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When my first panic attack happened, I thought I was having a heart attack.  I went to the ER. The doctor said my heart was fine.  I was 40-years old and healthy.  I had never heard the term panic attack.  So, I set out to learn more.  

I used to pass out from anxiety... yes, you heard me. I actually would faint from stress. At one point in my life, I finally gave up and told people "Yes, I am lying about my fainting spells", because I had no idea what was going on.

Through years of sharing one anxiety-ridden saga after another, we’ve come to learn that, though our OCD came in many different forms or “flavors,” we shared very similar mindfulness techniques to help us cope with our anxiety.

While many around me do not know, I am no stranger to anxiety myself. I suffer daily from OCD and I am in a constant battle to control it. I understand the importance of having the right resources and access to information to learn how to overcome mental illness.

My oldest brother Peter struggled for decades with depression. He could not find help from antidepressant medication or other available treatment methods. Eventually, he died by suicide, leaving many questions unanswered. For years, I wondered why he could not be treated effectively and how could people like him be helped in the future before it is too late?

Early in 2020 I experienced my first panic attack at the age of 34. I had entered into psychotherapy a few months earlier and things seemed to be getting better.

Ashley's story..."My life experience with anxiety and OCD has gifted me with so much empathy for other people. I know that many people walk around with invisible wounds and demons. The people who we think have it all together fight their own battles behind closed doors..."

I wasn’t normal, but somehow, to the world and medical spreadsheets I was, “just an average kid with anxiety” and not a kid who desperately needed help.