*Name changed to protect client confidentiality. Photos used are of actual clients but not necessarily the client(s) in the story.
Sarah’s Story
At 28, Sarah* had a plan for her life. She was engaged, expecting her first child, and building something she thought was solid. Then, in a single week, it collapsed.
Police came to her door. Her fiancé had been living a double life — going to work each day while committing felonies. Sarah wasn’t involved, but she was arrested alongside him. She was quickly released, but the damage was done.
“I was trying to put the pieces of my life back together, but I couldn’t get employed because I was pregnant and had an open court case,” she says.
Desperate, Sarah moved back in with her parents. The stress at home was real. She had nowhere to turn — and she’d already learned that asking for help didn’t always go well.
“Everyone I talked to before was unkind,” she says. “But the biggest thing I remember, so distinctly, when I called Life Network, was how nice and understanding the person who answered the phone was. They really wanted to help.”
“That phone call filled me with so much hope.”
Sarah connected with a counselor and enrolled in the Parenting Program, walking alongside Life Network from pregnancy until her son, Noah, turned two. She built friendships there that she still holds today.
“Life Network gave me hope — they were a safe space to be,” she says. “It was so helpful to have emotional support and know someone was on my side.”
After Noah was born, Sarah was able to shop for clothes at Life Network — things she otherwise could not have afforded. She still tears up thinking about the handmade quilts.
“Every time I went to Life Network, there was this palpable love, reassurance and hope that everything was going to be okay,” she says. “There were so many horrible things going on in my life and so much uncertainty. But not there.”
The community made a real difference. Sarah found a circle of women in her Bible study at Life Network — all of them navigating something hard, all of them raising babies and working to get their footing back. Her mentors helped her recognize the emotional and verbal abuse in her relationship and gave her the support to create distance.
“We all had been through something tough or were in the middle of it,” she says. “To feel that camaraderie and togetherness was amazing.”
At a Life Network breakfast during those early parenting years, Sarah heard a woman share her story of domestic violence. It moved her to seek more help from local resources. One conversation changed the direction of her healing.
Today, Noah is 12 years old. He plays saxophone at school — this is his third year. He loves fishing, being outside, and trying new things. “He is such a sweet kid,” Sarah says. “He amazes me every single day. He’s happy no matter what’s going on.”
Sarah returned to her healthcare career. She and Noah lived independently for years before moving back to help care for her aging parents. The woman who once called a helpline in desperation is now the one showing up for the people she loves.
“It’s been hard but it’s worth it,” she says. Through tears: “If everything I went through was the price I had to pay to have him, it’s worth it.”
“You may feel so devastated and terrified by everything going on,” she says, “but the care and true and honest compassion you get from Life Network is incredible.”
Because of your support, Noah is thriving. Sarah broke the cycle of abuse. And the generations that follow them are changed forever.
Learn more about Legacy Giving and how you can change future generations.