About

Courtney Elizabeth Michaels
Her Idea?

"To gift graduates from rehab with a purse that celebrates their accomplishments.

allowing them to move forward with dignity, strength and the knowledge that someone cares"

This is Purse-Impressions

Courtney Michaels was an amazing, beautiful and energetic girl. Courtney was bigger than life!

She sincerely cared about the people in her life. She had a habit of just reaching out spontaneously to let someone know she was thinking about them, cared about how they were doing or just wanting to tell them............she loved them.

She did, however, experience some difficult times in her short life. She spent time at the Renascent in Toronto, Canada, and Aurora Behavioural Health System in Tempe, AZ,  in an effort to get better.

Suddenly and tragically at 28 years old, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cirrhosis of the liver from years of alcohol abuse. Both her liver and kidneys began to deteriorate at a rapid pace.  Although her organs may have shut down, it was her addiction that took her life.

Before she left us, Courtney told me, her mother Patricia, about an idea she had.

She didn't like that women who graduated from Rehab often left there with their personal items in a plastic bag. She wanted better for them. She wanted those women to hold their heads high, to be proud of their amazing accomplishment and to leave with something that showed their value.

At that point, she thought she had won the battle and wanted to give back.

This is how Purse-Impressions came to be. Now, led by Patricia ( myself), and Courtney's Angels are working hard to make her mission a reality.

Off to a great start, Purse-Impressions gathered 400 purses ( in lieu of flowers)  and items to stuff them for Courtney's Memorial July 13, 2019. They were donated to the Renascent Centre who has approximately 400 graduates a year!