Survivor Snapshots

 Jenny - Jenny is starting her last semester in college. She is a little nervous about the next phase of her life and is trying to figure out what she wants to do next. She's  looking for a part-time job, volunteering, and exploring the options available to her. We're all thrilled that she is close to completing her educational goal of earning a bachelor's degree. 

Leah - Leah is continues to work on her treatment and recovery . We are so pleased to see that she has finally decide decided to become fully open with us, is building a stronger relationship with our direct services team, and is ready to completely trust. These are major milestones in the restoration of a trafficking survivor. We look forward to walking beside her as she continues to blossom.

Tara - Tara is doing well, though she has a difficult and struggling relationship with her mother. She remains hopeful though, is a really good kid, and  wants to move closer to us when she graduates and is no longer a minor. 

Brenda - Brenda recently moved to another state. She called us and was happy to tell us she is working, finishing up her GED, and is trying to become more independent. 

Jesse - Jesse was struggling recently, but after a meeting with our direct services team and a good friend,  he sees that we truly are here for him and understands that we just want to help him find peace and happiness within himself. He is getting used to the idea of receiving help and will start counseling soon.

Shane - Shane is doing very well. Since he came to Nashville, he has been very appreciative of our support . He is very determined, is working, taking GED classes, and learning ESL. 

Katie - Katie recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and opened her very own business. We've worked with Katie for several years and are pleased to see her ready to move on to independent living and to watch her accomplishing her career goals. 

Candice - Candice recently was arrested after she turned herself in to the police for a drug charge. Our team was able to advocate to the judge to reduce her sentence to only 30 days. Meanwhile we are staying in close communication with her, encouraging her each day, and look forward to her release and admittance into our new in-house therapy sessions.

Chloe - Chloe stopped communicating with us recently after a relapse. We are concerned about her, and for her safety, and pray that she will reach out to us soon.

Miranda - Miranda recently started acting on her passion to become a motivational speaker  and  is truly blossoming. She is excited and ready to start college this fall too. Recently, Miranda started the process of tattoo removal treatment for the branding she has on her neck, and a volunteer who is a hair dresser started stripping her hair in order to help restore it back to her beautiful natural color.

Casey - Casey has been in contact with our staff for a long time now, even though she went back to her trafficker. However, she is increasingly realizing that this is not the life for her. She told us recently that she is pregnant by her pimp and wants to run away. She is in daily communication with us and we hope and pray she will have the courage to leave and come back soon.

Sasha - Sasha is one of our long term survivors who relapsed after going off her mental health medication. We're so glad she has rejoined us as a client. She's  been doing very well; has a job and recently was approved for new housing. We also have some volunteers who are serving as mentors for her which we hope will help provide her with a strong support system and encourage her good efforts.

Finally, we have two new referrals this past month:

Courtney - Courtney is a 15 year old survivor who is currently  in a juvenile facility. While visiting with another survivor at the same center, our staff was able to  meet with her. She was quiet and reserved at first, but it didn't take long for Shelia to break the ice and soon she and Courtney were laughing and talking freely. We are excited to learn more about her and start working with her more closely, and she is happy to be able to see us routinely. Courtney has a one year old son. We'll be working with her to try to develop a relationship with him in the days ahead.

Tiffany - Tiffany is a college student who had been doing very well in her classes. However, when her parents were suspicious of her drop in grades and changed attitude, they were referred to ESTN. Sadly, we found out that Tiffany was being trafficked by a fellow student. After an intervention with Shelia, she began a short term treatment program. Meanwhile, we have been keeping in touch with her family. We hope to be able to work more with her when she completes her program and help her begin a transformative healing process.