In July of 2022, I hit what I thought was my lowest point. I woke up in a hospital on life support with my hands strapped to the bed after attempting suicide. I had never been suicidal before but I was tired of the depression. I had lost my husband to pancreatic cancer and believed the world was better off without me. I was ashamed and isolated, eventually losing my job and home.
I moved in with my parents in Birmingham and my mother took me, against my will, to tour The Lovelady Center. I didn’t want to be there. I had never used drugs or been to jail and I didn’t think I belonged. She gave me an ultimatum to go to Lovelady or leave. I left, eventually ending up in subsidized housing. A second suicide attempt followed my eviction and I truly reached my lowest point. I knew Lovelady was my only option and on May 1, 2024, I entered the program.
I was scared and overwhelmed. I felt out of place and was just checking boxes in the beginning of the program. But one day I saw Psalm 46:10 painted on the wall: “Be still and know that I am God.” This changed my whole mindset. I found so many things to be thankful for and realized my life is worth living. God had always loved me and created me for a purpose. I let go and gave control
to God.
I enrolled in the Clinical Medical Assistant program through Jefferson State. Lovelady found me a scholarship and the textbooks and even transported me to class. For the first time, I was finishing something I started. My faith deepened too. The staff here truly
loves the Lord and leads by example. I began looking forward to church and getting to know God’s Word.
The counseling team here is amazing. My biggest prayer was to restore my relationship with my daughter who had been deeply hurt by my suicide attempts. One of our counselors led virtual sessions with us and we slowly reconnected. In October my prayers were answered and I saw her for the first time in nearly a year. I can’t take back the hurt I caused but I can love her and show her how much joy I have in my heart now.
Now for all the amazing ways my life has changed by being here at Lovelady! On February 23, I was baptized and on May 9 of this year I graduated from Lovelady. I then earned my CMA, passed my certification exam in June, and was offered a position at The Kirklin Clinic. I’m now living in a grad house and saving for a car.
I once thought Lovelady was just a rehab facility. I had no legal issues and never used drugs. But this place changed my life completely. It gave me a place to be still and to know God. For that, I’m eternally grateful. -Julie, 2025 Lovelady Graduate
About Julie: The Problem Wasn't Addiction, by Lucy Anderson
What a change Jesus has done! When I gave Julie a tour prior to entering the program, she was one of the most closed-off and dejected people I had ever encountered. She barely spoke and my hopes of her coming into the program faded by the minute.
I continued to pray for her over the course of the next year and when her mother reached out to me about getting her into the program I was cautiously overjoyed. Julie eventually was assigned to my department for her job readiness training. I was able to spend time with her on a daily basis and see firsthand what God has done.
She is joyful, optimistic, and enthusiastic about the life God has given her. Her transformation is one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen. She has truly walked from death into life and I have been so privileged to get to witness that. She is living proof of the power of the gospel and we are so grateful to everyone who made that possible.