Growing up, there was something that always stirred up my soul, and that was love! The feeling and thought of love always had me daydreaming. I always wanted the perfect marriage, with the perfect husband, children, house, and dogs. Throughout my years, I was seeking love but seeking it in basically every area where that love wouldn’t remain. I battled severe depression throughout my teen years, and no matter what I did to help myself, it never lasted.

Around 20 years old, I found myself turning to food for comfort. No matter how I felt, food became my outlet. Like everything else, this comfort was only temporary. In 2017, I found out I was pregnant. I thought that having a baby would cure my depression. Even my beautiful girl couldn’t change my emptiness and sadness. I heard about Mercy in desperation looking for a weight loss program. Little did I know, the weight I carried on my body was the lightest weight I had.

God knew exactly what he was doing! I learned how to rewire my mind to focus on what I felt, believed in, and enjoyed. This was a breakthrough for me. I always wanted to make everyone around me feel loved, and I forgot about myself. I knew I had to change. I had to see myself the way God saw me. I learned that God doesn’t look at your weight, your clothes, or where you live. He looks at your heart and can see past everything society judges you for.

During this time, I also learned to forgive while working through Keys to Freedom. One key, “Choosing To Forgive,” helped me release so much pain and was a huge breakthrough for me.

After Mercy, I plan to save up enough money to buy my own car and take a CNA course! My biggest dream is to go back to college and learn about the brain. I would love to become a pediatric neurologist. But, before any of that, the first thing I’m going to do is cuddle my baby girl because this has been the longest but most rewarding journey in my life!

I would like to tell the donors, thank you for EVERYTHING! It is because of the generosity and caring donors who even made this part of my journey possible.