cry.”

Daniel and his father continued to care for his mother. But rather than bring them closer together, the responsibility wore on both of them. Daniel bore the brunt of his dad’s frustration verbally and physically.

“I felt like I had been robbed of my childhood. A little kid shouldn’t be cleaning up his mom the way I did. My heart burned with hatred toward my dad. I would actually contemplate killing him and then killing myself.”

After thirteen years of caring for his mom, tragedy struck again. Daniel’s mom suffered a second cardiac arrest and died in his arms. At the time, Daniel was finishing up a theology degree at a Christian college. But the seed of bitterness, resentment and anger toward God that was planted in him as a young child choked out his desire to pursue a career in Christianity. Within a month of graduation, Daniel was working as a male stripper.

“That was the beginning of a dark turn. My world was the club scene. It was all promiscuity, pornography, smoking, drinking, drugs. I spent five years like that. It was so hollow and empty. I felt scraped out.”

He continued using drugs and alcohol to medicate the problem and continued down the path of destruction.

“I was deceitful and deceptive. Everyone knew a different face of me. I knew exactly what to say to get what I wanted. It eventually led to an attempted suicide. I bought a box of sleeping pills, laid down on a bench on Hollywood Boulevard and just waited to die.”

But Daniel didn’t die, and that was his turning point. He rediscovered his faith and starting pursuing real success. He attended a live training seminar called First Steps To Success to grow in his finances, but his experience at the event transformed his life.

“God has used Dani to rebuild my self-worth and breathe life into dreams that I had cast aside and forgotten for so long. I am completely debt free, and my wealth, as I measure it, has multiplied exponentially. I wake up every day blessed to pursue the passion God has given me.”

Daniel has become a completely different man. No longer looking out for his own self-gratification, he is passionate about helping others. He works in grief recovery helping others navigate the complicated emotions he dealt with in his past. He is a dedicated husband and father.

He full forgave his father, and built a restored relationship of love and compassion before his dad’s passing last year. Daniel’s transformation started with a decision to attend First Steps To Success. He knew his life needed to change in a big way, and he found a system that equipped him with the skills to make that change.

“My experience with Dani has been a gift. There is only one word I can think that even comes close to describing that gift: priceless.” 

Friend, wherever you are today, whether you are struggling with grief, frustration, bitterness and emptiness like Daniel, or you are simply wondering if there is more to life than where you are right now, make a decision. Get to First Steps To Success. Get all of the details and register right here.