A dad of seven who once stole from his family to feed his drug addiction has now become a dedicated father who spends his time helping others.
Mark Yilmaz, 51, became homeless when he was 20 and has opened up about how drugs and crime ran his life for 10 years.
He admits he used to steal from his own family to get his hands on drugs.
Mark also reveals he spent time in and out of prison while battling his addiction.
Mark, from East London, told MyLondon : "When I was young, I was really into this partying scene.
"Drugs got involved, and when I hit 19 I got hooked on chasing heroin. I was on that for 10 years.
“I always admit to what I've done - I did steal. As a junkie, if you get an opportunity to steal something, you're going to steal it.
“My poor family got the worst end of it - they love me now, they're proud of me. But I used to trick them, I used to lie to them. It’s amazing what you'll do just for that piece of powder.
“I would never admit it before but the truth is the truth [...] I cost my family a lot of money, and in the end, they had no choice but to turn their back on me and they did. And I deserved it.”
Now, he has overcome his addiction and is a doting dad to seven children.
Four of them are not biologically his - but he's become their guardian.
Mark said: “For the last decade, I’ve been bringing up seven children on my own. I’ve got six teenagers and a nine-year-old. They all love me, we’re a family. But it’s challenging, I'm not going to lie.
“Four of the children I look after are not biologically my children - I became a special guardian to them.
“They’re my ex-partner’s children and they’re the half-siblings of my younger three. They were going to go into care... I couldn't allow that.
“The reward God gave me for sorting myself out was looking after my children. I’m as poor as they come, but I’m so happy.”
Apart from supporting his large family, Mark dedicates his time to supporting the homeless across the capital and helping others overcome their addictions.
Mark started by buying four sleeping bags with his own money to find people to help.
Soon, dozens of people from his local community were donating food, clothing and bedding to give to the homeless.
Mark said: "It was amazing when the word got around.
“My family, the ones who turned their backs on me for so many years because of my nasty ways, all contributed and came to help.”
Through a GoFundMe page, Mark is aiming to raise £2,000 to fund supplies which he will pass on directly to London’s homeless community in time for Christmas.
“A lot of people have gone through the journey I've gone through - I was one of those messed-up ones, and there is a way out.
“Trust me. You've just got to be willing to suffer some.”
For more information or to donate to Mark’s GoFundMe page, click here.
