Casey’s Story
I didn’t know healing was possible for me. I just knew I had nothing left to lose.
For seven years, hospital wards felt more familiar to me than a kitchen bench. I was in and out of mental health units, and surgeries became routine. They patched up what I didn’t have words for. When doctors told me my right arm might not survive another cut and I didn’t blink. I told them I didn’t plan on needing it much longer.
I was done. Or at least, I thought I was.
But then something shifted.
It started with a prayer I didn’t really believe. A text message. A visit to a church I’d never been to before. And later that night, a quiet Google search that changed everything.
That’s when I found Destiny Haven.
I read everything I could. Printed the application. My writing hand was in a cast, so I filled it out with my left. I sent it off and waited.
At first, I was rejected.
I didn’t tick the right boxes. I looked difficult on paper. But a GP who knew the heart of Destiny made a phone call that changed the outcome. I was offered a place, but it came with one condition: if I self-harmed again, I’d have to leave. No exceptions. I agreed.
The early days were rough.Living in community brought everything up to the surface. I didn’t know how to trust anyone. I didn’t know who I was without chaos. But I stayed. Slowly, structure gave me stability. Work gave me purpose. And in time, the walls I’d built started to come down.
I found myself in the kitchen, learning to make chocolate. At first, it was just a task, something to keep my hands busy. But it became something more. Creating chocolate gave me a sense of calm. It became a way to contribute, to focus, to create something beautiful. But healing didn’t end there.
I graduated in 2018. That season gave me space to figure out who I was underneath the pain. I started to believe that I had something to offer. Not just as someone who had been through it, but as someone who had something to give back.
Now I help lead Destiny from the inside. I’m part of a team that supports women through the same hard, honest process I once walked. I’m mentored by Janine, someone who’s poured years into helping me lead well. That trust is something I carry with care.
Some days I’m mentoring, other days I’m managing details, sitting in on conversations, helping keep things moving. I still make chocolate as the Head chocolatier, but more than anything, I hold space for women to believe they can heal too.
Since coming to Destiny, I’ve studied, learned, and grown. I’ve been stretched in ways I didn’t expect. But I’m not listing titles or qualifications because those aren’t what define me. What matters most is that I know who I am now.
I’m not broken. I’m not beyond repair.
And I get to help build something that helps others believe that about themselves too.
“I’ve learned I’m not a failure at life. I’m valued. I’m called. I’m capable.”