Ashley trained her service dog, Luna, entirely on her own. She says that without Luna, there are many things she would not be able to do today. Luna helps Ashley navigate spaces that feel unsafe and overwhelming, especially dark areas. Because of the trauma Ashley has experienced, entering dark spaces can sometimes feel impossible. Luna goes in first and lets her know if anyone is there, giving Ashley the reassurance she needs to move forward.
Luna is also a seizure-alert and seizure-response dog who supports Ashley during medical episodes. This partnership has created a sense of safety and stability that Ashley depends on every day.
Ashley has been on her own since she was thirteen years old. Today, she proudly describes herself as a mom and a “grandma great”, joking that she is the greatest grandma there is. She speaks with deep love about her children and grandchildren, who are central to her life and identity.
Cleaning and organizing are Ashley’s passions. When she feels nervous or angry, cleaning helps calm her mind and bring a sense of control. She once cleaned houses for a living and hopes to return to that work someday. However, as her mental health declined and stress increased, her seizures became more frequent. The risk made it impossible to continue working, as cleaning homes while at risk of having a seizure was not safe. Even if she never cleans for others again, Ashley is determined to keep her own home clean once she has a space of her own.
If Ashley’s life were a movie, she would call it Two Left Shoes. She shares a story from her past when she was still struggling with addiction. While working at a bar and frequently intoxicated, she shoplifted a pair of shoes and spent the entire night proudly showing them off, unaware that they were both left shoes. No one told her. She woke up the next day in pain, realized what had happened, and wished she could return them. She laughs now and tells the story to her kids, saying it reflects her life at the time.
Ashley openly shares that she is an addict, and she has been clean for six years. What keeps her going now is Luna, along with the respect, accommodations, and open arms she has received at CISS. She says that if she had not found CISS, she would still be on the street and likely would have had to give up Luna because it would not have been fair to her dog.
Ashley’s faith is also important to her. She reads from a Bible given to her by her grandmother, a gift she has held on to for years. While she admits her faith sometimes wavers, it continues to carry her through many moments in her life.
Looking ahead, Ashley hopes that she and Luna will one day have an RV and travel to California. From there, she dreams of flying to Hawaii to see the real ocean. Most importantly, she wants to always have a home to come back to and never be homeless again.
Ashley wants people to remember that she does not take anything for granted. She knows how quickly everything can be taken away, in the blink of an eye.
