Taylor – 2015 Graduate

I was born into a family that did not want me. I was verbally, physically and emotionally abused. When I was 11, I was sexually abused by a family member. I started self-harming at age 11, and it continued to get worse as time went on. At 14 I lost my mother to a blood disease and was blamed for her death. My father left us, and my sister and I went to live with our grandparents. I was angry and full of rage as I continued to endure verbal abuse. I found out my grandmother had stage four lung cancer as I was leaving for college. At the start of my second semester of my freshmen year, I found out my grandmother had passed away. I blamed myself for her death because I felt like I should have taken care of her.

I originally found out about Mercy through a Mercy graduate who saw me struggling. She suggested to a family friend that I check out the website. After looking into the program, I decided to apply.

A major turning point during my time at Mercy was forgiving my father. This opened me up to be able to come to the realization that my mother’s death was not my fault, nor was my grandmother’s death.

While at Mercy, God showed me his amazing love for me. He has also shown me that I am beautiful and that I am redeemed. He helped me find freedom! After struggling since I was 11 years old, I am now free of self-harm!!

After graduating from Mercy, I will be returning to school. I then want to become a pastor!

I want to say thank-you to all the Mercy supporters. Your support saves girls like me and has changed my life through the power of God!