Trapped under the thumb of an oppressive military government, Helen Muan’s family needed a way out. The climate of political unrest in 1980s Burma was heating to an uncomfortable degree, with military-enforced socialism draining the country’s economy. 1987 brought with it a massive tipping point. Without warning and without compensation the government devalued all 25, 35, and 75 kyat notes, devastating 75% of the nation’s finances and rendering Helen’s parents’ life savings worthless.
For them, financial recovery in Burma was not an option. Determined to lift his family from poverty, her father Augustine, went to find work in India, hoping to send back enough money to sustain them. After building the shape of a life that his family could fit into, Augustine moved them all to Delhi. But they knew this was just a stepping stone in a larger journey. The family filed for refugee status in the United States. Many years of waiting later, Augustine, his wife Monica, Helen, her brother, and his wife and children packed up their lives, arriving in Indianapolis in 2015. They were ready to move beyond poverty and uncertainty into a new freedom. But no matter how many oppressors they had escaped, there was one that never left them, and Helen alone was still trapped.
Helen had not developed like most children. Born with a mental delay, she struggled all her life to learn basic tasks. Living in a culture where mental illness is an invisible concept, no schools existed for people with special needs. No resources offered help when her mental illnesses began to compound, anxiety giving way to trauma giving way to mutism.
Shelley Landis, therapist from Adult & Child’s Neighborhood Program, first met Helen and her family at their home in summer 2016. Catholic Charities, a partner of the program who had guided the family through their transition, requested her for a mental health assessment of Helen. They’d already tried many different methods to reach and diagnose her, all with inconclusive results. The day was reserved for a session of music therapy, and Shelley dropped in to meet the family and acquaint Helen to her presence. Surrounded by a music therapist, interpreter, Catholic Charities refugee worker, her parents, and Shelley, Helen did not speak one word.
Helen’s case came to the Neighborhood Program in its infancy and the challenge of it tested the skills of both Shelley and Peer Support Specialist, Zaitin Par. The two approached her care as a team effort. Their first task was to unearth the true Helen under layers and layers of unaddressed mental illness. Helen’s mutism abates with consistency. Through the clockwork of showing up to see her again and again every week, Shelley and Zaitin gained her trust bit by bit, each word from her a new victory. This level of comfort opened up the possibility of setting goals to build up her independence and dismantle her anxiety.
The first practical area the team tackled was hygiene. Helen had never fully grasped the concept, and the responsibility often fell to her parents. Shelley and Zaitin developed a roadmap of small attainable goals designed to lead her further and further into a cohesive hygiene routine. “We created visual aids for her,” said Shelley. “She couldn’t read, so we used a couple websites for autism and different developmental delays and came up with a visual plan where she can check things off.” The tangible activity of checking off tasks caused Helen to view these goals as a challenge, awakening her sense of competition and stirring her self-confidence.
Addressing her anxiety of the outside world fell mostly to Zaitin. Helen’s fear of new people and places was intricately woven into her everyday life. Bringing her to the park or the library served as a form of exposure therapy with a goal of helping her adjust to being in a new space. “At first she would try to hide behind me, especially if we were talking to someone,” said Zaitin. But through constructing a foundation of trust with her Peer Support Specialist, Helen would gradually let her guard down. “Helen and I have a good rapport,” said Zaitin, “She trusts me. Now, if we do something and I’m there, she pays more attention.”
Over the course of a year, Helen has made enormous strides forward. Her parents continue to be amazed with her progress. They’ve witnessed her transform from virtually helpless to now maintaining her own hygiene and contributing to household chores. They were lost for many years wondering what was best for their daughter and needing unavailable care. Every task they do for her echoes their unconditional love, but fear and uncertainty drove them to isolate her from a world that didn’t understand her. With support and instruction, they have made strides right alongside her. Shelley and Zaitin meet with Helen once a week, but Augustine and Monica are committed day in and day out, moving with her toward every milestone. Shelley is equally impressed by them as they are with Helen. “Her parents are quite seriously amazing. Her dad is near sainthood,” she said, describing how even through a physical disability, he walks Helen to every single appointment with Adult & Child.
The family now has a renewed hope for Helen’s future. Shelley attributes how well she’s done to her growing confidence with every small victory. “She started to believe in herself,” she said. “Most people never even gave her a chance.” But now, with the right kind of support, Helen has bloomed in a way no one had dared to expect. “I think she will always improve,” said Zaitin. “I have a lot of hope for her.” Shelley referenced a recent comment from a Catholic Charities employee who hadn’t seen Helen in a long time: “They think we’re miracle workers,” she said. But the miracle, as with most accomplishment, is in the slow and steady progress toward bigger and bigger goals. “She took off. She just took off. Never underestimate what your clients can do.” said Shelley, reflecting on Helen’s long journey. “They’ll often surprise you.”

It was a regular weekday working the Sam’s Club checkout line when Cynthia Grant had her stroke. Under the buzz of fluorescent lighting with a shuffle of customers filtering through the line to the beeping rhythm of registers, waves of numbness started to wash down Cynthia’s right side. She kept trying to ring up the items as they rode along on the conveyor belt, but the feeling persisted until she could no longer feel her hand grip the scanning gun.

After leaving her station and taking her blood pressure and going to the hospital, it was confirmed that she was having a stroke. A sobering reality set in as she was whisked into emergency brain surgery where doctors attempted to piece back together the delicate wiring of Cynthia’s brain. Cynthia Grant has Moyamoya disease, an ailment that causes arteries in the basil ganglia region of the brain to constrict and block blood flow, resulting in strokes. Moyamoya was first coined by doctors in 1960s Japan. Translated, the term means “puff of smoke” due to the almost ghostly appearance of the blockage on a traditional x-ray.

After the drama of the stroke and surgery had calmed, it was determined that Cynthia would not suffer any severe loss of brain function. Still, her brain had undergone trauma and her health was irreversibly affected. Upon leaving the hospital, she had to endure all the doubts and challenges that accompany navigating life with a traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana first guided her through the process of handling life after brain surgery. After a few twists and turns in the referral process, Cynthia’s employment case fell into the lap of Jane Wiles at Adult and Child Job Links.

When Jane and Cynthia first met, the two were partners in putting together the puzzle of Cynthia’s next stage of life. That included a new job. Since age sixteen, Cynthia had worked in customer service. “That’s the kind of job I wanted to do,” she said, “I’m definitely a people person.” The two of them persevered through a list of possible employers, wading through job applications until Cynthia set her sights on working as a cashier at Marsh grocery stores. As an advocate for her clients, Jane Wiles took her role as Cynthia’s job coach to heart. She met with the store manager after they submitted an application and accompanied her on two interviews and subsequent training. To Jane, the largest barrier to employment was Cynthia’s diminished confidence after the stroke. “I went to the interview with her and the initial trainings because she was nervous and wanted someone there with her. That’s the type of support we can provide to ensure that somebody has a smooth transition,” said Jane.

To Cynthia, the job at Marsh was everything she wanted out of employment. She remembers the anxious feeling of first working out on the floor after only two sessions of training. “Some things come very quickly to my mind, but other things… I have to think about it,” she said. But she persisted, and after two years, she now feels comfortable enough to rattle off produce numbers on cue. “It’s a match made in heaven. She loves the job and they love her,” said Jane recalling numerous times the Marsh manager has praised Cynthia’s job performance.

Reminiscing about the Job Links program, Cynthia lit up with excitement. “I miss it!” she said, telling stories of shopping for work shoes with Jane and being greeted by name whenever she walked into the office. “Every time I see someone come in to Marsh with an Adult and Child badge, I say, ‘Do you know Jane Wiles? She’s my job coach. Can you tell her I said hi and that I miss her?’” It’s clear that Jane echoes Cynthia’s appreciation for their relationship. “When I go through her line, she comes around the corner and we hug each other… I don’t even think of her as a client, just as a lifelong person in my life.” The bond between client and coach as well as client and company was an important factor in changing the direction of Cynthia’s life. “If anybody needs any help, I would recommend this place. If they’re looking for a job or just need help in general,” said Cynthia. “I like my job and I’m so content with where I’m at right now.”

It’s easy to be impressed by everything that John Witcher has accomplished. Barely 4 decades into life, and he’s done enough to fill 3 lives: Bachelor of Business Administration, working on his MBA; black belt in Tae Kwon Do, now learning Jiu Jitsu; plays guitar, piano, trombone & saxophone; writes, creates & publishes music; has published 12 stage plays (including “Growing with Albert”, the most popular of the 12); reviews poetry for “Reader’s Favorite; and more. Driven and full of positive energy, John is setting goals, reaching them, and then setting more.

For all John has accomplished, his success at managing his illness and changing his mindset are the most important.

John has schizophrenia. Twenty years ago, he was a young adult who had dropped out of high school, was living at his parents’ home, hoping to move out and become independent. But his mental illness, combined with drug and alcohol use, were too much of a barrier. Being in public was difficult, because he felt self-conscious in public places. A common trait of schizophrenia is paranoia; John felt different from others, and believed even strangers at the mall were judging him because of his illness.

“It’s hard to describe – it was a fear of everything,” he said. “I felt like nobody cared. I had no direction in life. I was at a point where I thought – what can I do?”

In the fall of 1994, John was hospitalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia. “I basically had a meltdown. It was some pretty rough times.”

Fast-forward to today, and you see a man who talks about how blessed he is to have so many people in his life who have cared for him. “They didn’t have to,” he said. “But they took the time to care. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who cared about me.”

You see a man who lives by the goals he sets for himself. “Setting goals is a positive way to move forward. I discovered, once you achieve a goal and realize you can reach goals, something clicks. Just achieving one goal, your life can change.”

You see a man who not only is successful at work, but is working while going to school for his MBA. “Before getting help, I wasn’t able to hold a job. After getting treatment, I held the same job for 16 years. That speaks volumes.”

What changed?

John got help at Adult and Child.

John credits the many people at Adult and Child who were involved in his care over the last 20 years with the incredible changes in his life. He has received support from the staff who taught him life skills; from the medical team who helped him identify medications that would reduce his symptoms, and worked with him to manage his medications; from the FACT team, who continues to provide help in identifying community supports and resources that would benefit him; and from the JobLinks staff, who helped him secure employment.

“Adult and Child didn’t just treat the disorder,” said John. “They taught me how to help myself. They taught me life skills and it was a turning point in my life.”

John plans to do more. His goal is to one day develop a scholarship to help people with schizophrenia.

“And I can do that,” he said confidently. “I will get that done.”

“I’ve come a long way,” said DeShon, sitting down to share her decades-long story of abuse, mental illness, homelessness, and recovery. “I’ve been stumbling through life. But now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. Here, with my kids and grandkids, and my job, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

DeShon’s life is marked with periods of abuse – first by her father, who abused her mother; then, by her husband. She says that this abuse caused her to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression. At 30 years old, DeShon left her husband and sought support for herself and her young children at a shelter for abused women. Her husband found the shelter and threatened her. “There was nowhere I could hide from this man. His specialty was hunting down AWOL soldiers.”

Sensing she was not able to care for her daughters, DeShon called her mother and asked her to take care of them. Fearing that her husband would find her if she stayed with friends or family, DeShon said, “I went underground. I got to know the homeless people. They helped me find places to stay – abandoned buildings. I knew where the soup kitchens were and how to not die in the dead of winter. And in that environment, I felt safe.”

A few months after leaving the shelter, DeShon’s mother moved with no notice. DeShon lost contact with her 3 children, and her mental state declined. She was homeless for 15 years before seeking shelter at Wheeler Mission in 2012. There, she met Brian Paul – an outreach worker at Adult & Child Health.

“He saved my life.”

After meeting with Brian, DeShon began receiving the help she needed to become healthier, and live a better life. Brian connected DeShon with other staff at Adult and Child. Through these staff, she was able to find an apartment, and received psychiatric support (“I was diagnosed with depression and PTSD”), medication management, Illness Management Recovery (IMR) services, and skills development. She also received training to become a CNA through Vocational Rehabilitation’s supported employment program.

“The team approach was very beneficial,” she said, sharing how the staff at Adult and Child worked together to help her manage her mental illness, cope with daily stressors, and manage her emotions. This team approach is common at Adult and Child, where clients have access to a professionals with a range of experience and knowledge, so they can provide care and support that is most beneficial to each client.

DeShon grew close to Rodger Borders, a Peer Recovery Specialist, who led the IMR groups. This was another change for her.

“Initially, I was miserable with IMR – but it started growing on me,” she recalled. After participating in the group meetings for a while, “It started sinking in because the things that Rodger talked about, I could relate to. I thought, ‘That sounds like me.’ I started realizing I could get better.”

Over the course of a year, DeShon became healthier, secured permanent housing and permanent employment, and reconnected with her daughter and grandchildren. Today, she is employed as a CNA, lives comfortably in an apartment, and spends time with her grandchildren. It’s a drastic change for her, following years of homelessness and being disconnected from her family.

DeShon’s message to others who are living with mental illness is to seek help. “It doesn’t have to be that hard. They won’t force pills down your throat. It will be okay.”

“I’M STARTING OVER AGAIN”
It turns out, that is exactly what Jack is doing. Once a 15-year-old who lived on the streets to escape abuse at home, Jack pushed through depression, anger, and dependence on alcohol to became a successful truck driver and business owner. He got married and started a family. But in 2008, the depression and dependence on alcohol overwhelmed him – and he lost his work, his home, and separated from his family.

Since 2008, Jack has experienced periods of extreme depression (he attempted suicide three times), as well as periods that seemed more hopeful. In 2012, he returned to work, and began volunteering. “I started climbing out of that low place in my life,” he said. But in 2013, Jack was hit by a drunk driver, and suffered extensive injuries. He was unable to return to work, and returned to living on the streets. The setback was followed by increased symptoms of depression and dependence on alcohol.

Today, Jack is starting over again. Through the help of Adult and Child’s Supported Employment program, JobLinks, he is looking forward to starting work at a local grocer. He explains that the support he has received from Azonda, the Employment Specialist who works with him, is making his journey easier. She helps him with his resume, researching job opportunities, submitting applications, and communication. She is also a source of support when he gets frustrated.

“I consider Azonda a friend,” said Jack. “Because of the support I have received, I now have the confidence to work toward my goals.”

What are his long-term goals?

“I want to get back to where I was – to have a stable job, and security, so I can provide for myself,” he says. “I’d love to have my family back.”

Trela, her husband, and her 2 youngest children worked hard to start and grow their successful family business. They lived in their own home and the boys attended a prominent public school system on the Southside of Indianapolis. Their business always left them with enough work and enough money to be comfortable. However, their lives were also plagued with alcohol abuse and domestic violence, which ultimately led to a divorce. After the divorce, financial reasons forced Trela and the boys to leave their comfortable home and move into a small apartment. When working together at the family business continued to complicate their lives and cause chaos for the boys, Trela also left the family business. The boys continued to work for their father from time to time, but Trela was unemployed for months until she began working at a local pizza shop. The boys seemed to struggle with their parents being separated, yet didn’t like the way their mother was treated. They felt guilty because their father needed help, but they felt confliction when they helped him. Their behavior toward their mother seemed to mimic the treatment she received from their father.

Between the stress of the divorce and their newfound financial stressors, Tyler (17) and Austin (15) began acting out. Tyler was placed on probation and began screaming, hitting things, and disobeying his mother. Austin became increasingly more socially reserved, began to withdraw from his family and friends, refused to follow his mother’s directions, and acted out behind his mother’s back. Austin was caught stealing, sneaking out at night, and often fought with his brother. Trela felt helpless and even resorted to calling the police to control her children. She realized then she had lost control of her family and called Adult and Child.

Trela was quickly connected with Jill, a member of Adult and Child’s Family Preservation team based in Franklin, IN. Jill helped Trela understand the boys’ point of view. She gave Trela the tools and confidence to establish and maintain appropriate rules for the boys, and for herself. Jill helped Trela learn to trust her boys, allow them to be independent, and learn to make good decisions. She also helped the boys process their parents’ divorce, the changes that accompany any divorce, and the mixed emotions they each experienced. Jill worked with the family to teach them appropriate expectations for each family member in their respective roles. She discussed the impact of family patterns and discussed their future goals for the kind of men they wanted to be and helped Trela identify what issues she was able to control. Jill helped the family focus on the positive skills that Trela and her ex-husband have, encouraged the family to work together, and encouraged positive communication among the family.

Today, Tyler is preparing for senior prom and looking forward to high school graduation. Austin is successful in school and is also very engaged in sporting events. Trela has learned to trust her boys and the boys have learned to respect their mother. Trela and her ex-husband are able to work together from time to time, have learned to co-parent their boys, and the boys appreciate that their parents respectful relationship. They are a very tightly knit family and they appreciate the time they spend together.

I’m 34 years old. I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, Clinical Depression and PTSD at age 9 and began taking medication (10-11 different psych meds) at that time. PTSD was due to traumatic sexual and physical abuse by some of my family members. My first psychiatric hospitalization was at age 9 and I have been in several hospitals since then. I was hospitalized at the rehabilitation hospital in Texas for 2 ½ years, when I was 18 years old, I went to Madison State Hospital and spent 2 years there. Then, after a couple of good years, I was hospitalized again at LaRue Carter for 6 months. My last hospitalization was in February of 2011 and I was at Community North for only 4 days. I am very proud that, today, I am only prescribed 3 medications!!

Adult & Child’s programs have helped me to gain and maintain employment through Job Links. My treatment team therapist and team leader are helping me work through my child abuse issues. Dr. Parrish and I have a great relationship…he has worked with me since I was 18! The team nurse is working with me on my weight issues (due to my medication side effects) and she is helping me through my future bariatric surgery.

Heartfelt Health Alliance is great. They encourage me about losing weight…call to check on me and are very on top of things…It has been really great to have the physical and mental health services in one facility.

It helps me to take care of myself better.

“I was in a difficult place before, and my life has really turned around.”

When I began services at Adult and Child Center, I had chronic depression. People took advantage of me because they thought I was vulnerable. They stole from me.

Adult and Child staff have helped me to set better boundaries in my relationships. They have worked with me on managing my finances – teaching me how to budget and save money, write checks, and pay bills. And, they’re helping me to improve my physical health by encouraging me to walk twice a week with their walking group, and helping me with my doctors’ appointments.

The staff at Adult and Child Center are helping me with my goal to become more independent. They’re helping me to manage my own finances, be in charge of my own physical healthcare, and when I’m ready, they’re going to help me get a job.

I have made new friends. I now have my own checking account. I am working toward becoming more independent. Adult and Child has helped me to make life changes, and I feel so much better. I now have a much more positive outlook.

Robert was the proud father of 3 kids and worked full time when, in 2009, he witnessed the shooting death of his son. While he struggled to deal with this loss, over time the burden was simply too much and it began to seriously impact his ability to function. In 2010, he lost his job and found himself in a downward spiral of unemployment and homelessness; most of his family ties had been severed and he was sleeping in vacant buildings without heat or electricity.

As winter began to set in, he made his way to Wheeler Mission and found himself quickly engaged in a partnership between Wheeler Mission and Adult and Child Center Staff called Critical Time Intervention (CTI). This program embeds staff in the area shelters to provide support services based upon the unique needs of each individual. At the time, one of the major barriers to housing for Robert was employment, so Robert was introduced to Adult and Child’s JobLinks Supported Employment Program and quickly began the drive to improve his homelessness.

After nearly 10 months living in the shelter, the submission of countless job applications, and numerous hours of introspection, Robert’s life was about to change in a big way. His JobLinks coach had lined up a job interview with a local security agency…his first interview in months. Around the same time, Robert received news that he was eligible for a partially subsidized loft apartment in a newly renovated historical school building. Robert accepted the job and practically pounced on the apartment and after 10 months of hard work, he found himself employed and living in a beautiful apartment with heat, running water, and furniture.

Robert is very grateful to the staff at Wheeler Mission and Adult and Child Center. He keeps his Shelter ID badge hanging on his kitchen door as a constant reminder of “where he has been”. Robert enjoys writing fiction stories and is very proud of his manuscripts currently posted at Lulu.com.

My story begins March 20, 2006. That is the day my whole life changed before my eye. Not knowing what was soon to come. I was 12 and attended Harshman Middle School #110. I was in eighth at the time. I lived with my grandmother and little cousin. Growing up as a child my family was classified as “poor”. My whole life we have moved place to place I have been to a little over 8 different schools. As a child we never questioned how things were. We never asked why we had to go to food pantries for food instead of going to the grocery store. No matter how many days we would go without something nice to eat or new clothes to wear, we were the happiest kids. We always kept a smile. I know I had to smile just to hide the tears of thinking what it felt like to have better things like everyone else.

My father lived in Chicago. I have not had contact with him since I was a young child. I would give anything to have a relationship with him. My mother lived here, we never had a close relationship like a mother and daughter should have. My mother is because she used drugs, so I was raised by my grandmother. I have never mentioned this before but I know my mother resented me for being so close to my grandmother.

When I think back on my childhood the only day that really stands out amongst all the other things is the day I was taken away. I remember that day clearly and will never forget it.

The foster parent that we were with had seemed really nice and sweet hearted. India and I were with one foster parent all the years we spent in foster care. The transition from living with an adult to not having an adult there, worked well for me. I continued to go to school and made good grades. For India, I don’t know what went wrong but she dropped out of school. She struggled at the foster home and got discouraged. India aged out the system and I moved into a one bedroom apartment. That is also when I met Jena at Adult and Child Center. She was my transitional living casework. Jena helped me learn more about how to pay for bills, how to write checks, and how to balance my checkbook. She helped us cope with what was going on. I won’t forget her for that.

Currently I will be a sophomore at IUPUI. I am part of Nina Scholar Program and OTEAM. Nina Scholar is a wonderful scholarship that works with students to find their positive core. Since I had a rough background being part of this program truly benefits me. The OTEAM is an orientation team. We are the faces every student that is coming in as freshman or transfer students sees. We work together to make sure no one leaves with unanswered questions. It is sponsored through a scholarship but the friends and relationships you build with other leaders is the reward. I lost all of my friends when I was put in foster care. Coming to college and finding friends who will be there for you is such a good. My dream is to graduate and serve people. My story is a story that not a lot of people have and perseverance is important when you feel like there’s no hope.