Denton County Living Well Magazine May/June 2018 | Page 18

From Basement to Sanctuary—
The Story of
Holly
Christine
Hayes
By Michelle Wallace
M
y daughter and I own a home decor store. We curate lots of local
and global products. One of the most fun things about sourcing from
individual makers and creators is getting to personally know them
and hearing their story. So when we were looking for a new line of
candles, my daughter reached out to someone who created a line
to help women coming out of human trafficking. We first learned of Holly Chris-
tine Hayes when she shared her story on the podcast, “The Happy Hour,” with
Jamie Ivey. And, what a powerful story it is. Holly understands better than most
the trauma of being trafficked and the beauty of being fully restored, radically
transformed and redeemed.
Holly didn’t grow up in the church. Her parents were both professors. She
explains her family was really about intellectualism and their focus was on
achievement, fitting in, and doing what the world says to do. “So I didn’t have
any understanding of God,” Holly said.
After her parents’ divorce at age 14, Holly started a downward cycle of alcohol-
ism and drug abuse which she believes stemmed from depression and a lack
of true identity. Holly also shares there was some sexual abuse when she was a
child. By the time she was 15, she was drinking and using drugs every day. By
16, she dropped out of school and had her first abortion. By 19, she had two
more abortions and received her first DUI, along with a couple more arrests. By
21, she was homeless and had lost jobs as a stripper and a prostitute because
of the drinking. She had found herself in a physical, spiritual, and emotional
bottom beyond comprehension.
Holly describes her memories of the first abortion. She recalls the lines of pro-
lifers with their signs and plastic fetuses, shouting, “You’re killing your baby,” as
she walked into