Meet Jennifer Flaherty

 “My name is Jennifer Flaherty.  I am a 50-year-old survivor of many things.  I am not looking for pity.  As a matter of fact, I consider these events “experiences to help me to help others”. As a young girl I was molested by a family member.  It is my belief that this unfortunate event caused me to be promiscuous at a young age, which resulted in my becoming pregnant at the age of 14 with my only child, David.  I am proud to say he is an amazing man.  My son’s father was a very abusive man.  It took a long time, but after over ten years in that volatile relationship, I did break free.  Unfortunately, years of abuse caused me to have a very poor self-esteem, which started a cycle of violent relationships with men.  A little later in life, I ended up in a series of car accidents.  These car accidents caused me to have terrible back problems. After several unsuccessful therapy attempts, the only option was to alleviate my pain with opiates.  This decision led to a horrifying addiction, which lasted for about 10 years.  I never thought I would be able to break free from the demon of addiction; however, in 2015, I went to a treatment facility in California, Monarch Shores.  I refer to this as my biggest triumph.  People often ask, “wasn’t raising a son as a teenager harder”?  The answer to that question is no.  Yes, raising my son was very difficult financially.  In addition, at the age of 14, I was a child myself, so emotionally it was tough.  However, I love my son.  Caring for him came naturally.  Caring for yourself, when you feel no self-worth, that is a much harder task.  After I became sober, my life soared.  I moved to a better position within the company I have now worked with for the last 21 years.  I started traveling again.  Most importantly, I got closer to Yahweh.  I have always been a woman who prays to Yahweh, and I have always known he was listening, but I really deepened my relationship with Him at the end of 2018.  It was then that I realized these life experiences were truly all part of His plan to mold me and give me the ability to help others.”