HUNTERSVILLE — Local author and abuse survivor Elza Spaedy feels led to do something to help women who have suffered sexual abuse. The St. Mark parishioner has written about her journey to healing in her book “Freedom Through Christ – A Memoir of Healing in the Aftermath of Sexual Abuse.”
She is now collaborating with others to create a non-profit organization to assist sexual abuse victims.
“Late in 2019 while finishing writing my book, I began to feel God’s gentle nudge that I was to do more for victims of abuse,” Spaedy remembers. “At this point I kept thinking He meant I should work hard on spreading the word about my book to as many people as possible, to assist them in their own healing.”
Spaedy recalls that last April, “in the middle of all the craziness and stresses brought on by COVID-19, is when I started having a strong desire to do more. This desire was always strongest while praying. It led me to believe this was another one of God’s beautiful plans for my life.”
Her discernment led her to establish Healed and Restored, a non-profit organization that Spaedy hopes will help young women struggling with life-controlling issues like eating disorders, self-harm and the devastating effects of physical and sexual abuse, including sex trafficking that is so prevalent in our world today.
“God knows it takes a victim of abuse to truly understand what this does to a person,” Spaedy says. “By the grace of God I have been healed and have found a purpose for all my pain and suffering. My purpose is to be used by God as His instrument in the healing all His beloved daughters who have gone through similar traumas.”
The mission of Healed and Restored will be to provide a premier care home in the Charlotte/Lake Norman area for women aged 13-30 suffering from traumatic experiences.
“Through programs rooted in mind, body, spirit and soul care, women will be transformed and experience God’s tremendous healing power and embrace their identity as a beloved daughter of God – ultimately taking steps toward becoming the best version of themselves,” Spaedy explains.
Holistic programs grounded in Christianity will include counseling, spiritual exercises, movement therapy, and outdoor restoration experiences, she says.
Spaedy already has seen much interest in Healed and Restored and has noticed that people who have come forward with a desire to help all have very different skills and unique talents that she says will bring tremendous value to the overall program.
“There’s no denying God has His hands in all of this, including handpicking four amazing women – Catherine Farley, Juliet Hirsch, Sharon Kucia and Alexandra Stanley – all of whom have been my friends for years and each belonging to a different parish in our diocese, who are my core team who have been helping me establish Healed and Restored in our area,” she says.
God “has been arranging the circumstances in my life and preparing me in order to accomplish His work within me and through me. Just another reminder of how God never gives us more than we can handle, and He always provides all that we need (including all the people who will help us) accomplish any mission He sets before us.
He only asks that we persevere in faith and trust,” she explains.
Spaedy has lots of plans already under way for 2021 to guide her in this effort. In the spring Healed and Restored will launch its first fundraising event. Spaedy also plans to begin offering workshops for young women, embark on a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to build a 10-bed home for young women, establish an ambassador program, and continue forming a board of directors.
She hopes to see the full realization of her dream in two to three years’ time. Spaedy also prays that someone in the Charlotte/Lake Norman area will come forward to donate the land needed to build a house for the program to house the women.
Says Spaedy, “It’s a big dream, but I truly believe this program will have an enormous ripple effect in our diocese and beyond. It will transform lives in a very concrete way.”
— SueAnn Howell. Senior reporter
Want to be involved?
For more information about Healed and Restored, go online to www.healedandrestored.org or contact Elza Spaedy directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..