Jessica Mays has made her name as a successful business owner here in Cullman. Lady And A Broom specializes in making your home look pristine. The entrepreneur life has been a blessing for Jessica, but her life has not always been glamourous.
At a young age, Jessica started experimenting with marijuana. She started smoking “pot” at eleven years old. At the time, she felt like marijuana made her feel good. But, unfortunately, the high from “pot” could only do so much for her feelings, and things were about to get much worse. After a year of smoking weed, Jessica was at the point where she felt she needed something more substantial, something that would not just make her feel good, but in her mind, she needed something that would make her feel like she was worthy to others. So, at the age of twelve, Jessica started smoking meth along with marijuana. She was a master at hiding what was becoming an addiction from her parents. Her father was a truck driver that worked tremendously hard to provide for the family while her mother stayed home to take care of the home and children. “I hid all of my addiction from my parents. I was good at what I did, but at that time in my life, I would have found a way to get my high even if they found out. My parents are amazing, and I thank them for continuing to love me even through my toughest times in life.”
When Jessica was fifteen years old, she became pregnant. She was a kid fixing to have a kid. So she immediately quit smoking meth while she was pregnant with her first child. Dakota, twenty years old now, was welcomed into the world, but Jessica’s new baby wouldn’t stop her from needing her feel-good high. So she went right back to weed and meth. Smoking meth was starting to take its toll, and the high was becoming less effective. At age eighteen, Jessica would begin using a needle and quickly became an IV meth user.
Three years after having her first child, Jessica would find herself pregnant again, but it was three months into her pregnancy before she knew she was pregnant. Unfortunately, that is three months that she had meth in her system. Worried that the meth would hurt her baby, she quit using it until her second child was born. Breanna, now age seventeen, entered the world as a perfect baby girl. Thankfully, there were no health issues from the drug abuse. However, just a couple of years later, Jessica would find herself pregnant with her third and final child. She was able to stay clean for the entire pregnancy of her third child. Nicholas is now fifteen years old and healthy as an ox. “I thank God every day that all three of my children were not impacted by my choices when they were born. I was selfish, and my feel-good high was more important than my children at the time.”
When Jessica turned twenty years old, she suffered an overdose. She had shot up with dirty meth. She became very sick to the point her peers thought she would die. Finally, she blacked out and couldn’t see, but she could hear everything going on around her. One female at the home she was visiting suggested just taking her to a store and dropping her in the parking lot. Another person suggested shooting up a clean shot of meth to flush the dirty meth out of her system. In their drug-oriented minds, the decision was made to go with the second suggestion. Shooting up more meth to flush out the bad was better than being dropped off in a parking lot to die, right?
When Jessica was twenty-one, she found herself in a deep dark place called jail. She lost custody of her three children and was in and out of the Cullman County, Madison County, and Jefferson County jails for two and a half years. She continued using meth anytime she could get her hands on the drug until she met Ms. Frady. Ms. Frady visited the Cullman County jail regularly and ministered to the ladies. “I didn’t know Christ. I was lost and afraid. I knew I didn’t want my kids to grow up and hate me for my choices, but I didn’t see a way out until Ms. Frady started talking to me about God. I know it’s easy to say when you are in jail, but she led me to Christ, and my life was changed immediately. It was not easy, I craved the high often, but God would reel me back before choosing to make another mistake. Once I met God, I truly turned my life around and started receiving treatment. Treatment and God are certainly the way out. I just couldn’t see it through the haze of my highs. There is a way out, and you don’t have to live your life in those dark times. Keep trying and seek treatment and God. Your life can also be transformed,” said Jessica
Twelve years later, Jessica has continued to stay clean from drugs. She is thirty-six years old and owns her own home, vehicle, and business. She regained full custody of her after going through a year of hard work and treatment. We all have made comments and condemned the drug users. Some just simply don’t want to give it up, while others are wanting help. They just don’t know where to turn. Praise be to God that Ms. Fraddy found Jessica Mays when she was at the bottom of the barrel and gave her hope. She showed her there is a way out of the drug life. After that, you can only choose to seek help or decide to continue using drugs.
Jessica Mays is an inspiration to many people because of her story. From the time she was eleven years old, she thought she needed drugs to make her feel special, but in reality, she needed God. “I pray that one person can hear or read my story, and it changes their life. I don’t want the glory, nor do I want the credit for any good deed I do. I found my way out of that dark place through God, and I intend for Him to receive all the glory.”
