To Ashley From Your New Heart

A Childhood in 8 Mile

Ashley shares her experiences growing up in a Catholic family in 8 Mile, Alabama. While she remembers a childhood filled with hunting, fishing, and "mud riding," it was also marked by the shadow of her father’s alcoholism. She recalls young memories of searching for his vehicle at local bars and even visiting him in jail.

The core of Ashley's testimony centers on a season of intense grief:

• 
  

  The Loss of Alyssa: After a traumatic miscarriage on Christmas Eve in 2016, Ashley became pregnant again but developed severe preeclampsia. Her daughter, Alyssa, was born at just 30 weeks and spent 53 days in the NICU. On July 3, 2018, Alyssa passed away in her parents' arms at a hospital in Birmingham.

  
  

• 
  

  A Father’s Passing: Not long after losing her daughter, Ashley watched her father’s health decline. She reflects on the pain of his passing and the weight of planning a second funeral while still reeling from the first.

  
  

In the wake of these tragedies, Ashley describes how she began self-medicating to "numb the pain" while trying to remain present for her older daughter, Carly. She speaks candidly about the "skeletons in the closet" and the struggle to maintain a facade of a joyful life while falling apart inside.

Ashley’s life took a definitive turn when she began attending South Coast Church in 2022. Through a divine encounter with a stranger who prayed for her, she was led to South Coast Recovery. She describes the miracle of her "turnaround," getting baptized alongside her husband, Carlos, and her daughter, and the peace of receiving a "new heart" from God.