WE DID CARNEGIE HALL

TOGETHER.

MICHAEL JACKSON, PATTY

LABELLE, QUINCY JONES, RICK

JAMES.

Reporter: SHAWN

CHRISTOPHER'S CHILDHOOD

DREAM TO BECOME A SINGER WAS

FULFILLED WHEN SHE BECAME A

BACKUP SINGER FOR SH CHAKA

KAHN.

IT WAS LIKE, WHOA, THIS

IS UNBELIEVABLE.

Reporter: BUT AT 13 SHE

GOT PREGNANT AND HAD HER

FIRST CHILD.

SHE HAD TWO MORE CHILDREN

BEFORE SHE DROPPED OUT OF

HISTORY AT 17. HISTORY-- DROPPED OUT OF

HIGH SCHOOL AT 17.

I WAS JUST A PERSON

TAKING CARE OF KIDS.

TRYING TO SURVIVE IN A VERY

BAD SITUATION.

Reporter: BUT HER

GRANDMOTHER NEVER GAVE UP ON

HER AND ENCOURAGED HER TO

DREAM AGAIN.

SHE GOES, YOU CAN BE

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE.

SHE WOULD TELL ME, DON'T

GIVE UP.

SHE SAID DREAM.

I THINK I STARTED DREAMING

ABOUT BEING A SINGER.

BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW.

Reporter: HER BROTHER,

GAVIN CHRISTOPHER, HAD MOVED

TO LOS ANGELES AND HAD HAD

BECOME A SUCCESSFUL SINGER

SONGWRITER.

WHEN SHE WENT TO VISIT HIM,

HE INTRODUCED HER TO A

BAND.

EVENTUALLY SHE STARTED

SINGING BACKUP.

WHEN THE LEAD SINGER LEFT,

SHAWN TOOK OVER.

AS SOON AS I GOT ON

STAGE, I KNEW THAT IS WHERE

I WAS SUPPOSED TOB.

Reporter: HER BROTHER

EVENTUALLY INTRODUCED LER TO

CHAKA KAHN.

I LOVE HER DEARLY.

SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE A BIG

SISTER TO ME.

Reporter: SHAWN'S

FAMILY CARED FOR HER

CHILDREN WHILE SHE TOURED.

BUT THE MONEY AND LIMOUSINES

AND WILD PARTIES EVENTUALLY

LED HER TO COCAINE.

WHEN I STARTED DOING

THAT, JUST RECREATIONAL,

WITH MY FRIENDS, IT JUST PUT

ME INTO THE PARTY.

Reporter: BUT HER

COCAINE USE BECAME MORE

FREQUENT AND AFFECTED HER

NOW TEENAGED CHILDREN.

HER DAUGHTER, COURTNEY,

REMEMBERS THE PARTIES.

ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, SHE

WOULD BE THE ONE TO BRING

PEOPLE HOME.

ONCE THE CLUB CLOSED, IT WAS

HARD FINDING THE LITTLE

BOTTLES OF THINGS THAT WE

DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.

NOW KNOWING THAT IT WAS

COCAINE.

Reporter: COURTNEY

BECAME A CHRISTIAN.

SHAWN SAW THE CHANGE IN HER

DAUGHTER AND REALIZED

SOMETHING WAS MISSING IN HER

OWN LIFE.

HER DAUGHTER HELPED HER

UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE READ IN

THE BIBLE.

COURTNEY BELIEVED THAT GOD

COULD CHANGE HER MOM.

YOU'RE SITTING THERE,

PLEASE, GOD, PLEASE GOD.

AND YOU WATCH HER RESPONSE

WHEN SHE STUDIES ABOUT

JESUS, WHEN SHE LEARNS ABOUT

THE CROSS AND WHAT THAT

MEANS SPECIFICALLY FOR HER.

I STUDIED THE WORD OF GOD

TO LEARN ABOUT MY SIN.

WHO I AM BEFORE GOD.

WHAT MY SIN HAS DONE.

KNOCKING DOWN THAT WALL.

AND THEN MAKING THE DECISION

TO MAKE JESUS THE LORD OF MY

LIFE.

I JUST REMEMBER KNOWING

THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE IS NEVER

GOING TO BE THE SAME.

Reporter: SHAWN QUIT

USING COCAINE AND LEFT HER

SECULAR MUSIC CAREER TO

CONCENTRATE ON BUILDING A

RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS AND

HER CHILDREN.

A YEAR LATER, SHE HEARD FROM

A FRIEND WHO WAS A RECORD

PRODUCER.

HE CONTACTED ME AND SAID

I NEED YOU TO SING THIS SONG

ON MY RECORD.

AND I DID.

IT IS CALLED "ANOTHER

SLEEPLESS NIGHT."

Reporter: THE SONG WENT

STRAIGHT TO NUMBER ONE ON

THE DANCE MUSIC CHARTS.

SOON SHE WENT ON TOUR AND

THINGS WERE GOING GREAT.

BUT IT THRILL DIDN'T LAST

LONG.

THE DRUGS GOT ME AGAIN.

I WAS FULL INTO THE DRUGS

AGAIN, TRAVELLING, DOING

DRUGS, SINGING, MAKING TONS

OF MONEY.

JUST BEING A DANCE BEAVER.

Reporter: THE DRUGS AND

ALCOHOL AFFECTED SHAWN'S

HEALTH, AND SHE LOST HER

VOICE AND EVENTUALLY HER

RECORD DEAL.

ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS AN OUT

OF CONTROL COCAINE HABIT.

MY BODY WAS BEGINNING TO

WEAR OUT.

IT WAS TIRED.

I WAS SICK.

Reporter: HER DOCTOR

TOLD HER SHE HAD FIBROID

TUMORS AND SHE WAS BLEEDING

INTERNALLY, AND SHE NEEDED

SURGERY, BUT HER BODY WAS

TOO WEAK.

THE DOCTOR TOLD ME YOU

HAVE TO STOP DRINKING AND

SMOKING AND DOING DRUGS AND

GET BETTER SO WE CAN DO

SURGERY AND SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Reporter: IF SHE DIDN'T

STOP DOING THE DRUGS, HE

SAID THE RESULT WAS

INEVITABLE.

HE SAID YOU'RE FOT GOING

TO STROKE OUT AND DIE, BUT

YOU'RE GOING TO GO TO SLEEP

AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WAKE

UP.

Reporter: BUT SHAWN

WON'T GIVE UP THE DRUGS.

HER DAUGHTER AND HER CHURCH

KEPT ON PRAYING.

WE JUST KEPT ON PRAYING.

THE MOST WE COULD DO WAS TO

PRAY.

I HA HADN'T BEEN ASLEEP

ALL NIGHT, MAYBE A FEW DAYS,

AND I'M GOING, LORD, LORD,

PLEASE TAKE THIS FROM ME.

EITHER LET ME DIE OR GIVE ME

LIFE.

YOU KNOW, SOMETHING HAS TO

CHANGE.

Reporter: SHE USED

COCAINE UP UNTIL THE TIME OF

HER NEXT DOCTOR'S

APPOINTMENT, BUT AMAZINGLY

HER HEALTH WAS GOOD ENOUGH

TO HAVE THE SURGERY THAT

SAVED HER.

SHAWN SAYS IT WAS CLEAR GOD

INTERVENED IN HER LIFE.

THAT WAS A MIRACLE.

IT WAS A MIRACLE FROM GOD.

ONLY HE CAN DO THINGS LIKE

THAT.

BECAUSE I DID NOTHING.

I DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO

CHANGE IT.

Reporter: AFTER THAT

DAY, SHAWN NEVER LOOKED

BACK.

FROM THAT SUNDAY IN JULY,

I'VE NEVER TOUCHED COCAINE.

TO THIS DAY, HERE, RIGHT

NOW.

AND I HAVE NO DESIRE FOR

IT.

I FELL SO IN LOVE WITH

JESUS.

I MEAN, REALLY, I FELL

DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH GOD AND

JESUS AND HIS WAY.

Reporter: SHAWN IS

SINGING ONCE AGAIN, BUT NOW

FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ONE.

* I HAVE BEEN BLESSED

* NOW I WANT TO BE A

BLESSING *

HER DEVOTION TO GOD IS SO

EVIDENT.

IT IS ENCOURAGING AND

INSPIRING.

BEFORE I USED TO THINK, MY

MOM CAN SING, BUT NOW I GET

GOOSE BUMPS BECAUSE I KNOW

WHY SHE IS SINGING, WHERE IT

IS COMING FROM AND WHERE IT

IS GOING TO.

HE LOVES ME AND HE SAVED

ME.

HE EXTENDED HIS MERCY AND

HIS GRACE TO ME THE SECOND

TIME.

YOU KNOW.

HE LET ME KNOW THAT I'M HERE

NO MATTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE.

I'M HERE.