The Power of Love and Perseverance: Ashley’s Story
Ashley says it was a wake-up call. It was June of 2022, and the unthinkable had just happened – Ashley’s daughter Kennedy, not yet two years old, had gotten into drugs in their home.
While “lucky” is not the word she would use to describe that terrible day, she is grateful for certain turns of events. Kennedy ingested a small amount of drugs, and Ashley caught it in time. She rushed Kennedy to the hospital, where Kennedy was treated and was “okay.”
But the experience didn’t come without consequences. As a result, Ashley and her partner Jonny were arrested, and Kennedy was removed from their custody and placed in foster care.
This could be where the story ends for Ashley and her family, but instead that dark period lit a fire in Ashley. Determined to fight for her family, she began the arduous journey of healing and regaining custody of her daughter.
Ashley committed to getting and staying sober, but she says it has taken a village. Both Ashley and Jonny began an intensive outpatient treatment, and after completing the program, they continued to meet with a drug and alcohol counselor. They also attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings for support, and as part of their probation, they were drug tested every month. “All of these little things keep you accountable. I’m grateful because we wouldn’t be here today without that support.”
Also part of their probation terms, Ashley and Jonny needed to take a year of parenting classes. Other programs they looked into were costly, but Cope’s Triple P parenting classes were accessible because they’re free of charge.
The couple completed one-on-one sessions with Parent Education Program Manager, Debra, covering topics that were tailored to their needs as parents, and they were able to take group courses online and in the evenings that fit their schedules.
The class that Ashley feels made the biggest difference in her life was Cope’s Family Transitions class, a course designed for parents and caregivers experiencing divorce and separation. Ashley and Jonny were both struggling to co-parent with their children’s other parents, and the class helped them learn skills to better communicate and prioritize their children’s needs, even when tensions ran high.
“Carina was great teaching that class. Not only did we learn how to manage our own emotions when dealing with our kids’ parents, but also how Jonny and I could better parent together. We have different views on parenting our kids, but the class helped us learn to sit down together and have a conversation about how we want to parent our children. Because this is our home.”
By the time they enrolled in Cope’s Home Visiting program, Ashley and Jonny had regained partial custody of Kennedy, but they were looking for additional support. They connected with their Family Support Specialist, Tami, who helped Ashley and Jonny build on their knowledge of Kennedy’s development and strengthen their parenting skills.
On days that the couple had visits with Kennedy, Tami would meet with them to help the family set goals, do activities to promote Kennedy’s development, and connect them with resources to help them meet their needs.
Over time, Ashley and Jonny gained a better understanding of Kennedy’s development and learned additional ways to help Kennedy reach important milestones. When times were tough, Tami also connected them with emergency resources through Cope’s Family Support Hub, giving them access to pull-ups, baby wipes, and grocery gift cards when they needed help getting by.
While Jonny’s family continued to be there for him during this time, Ashley says she lost her family’s support. “Looking back, I really don’t blame them. I don’t know how I would react if I got that phone call and my daughter did what she did. I relied heavily on my fiancé’s family and the support we got from the community.”
But over time, Ashley began to regain the trust of her family. Through her hard work and dedication to change, Ashley proved her commitment to providing a safe, healthy, and loving home for Kennedy, and with it, she has been able to renew her relationship with her parents, brother, and sister.
It’s been three years since Ashley began her journey towards sobriety and reunification with her daughter, and she is now a successful college student planning for a career in social work. She will have earned three associate degrees – in social work, human services, and sociology – in May of 2026, and she will graduate in 2027 from Napa Valley College with her fourth degree in addiction studies. She is an honor student with a 4.0 GPA, president of Napa Valley College’s honor society, and a Senator-At-Large for student government. After completing her addiction studies degree, she will be transferring to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.
Jonny is also excelling. He went back to school and got his high school diploma, and he is now enrolled in college and working toward a bachelor’s degree in digital art and design. He also has full custody of his ten-year-old daughter, Stella. “It has taken a lot of work, and hard work at that. If you’re dedicated and you know what you want in life, you just have to keep going. We encourage each other every day. I’m very blessed in life. It’s a complete 180 from where we were three years ago.”
The family is still enrolled in Cope’s Home Visiting program, and they will continue to work with Tami until Kennedy turns five. “Kennedy loves Tami. She looks forward to her visits. Tami is very nice and sweet with Kennedy and Stella, and a lot of the activities are things that Stella can do as well.”
Tami also speaks highly of the couple and celebrates their accomplishments. “When I started working with Ashley and Jonny, I was very impressed with the amount of progress they had already made with their sobriety and CWS case. As we discussed topics around child development and development-centered parenting, they both had great insights about how it related to Kennedy and great instincts about how to apply these strategies in their home. It has been a pleasure to watch their journey over the years and provide support as they worked toward and reached their goals around reunification, education, probation requirements, and deferred medical care. I can’t wait to see what comes next for them!”
Today, Ashley says that Kennedy is thriving. She graduated from preschool in June and was excited to start TK in August. “She’s such a character. She was really quiet and shy when she was little, but now she’s loud and vibrant.”
Kennedy was diagnosed with autism by her doctor at three years old, so Ashley and Jonny have been working on getting Kennedy the support she needs to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. Because of her experience working as a residential counselor caring for children and young adults with behavioral and developmental disabilities, Ashley says she saw the signs early.
Currently, Ashley and Jonny are working on getting Kennedy set up with ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy and an IEP (Individualized Education Program) for school. “All of this support is overwhelming, but in a good way. I know that if I need something, whether it’s education, resources, or just someone to talk to, I know exactly who I can call.”
Despite going through such a challenging time, Ashley exudes positivity, and she lights up when she talks about Kennedy. “She’s very smart and she’s very vocal and she loves to dance and she loves to sing. She’s very unapologetic about who she is. I hope that stays with her as she gets older, because she is just a diva. She walks around with her crown and her high heels and her little cape on, and I think ‘please never change.’”
Ashley’s story is not an easy one, but she hopes it can help others going through similar struggles. “There’s a huge stigma around drug use, and I don’t think it’s talked about enough, so I like to share my story any chance that I can. If I can get clean and sober and go through what was literally the worst point in my life, you can do it too. I would just say to anybody struggling with addiction or needing support, don’t be afraid to ask for help. My life completely changed with all the support I got, and there is support out there for you too.”
