About

Welcome to Atoms and Empty Space: Breaking the Silence on Mental Illness. It all started with the concept of an atom… when an atom breaks it produces an extraordinary amount of energy. If we nurture that energy it can be used for good – if we let it go wayward, destruction is imminent. When the mind breaks preconceived notions lead us to believe it irreparable, maybe even doomed, but with nurturing and understanding, we can harness strength within…

Who We Are:

Ashley S. Aleksey (Founder/Researcher of AAES; Suicidologist and Chemist)

“What shall I say? Everything that I could say would fade into insignificance compared with what my heart feels,

and your hearts feel, at this moment.” – Pope John Paul II

Ashley Aleksey grew up in the Polish immigrant community of Greenpoint, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. As a first-generation Polish-American, Ms. Aleksey discovered a passion for tradition and a love of learning inherited from her Russian and Polish family. In high school, she nurtured a fascination within the world of science and attended and graduated from Saint Joseph’s University on a full scholarship with a degree in Chemistry. She is currently pursuant of her Master’s and eventual Ph.D.

Tragically, Ms. Aleksey’s mother, after battling major depression for decades, decided to take her own life in the summer of 2008. Since then, Ms. Aleksey has been struggling and overcoming personal challenges in the realm of mental illness and the stigma that accompanies a suicide survivor. She harbors a big interest in the latest science surrounding mental illness, in particular depression and suicide, in an attempt to break the silence on mental illness while ensuring her mother’s legacy lives on.

Ashley Aleksey currently resides in Philadelphia as she pursues her Ph.D with her two little buddies, Khloe and Boy.

Boy

Khloe

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