At a young age, Ashley’s parents got a divorce, and she began to blame herself for the behavior of her parents. After moving in with her father and stepmom, she suffered verbal, mental, and emotional abuse under their roof. During that time, she developed an eating disorder, started to self-harm, and began to have suicidal thoughts. After moving out when she turned 18, Ashley had multiple suicide attempts. She was determined to show everyone that on the outside she was doing fine and not struggling with crippling depression and anxiety. Even though Ashley had plans for another suicide attempt, she applied to Mercy after hearing about it from a mentor and entered the home the day before she had planned to end her life.

At Mercy, Ashley felt safe for the first time, and had a home where she was loved and accepted for who she was. After learning more about God at Mercy, Ashley accepted Christ as her savior for the first time and has continued walking in that freedom. She now shares her story with others in hopes that they can find the same healing in Christ that she was able to find at Mercy.