Tammie

Tammie was struggling with divorce when she made a mistake at work that changed her life. She had left some confidential paperwork on a desk, and her supervisor called her in to talk about it. The supervisor told her that the company was worried that depression was affecting her work.

“There was a possibility I could lose my job with this kind of mistake,” Tammie said. “It was an honest mistake, but the last thing I needed was to lose my job. I drove home and fell to the floor. But the next morning, I looked in the mirror and said I would take control of my life. At work, my supervisor told me that I would be given another chance. I started doing things I was good at. I practiced self-compassion. The most important thing—I learned to face my fears.”

Then Hurricane Harvey hit, and Tammie lost everything but her life and the clothes she was wearing.

“I thought, how could this happen? I’d fought back, and here I was again. What’s next? But this time, I would not let obstacles and depression get in my way. This would not consume me,” she said.

Tammie’s strength impressed us, and we were proud to help her get a 2015 Toyota Camry. She’s still working to rebuild and has been promoted to a supervisory position.

“In life there are things we cannot control, but what about the things we can?” she said. “I will never be frozen by fear again.”