This month we are highlighting Ashley Vance, one of our Healthcare Team Managers. Ashley assists our affiliates with medical questions and oversees the Abortion Pill Reversal Hotline. Before joining the Medical Impact Team almost three years ago, Ashley served as an Abortion Pill Reversal Hotline Consultant. Ashley also brings a background of Medical Surgical Nursing to the Medical Impact Team. If you speak with Ashley, you will be blessed with wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration in your work within the pregnancy help community!
Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in northern Alberta. I left my hometown in the last year of high school where I moved to British Columbia and pursued my nursing career. I completed my nursing degree through Athabasca University.
Share with us about your family.
I am blessed to come from an extremely tight knit Christian family. I have one brother and I call my mom my best friend! I have a family of my own with my lovely husband and we have two small children, plus another one on the way set to arrive January 2022!
Tell us about what brought you to Heartbeat International.
Well, that is a God thing! I felt so strongly in my last year of nursing school that I wanted to join the prolife movement and have God use me in whatever way I was needed. I reached out locally and through my church but never heard back. Doubt crept in and I began to wonder if I was wanting to do something that didn’t actually exist! However, I could never shake the feeling of the call God placed on my heart so I started to do research and every time I kept coming back to the same name- Heartbeat International. I learned about Abortion Pill Reversal and was desperately eager to join! However, being Canadian I assumed that wouldn’t be possible so I reached out to see if anyone could connect me with a Canadian contact. To my surprise they let me know that they were looking for hotline nurses and the opportunity was open to me as well. I was SO excited! Along with being a mother, working for Heartbeat has been the biggest honor, joy and blessing of my life!
Share with us about your experiences sharing APR with others through presentations.
Public speaking and presentations are the biggest areas of growth that I have experienced in my career. It’s so humbling for me to speak in front of other prolife individuals because I deeply admire and respect them! With the guidance, support, and prayers of Christa Brown I have learned so much about this extremely important skill- Spreading the word about the APR mission! Every presentation I have done has connected me with others in the movement and strengthened my understanding of the many other life affirming roles as well.
Tell us about how you offer assistance to affiliates within their pregnancy help centers.
We offer assistance to affiliates in whatever capacity it is needed. That could be establishing medical services, information on STI testing, adding APR or how to find a medical director. For example, during the onset of Covid-19 we worked quickly to ensure we could assist pregnancy centers with policies and insights in a rapidly changing landscape. We work diligently to make sure we provide affiliates with the most up to date and in-depth information available.
Tell us about your experiences helping clients on the APR Hotline and now overseeing the Hotline as one of the Healthcare Team Managers.
My time on the hotline was where I fell in love with the mission. I remember my first shift so well and the feeling of my first call- I was so nervous but so grateful that I had the opportunity to speak with someone in the midst of a pregnancy crisis and share the good news: There are people out there that have no judgement for you, only love and that help is available. This line of work is hard, I’ve shed happy tears and sad ones alone in my office, but every second has been worth it! Now as a manager I work closely with the nurses, and I have seen the network grow in so many ways. It’s been an absolute blessing to witness!
Tell us about working on the Medical Impact Team.
In my eyes the Medical Impact Team is its own family. We are bonded by a love of women, the unborn, family and medical science. We have a unique role within Heartbeat where we oversee the APR hotline, nurse consultants, answer affiliate questions and assist with ultrasound training. There is always more to learn and it’s very fulfilling!
What do you enjoy the most about your work?
My favorite thing (and this is harder than one might think to choose!) is seeing God in details. He really comes through, and often in the most surprising of ways for these women. Sometimes it’s through a Provider willing to see a client after hours on a holiday, sometimes it’s a pharmacy that is open a few minutes late which allows a client to get started on the Progesterone in the middle of the night. Most often it’s in the courage He gives these women to reach out and find us. He whispers into their heart that there is a way out, a second chance available. Witnessing the ways they find us and hearing their stories gives me tremendous respect for these women that fight so hard to fix a decision that they regret and to now save the life of their precious unborn baby.
What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy slow days drinking coffee on my front porch surrounded by family! I love books, current events, horses, and good conversations with loved ones.
What else would you like to share?
How much we value and pray for the many Pregnancy Centers and prolife ministries around the world! We see how deeply you care and love for these women. None of your hard work goes unnoticed. It’s a true honor to serve alongside all of you!
