Hecht formerly traveled as a back-up singer for The Johnny Van Zant Band and began recording professionally at age 14.
Hecht first encountered the Lost Boys in 2001, when 85 of the approximately 3800 refugees who had relocated to the United States settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
[1] Prior to meeting the Lost Boys of Sudan, Hecht had worked as an executive in sales and marketing and also as a professional singer, backing Johnny Van Zant.
[3][4] In 2005, she released the book The Journey of the Lost Boys, a narrative of the experiences of these refugees, which earned "First Place in Education" and garnered Hecht the title of "2005 Author of Year" by the Promoting Outstanding Writers organization of Mandarin.
[1][5][6] She has also been since 2007 the volunteer chairwoman of education on the Board of Directors for The Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan National Network, based in Washington DC.