A Way Out

Faith-based finalists: Rescuing women from prostitution, strip joints, and drugs | Jonathon Seidl

Warning: Contains sexual content

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—At 14 Megan Kane ran away from home; at 15 she was a mother. At 19 she came to Memphis, Tenn., and began stripping at Platinum Plus, a club known for its live lesbian sex shows and rampant drug culture. There she found the attention and the money intoxicating. She made $300 the first night and wondered, "Why have I been struggling?" Soon she was making $1,300 on a good night, and with the cash came a raging methamphetamine addiction.

At first Kane took meth to stay thin, but eventually she was downing a concoction of prescription stimulants and caffeine to get her out of bed every morning, followed by a bowl of crystal meth. Her appetite disappeared. "I was completely empty," she recalled. "Nothing left inside of me."