Shandri's Story: It's Never Too Late

My name is Shandri and I know I am a beautiful disaster, imperfectly put together in the most perfect way.  My aunt, my biggest supporter, one of the strongest women I know introduced me to this brand and I fell in love immediately. 

Introduced to the fast life at an extremely young age (14), I became dependent on crystal meth by the age of 16, using every day. The lifestyle of abuse and drugs was all I knew for so long. I ended up married to an abusive man who kept me sheltered from the world for close to ten years. I rarely went outside. I definitely had no contact with my family and I was using so heavily to escape the reality of what my life had become.

After I broke down and fell to my knees begging whatever higher power is out there to help me, a miracle happened. March 18, 2018 was the day my life changed drastically. My home was invaded by police officers, I was arrested, along with my husband and DCFS agents retained my two children. This is every mother's worst nightmare. My husband tried pinning his crimes on me, so while in custody, I finally got the courage to ask for help and I admitted to them I had a drug problem. Long story short, that day was the beginning of a very difficult journey for me. I did an outpatient two year program with the courts, and I had very little going for me. No job, no home, no family… but my grandmothers and aunt both took a leap of faith and helped me help myself.

After nearly a year, my girls were able to come home. They were being fostered by one of my grandparents but not allowed to spend any time unsupervised with me…(I love you Nanny) I am now a supervisor at my job (I love you Aunt Lisa)I have my own home, (I love you Grandma) and I have found the love of my life (I love you Pauly Dee) all while watching my two little girls blossom into stunning young women (I love you Kaybri and Shyli). I was 32 years old when I decided to change my life and I can speak from experience when I say, “It’s never too late!”  This collection speaks to my soul on many different levels. I hope to see it on a throwback soon!