My Story: A Life of Second Chances

My story isn’t just about being a wife, a mother, or a business owner. It’s about surviving things I never imagined I would face, finding strength when I had nothing left to give, and learning that even after life breaks you down, something beautiful can still grow.

Every chapter of my life has been hard-fought and hard-won. Some have left scars. Others have changed me in ways I’m still discovering. But every single one has brought me here, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

The Night That Changed Everything

I was 19 years old, and Mark, who is now my husband, and I had only been dating for three months. We were young, in love, and completely unaware that one ordinary night would change the course of our lives forever.

  We were driving home from a date in Puyallup, Washington, where he lived at the time. We had pulled up to a red light near the 66th Street bridge on River Road, waiting to turn right. Nothing unusual. Just another evening together.

And then, out of nowhere, Mark yelled, "HOLD ON!"

I turned my head to look out my window. All I remember seeing was a flash of red. And then our entire world erupted into noise, shattered glass, and pain.

  Because I had turned my head to look (which, as it turns out, was a spectacularly bad idea), my seat belt didn't restrain me the way it should have, and my face slammed into the dashboard. I remember being stunned. And then everything went black.

  When I regained consciousness, blood was pouring down my face, and pain was radiating up and down my back. I was confused, terrified, and couldn't understand what had just happened. Mark was holding me against the seat, telling me not to move. First responders eventually got us out of the car, and we were rushed to the hospital with lights and sirens.

 We later learned that the man who hit us had reportedly been drunk and high, fleeing from police. We were told that when his speed reached 100 mph, officers backed off the pursuit. He continued speeding, lost control, struck a guardrail, and slammed into us at an estimated 70 mph or more.

In those final seconds, Mark had managed to put our car into first gear and get us moving at roughly 10 mph.

I don't know how much worse things could have been if he hadn't reacted so quickly. I just thank God that he did.

My injuries were extensive.  I had a broken nose, a deep laceration near my eye, a severe concussion, whiplash, and significant spinal injuries, including two herniated discs.

Mark, thankfully, wasn't injured nearly as badly as I was.

But what happened in the weeks that followed is something I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life. At the time, I was staying with my grandparents and sleeping on their couch while I recovered. Mark slept on the floor beside me for an entire month.

 Every few hours, he would wake up to gently turn my head, give me my medications, help me to the bathroom, or hold my hair while I got sick from the concussion. He helped me with things no 19-year-old girl ever imagines needing help with, especially from a boyfriend she'd only been dating for three months.

And he never made me feel like a burden. He was patient. Gentle. Steady. He showed up for me in every way a person possibly could. Some people spend years wondering whether the person they love will stand beside them when life gets ugly.

I found out three months into our relationship. Long before he became my husband, Mark was already showing me the kind of man he was. And nearly two decades later, I still thank God for him.

The accident left damage that I will live with for the rest of my life. I've spent years undergoing chiropractic treatments, deep tissue massage, and periods of physical therapy. Equine therapy also played a wonderful role in my recovery.

I now live with scoliosis, chronic back pain, and hip misalignment that causes constant discomfort. Some days are better than others, but the consequences of that night have never completely left me.

And yet, when I think back on that accident, the first thing I feel isn't anger.

It's gratitude. Gratitude that we survived. That we got to grow up together. That we got to get married, build a family, and experience a lifetime of moments that could have been taken from us that night.

We were given a second chance. Little did I know, it wouldn't be the last time I'd have to fight for one.

When My Body Began to Fail Me

In 2015, I got breast implants, and for the first seven months, I absolutely loved them.

Then I started getting sick. Really sick.

I began passing out, experiencing seizures, painful joint swelling, constant migraines, and dangerously low blood pressure. My body seemed to be falling apart, and no one could tell me why.

Eventually, I was diagnosed with POTS. My health deteriorated to the point that I needed live-in care, and the medical bills continued piling up.

After surviving a devastating car accident and spending years dealing with its aftermath, I found myself fighting another battle with my body.

Only this time, I didn't know what I was fighting. But even in the middle of all that suffering, there was still a fire in me.

I didn't want to simply exist. I wanted to create, contribute, and build something meaningful. My husband had a good job and provided for our family, but I wanted something of my own. Something I could pour my heart into, even on the days when my body could barely keep up.

That's how my first business, Savon de Wolff, was born. I created luxurious, handmade skincare products, pouring every ounce of energy I could spare into making something beautiful.

Some days, that energy was almost nonexistent. But I kept going. Four years later, I received another diagnosis: Lyme disease.

Now I was facing two major illnesses while still dealing with the lasting effects of my accident.

Through it all, I continued homeschooling my child and running my business for as long as I physically could. But eventually, even the strongest determination can't make a body do what it simply cannot do anymore.

In 2023, after undergoing a hysterectomy, I finally made the heartbreaking decision to close Savon de Wolff. I needed to stop fighting through every day and give myself permission to rest.

To heal.

To find myself again.

Nine Days That Changed My Life

After years of searching for answers, I began learning about Breast Implant Illness. For the first time, something seemed to connect the dots.

In December 2023, I underwent surgery to have my breast implants removed.

And what happened afterward still amazes me. Within nine days, the symptoms that had consumed my life for years disappeared. The fainting. The seizures. The migraines. The symptoms I'd been living with under my POTS and Lyme diagnoses.

Gone. I felt like I had finally woken up from a nightmare that had lasted nearly a decade.

I still had the permanent injuries from my accident, but the overwhelming illness that had stolen so much of my independence was no longer controlling my life.

I could breathe again. I could live again. And for the first time in years, I could actually imagine a future that wasn't centered around being sick.

Finding Home in the Ozarks

In early 2024, my family and I packed up our lives and moved across the country to Missouri.

We were ready for a fresh start. A quieter life. A place to put down roots. Somewhere we could slow down, appreciate the little things, and build something new. And somewhere along the way, I realized just how much I missed creating. I missed making things with my hands. I missed the excitement of bringing an idea to life. I missed the pride that came from owning a business and knowing that something I made could bring another person happiness.

While unpacking, I rediscovered some of my old supplies. And, naturally, I started tinkering. One experiment turned into another, and before I knew it, I had fallen completely in love with perfumery. It all began with a delicate marshmallow fragrance. Something about that soft, sweet scent brought me an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort. It was simple, familiar, and beautiful.

And I wanted to create more of that feeling. I began blending fragrances, testing them on friends and family, studying the art of perfumery, and learning everything I could.

What started as curiosity quickly became a passion. And eventually, that passion became a business.

A New Beginning, A New Understanding

In 2024, another piece of my life finally fell into place.

I was diagnosed as autistic.

Suddenly, so many things I'd struggled to understand about myself began making sense.

The sensory sensitivities. The routines I depended on. The overwhelming emotions. The difficulty navigating friendships. The burnout. The people-pleasing.

That lifelong feeling that everyone else had somehow received a handbook for being human, and mine had gotten lost in the mail.

For years, I'd worked so hard to fit into a world that often felt overwhelming. I masked my struggles, pushed myself beyond my limits, and wondered why things that seemed so effortless for other people could feel so exhausting for me.

I spent so much of my life believing I needed to change who I was. But I didn't need to become someone else. I needed to understand myself. Learning that I'm autistic hasn't magically made every struggle disappear. I'm still learning how to unmask, respect my limits, and navigate life in a way that works for me. But it has given me something I didn't realize I'd been missing. Compassion for myself.

And I've discovered that the same sensitivity that can make the world feel overwhelming also allows me to experience beauty, emotion, and creativity in wonderfully intense ways. I notice the little things. I feel things deeply. And I pour that part of myself into every fragrance I create.

From Élevée to Ozark Perfume

My perfume business was originally born under the name Élevée, a French word associated with being elevated or lifted.

It represented everything I'd overcome. The pain. The illness. The years of fighting to reclaim my life. I had been knocked down more times than I could count, but somehow, I kept finding a way to rise. And I wanted my business to reflect that.

But as time passed, Missouri became more than just the place we'd moved to. It became home. I fell in love with the Ozarks, with the beauty of the land, the slower pace of life, and the feeling that we'd finally found where we were meant to be. And I realized that my business deserved a name that reflected not only where I'd been, but where my heart had finally landed. That's when Élevée became Ozark Perfume.

More Than Just Perfume

  When you purchase something from Ozark Perfume, you're supporting so much more than a small business. You're supporting a woman who has survived a devastating accident, lived through years of chronic illness, learned to embrace her autistic identity, and discovered that starting over can be one of the most beautiful things we ever do.

  You're supporting a wife, a mother, and someone who knows firsthand how precious the ordinary moments really are. I know what it's like to have your independence taken away. To wake up in pain. To wonder whether life will ever feel normal again. And I also know what it's like to find joy in something as simple as a beautiful fragrance. A soft marshmallow scent that feels like comfort. The warmth of vanilla that reminds you of home. A fragrance that brings back a memory you didn't even realize you'd tucked away. Those little moments matter to me. Because after everything I've experienced, I've learned that a beautiful life isn't necessarily one without pain or hardship. Sometimes, it's a life where you've learned to recognize the beauty that exists alongside them.

 Ozark Perfume is my celebration of second chances, resilience, faith, love, and finding joy in the little things. It's proof that even after the hardest seasons, something beautiful can still bloom.

  And if you've made it this far into my story, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to get to know the woman behind the fragrances. Thank you for supporting something that means so much to me. And most of all, thank you for being a small part of this beautiful new chapter of my life.

With all my heart,

Ally
Owner & Creator of Ozark Perfume

Us at 19 about 7 months after the accident.Here we are now, almost 19 years later