Kevin's Story

As I passed out the 10:00 PM medication to Kevin, I marveled at the beauty of his fingers as he placed them around the Dixie cup. Just a few short months before those same hands were raw, bloody, and suffering from severe frostbite. When Kevin first came to the Center for Respite Care his right index finger had been partially amputated and seven others were wrapped in white gauze. Standing before me now was a new person - healed from the inside out. Gone was the intimidating caustic man whose first words to me when I tried to change his bandages were “You’re not doing that right. You are useless.” His earliest life lessons were of abandonment.

Kevin’s bitterness and rage had been forty-five years in the making. His earliest life lessons were of abandonment - the deaths of two close relatives, the divorce of his parents and his father’s decision to take his older brother and sisters but leave him behind. Next a trusted mentor and role model failed to keep his promise of continued contact. The onset of mental illness late in adolescence all but sealed his fate. The untreated and ever increasing voices in his head declared daily that he was hated by the world. Then came the night when Kevin was abandoned by a friend on a country road 30 miles from the city. Wandering alone in sub-zero temperatures brought Kevin first to the emergency room and eventually to us. “Wandering alone in sub-zero temperatures brought Kevin first to the emergency room and eventually to us.”

The Center for Respite Care is a 24-hour medical recovery facility for people who are homeless. In the beginning of his stay, Kevin was reclusive, speaking only when spoken to and coming out of his room only for meals and bandage changes. Our trained medical staff quickly recognized his untreated mental illness and immediately scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist. The team of medical and social work professionals collaborated in developing his plan of care, modifying certain routine practices to allow Kevin daily time out of the facility in the hopes that he would stay long enough for us to help him. The caring staff at the Respite worked to help him adjust to living in close proximity to other people in spite of the voices in his head.

Gradually, as Kevin’s fingers began to heal, so began a healing in his heart. As he experienced the sincerity and concern of our nurses and physician, Kevin began to trust the staff to guide him in other ways as well. New medications were prescribed to help control the schizophrenia and he stayed the course while adjusting to them. He met almost daily with our Client Care Coordinator and learned to be pro-active in making sure his needs were met. Kevin learned how to properly care for his hands and began to participate fully in his medical and mental health treatment. Painstakingly, he filled out applications for benefits and even learned how to do his own finger sticks to keep his diabetes in check. “Gradually, as Kevin’s fingers began to heal, so began a healing in his heart.”

Another vital step in his recovery was to reconnect with his family. Kevin has reestablished a relationship with his mother and now attends church with her every Sunday. He has also reunited with his grown children and his two-year-old grandson has become the joy of his life. After several months Kevin left the Center and moved into his own apartment.