Andrea Gunning

We were way worse when we were older.

Because we got more money, everyone, all of us, were in the tank.

Every weekend, we did the same thing over and over.

Just wash, rinse, repeat.

Still, Saskia knew when the partying needed to take a backseat, like when her friend Heather had a baby with a guy who became abusive.

They were young, only 21, but Saskia skipped parties with their other friends to show up for Heather.

Here's how Heather remembers it.

Our other friends were out like partying and going to bars.

Saskia always stayed by me and checked on me, still hung out with me, came over to help me with the baby.

She was just the most solid friend I had.

That's just who Saskia is.

Deeply loyal and deeply empathetic.

She's the kind of friend who was only ever a phone call away.

It's that caring nature that led her to become a social worker.

I've always been interested in how the mind works, and I've always had a lot of empathy for people who struggle with mental health, probably because my dad's own mental health struggles, my own mental health struggles,

For 17 years, Saskia worked in Child Protective Services or CPS.

She did physical abuse and neglect investigations.

Then she transitioned to supporting teens in the foster care system.

Many of these kids never had adults looking out for them or people they could count on.

While working at CPS, Saskia became friends with Rob.