July 21, 2011 9:51 Journal Entry:
"JW called. I'm going to go to Searcy and give him a ride."
The day after I had gotten a wisdom tooth pulled and JW had reported that all was going well he called and said they were discharging him and he needed a ride. I agreed to come and get him, but I was fit to be tied as I actually put my foot to the task to go and get him. What had gone wrong? Why were they discharging him so quickly?
I was not a happy camper on my journey to fetch JW. I pulled out of my driveway at 11:08am. I decided that before I would take JW away from this facility that was supposed to supply the help he was seriously seeking that I would talk to someone on staff about JW's case first. I wasn't at all convinced that I would give him a ride.
I arrived at the Psych Hospital at 14:17. I told them who I was and who I had come for and that I wanted to talk to someone on staff about his case before I agreed to take him away. They were very polite and said I would need to talk to a social worker. They then directed me to a waiting room to wait. I expected to see a social worker.
While I was waiting to see a social worker they showed up with JW and said, "Here he is. Bye." I asked what about the social worker? They said you agreed to come and get him and he is discharged, we're done, so bye!"
I put my foot down and told them that I was not committed to putting him in my car and leaving with him. I may just leave him in their parking lot.
With that they got a supervisor. The supervisor wasn't any help either. They now said I couldn't talk to a social worker. They were done with him and he was discharged. They claimed he declined detox. I asked JW if that was so, he said no.
I did get them to print out a list of other programs that they claimed had more "resources". With that JW and I exited the building. We found a shady spot and called a couple of places on the list.
The first place was Christian based and had a place for smokers to indulge their tobacco habit. It cost $900.00 a month. I told them I couldn't afford that. I might could handle $250.00 a month. He said, that is not necessary the people in the program are able to work the $900.00 off. Then JW reminded me that he couldn't work. So, I tried another number...
The next place told me that it was also Christian, but it was tobacco free. They also said that they would take him regardless of ability to work, but that he had to go to another place to be evaluated. This was a Thursday. To be evaluated we would have to be at the evaluation facility at 7:30am Monday morning. This presented a small problem since we were now close to the facility, but if I took JW back to my home we would be a 3 hour drive away.
Flexibility is an essential trait for helicopter pilots, so I made a decision to take JW back to my house. We would see how things would go and take it all one day at a time.
My initial speculation on why the facility JW had just been discharged from was that they did a "wallet biopsy" and found he was indigent so they wanted nothing to do with him. "Wallet biopsy" is a term used unofficially among EMS workers to indicate why some patients are accepted and others are not. After having more contact with dealing with JW I adjusted my speculation to the fact that the facility might have realized what a tough case JW is and decided they were not up to the task. Another reason they told me that other facilities have better resources. Oh Well... so much for hoping he would at least be cared for long enough for the no contact order preventing him from returning to his home to expire.
We arrived back at my house at 18:33pm in enough time for my wife to go and volunteer at the Christian Clinic.
What a day!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Doing Good ~
July 20, 2011 18:26 Journal Entry:
"JW called and said they are taking good care of him. ThankYou Jesus! JW said he is spending time int he manual! Amen! Give him the food and nourishment he needs Lord."
"JW called and said they are taking good care of him. ThankYou Jesus! JW said he is spending time int he manual! Amen! Give him the food and nourishment he needs Lord."
Monday, August 1, 2011
A break from JW but a day full of its own concerns
The tragedy of homelessness.
JW was safely tucked away in a facility. The 19th of July 2011 would be a blog all its own. But basically it involved dropping a human being off at a bus station like a stray dog. I asked this person if they were able to fend for their self by their self and I got an affirmative response. This person had their own disfunctionality they had to deal with. It is very, very sad. It makes me wish I had better facilities and was in a better position to offer more aid.
The difference between JW and the person dropped at the bus station is that JW wants help and the other didn't. The 19th was a crazy day all its own, but it was not because of JW.
JW was safely tucked away in a facility. The 19th of July 2011 would be a blog all its own. But basically it involved dropping a human being off at a bus station like a stray dog. I asked this person if they were able to fend for their self by their self and I got an affirmative response. This person had their own disfunctionality they had to deal with. It is very, very sad. It makes me wish I had better facilities and was in a better position to offer more aid.
The difference between JW and the person dropped at the bus station is that JW wants help and the other didn't. The 19th was a crazy day all its own, but it was not because of JW.
Chapter 6 ~ Continuing to seek help
18 July 2011
JW being thrown in jail caught me by surprise. I was looking forward to spending more time with him in a NORMAL fashion.
Now he was not allowed to stay where his home was. He was previously on disability, but the social security administration had dumped him for what ever reason. He had an appointment scheduled with his disability attorney. For all practical purposes he was now both indigent and homeless.
He talked some about the treatment facility previously mentioned. They were supposed to review his case and decide if they would take him on for longer term treatment. He needed to call them and find out where his case stood. JW's understanding was that they were to have a meeting regarding him and decide.
JW made the call to the treatment facility from my home phone. The person he talked to said they did not know about any meeting and that he would have to go to the local ER for evaluation.
So, going to the ER was on our game plan. If JW could get the help he needed and wanted, that might carry him through the time he was not allowed to go home and allow him to be at a better place than a free campground out in the boonies.
JW and I arrived at the hospital at 16:14 according to my diary. This would prove to be a marathon. I feel like my presence helped some. Listening to JW report his story time and time again was a jangled up relaying of events and facts. After all he had been awake for 10 or 12 days now without any sleep.
My little battery was beginning to run down as 9pm approached. Jerry recognized that and told me that he would be fine and I should go on home. I retrieved some of his personal stuff from my car and with the assurance of the ER nurse assigned to him that he would be will taken care of I departed for home and a good night sleep.
The hospital did ship JW off to a treatment facility. It wasn't the one he had expected, but hopefully now he would get the help he so desperately wanted and needed.
JW being thrown in jail caught me by surprise. I was looking forward to spending more time with him in a NORMAL fashion.
Now he was not allowed to stay where his home was. He was previously on disability, but the social security administration had dumped him for what ever reason. He had an appointment scheduled with his disability attorney. For all practical purposes he was now both indigent and homeless.
He talked some about the treatment facility previously mentioned. They were supposed to review his case and decide if they would take him on for longer term treatment. He needed to call them and find out where his case stood. JW's understanding was that they were to have a meeting regarding him and decide.
JW made the call to the treatment facility from my home phone. The person he talked to said they did not know about any meeting and that he would have to go to the local ER for evaluation.
So, going to the ER was on our game plan. If JW could get the help he needed and wanted, that might carry him through the time he was not allowed to go home and allow him to be at a better place than a free campground out in the boonies.
JW and I arrived at the hospital at 16:14 according to my diary. This would prove to be a marathon. I feel like my presence helped some. Listening to JW report his story time and time again was a jangled up relaying of events and facts. After all he had been awake for 10 or 12 days now without any sleep.
My little battery was beginning to run down as 9pm approached. Jerry recognized that and told me that he would be fine and I should go on home. I retrieved some of his personal stuff from my car and with the assurance of the ER nurse assigned to him that he would be will taken care of I departed for home and a good night sleep.
The hospital did ship JW off to a treatment facility. It wasn't the one he had expected, but hopefully now he would get the help he so desperately wanted and needed.
Chapter 5 ~ JW's home a recipe for disaster
The phone rang early on the 18th of July. JW was in jail. Sometime in the night he had assaulted his brother Joe. He told me that they were releasing him, but he would have to stay away from his mom's house for 6 hours. He asked if I could come and get him. I told him I would, but I would have to get a shower first.
Before I picked JW up at the jail the 6 hour requirement to stay away from his mom's house had changed to a 1 month no contact order.
Complications...
I really wasn't prepared to have a guest such as JW at my home full time. Since he was seriously seeking help and also had accepted my friendship in the Lord, I was committed to help him. We would take things one step at a time.
Since JW wasn't allowed back at his home for a whole month, he needed to get some things from there. To go on the property required a police escort. We requested and got one. After picking up some of his things including a tent we headed back to the jail to pickup his prescription medicine.
We discussed campsites. A campsite close to my house cost $18.00 a night. We needed better options, so we went by the Corp of Engineers Office and talked to a Park Ranger I know. Due to the high water levels of the lake all the free camp grounds were closed. The Ranger told us about one that they expected to reopen soon, and he said we could recon it on the way to my house, which we did.
We then went back to my place were we spent the day. It was good. I could like this man.
Before I picked JW up at the jail the 6 hour requirement to stay away from his mom's house had changed to a 1 month no contact order.
Complications...
I really wasn't prepared to have a guest such as JW at my home full time. Since he was seriously seeking help and also had accepted my friendship in the Lord, I was committed to help him. We would take things one step at a time.
Since JW wasn't allowed back at his home for a whole month, he needed to get some things from there. To go on the property required a police escort. We requested and got one. After picking up some of his things including a tent we headed back to the jail to pickup his prescription medicine.
We discussed campsites. A campsite close to my house cost $18.00 a night. We needed better options, so we went by the Corp of Engineers Office and talked to a Park Ranger I know. Due to the high water levels of the lake all the free camp grounds were closed. The Ranger told us about one that they expected to reopen soon, and he said we could recon it on the way to my house, which we did.
We then went back to my place were we spent the day. It was good. I could like this man.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Chapter 4 ~ Receiving the New Bible and Get Well Card
It was on July 10 that Joe called about 10pm and told me his brother JW checked himself into the state hospital to get help.
I went to town on the 12th to get some guttering for the front of my house and I also bought two new bibles. One for Joe to replace the one his sister took and one for JW.
The Lord also moved me to purchase a get well card for JW.
With card and bibles in hand I stopped at their house to drop them off on my way home. Jerry was still away getting help. Joe was asleep, so I decided to return at a later time. This allowed me to write something to JW in his get well soon card. I felt the Lord guiding my writing. I had no idea what adding this simple gesture of a card to the gift of the bible, but I would soon find out.
I returned later that evening to drop off the bibles and the card. I was hoping they would be able to get JW's new bible and card to him in the facility where he was getting help. I gave JW's bible to his mother and showed her the card. It certainly touched his mother's heart. JW's father died at the young age of 41 when JW was only 15, 16, or 17, so he did not have the benefit of a father at a crucial time in his life. His mother did the best she could with her children, but a healthy two parent home with both a father and a mother has been proven to be the ideal environment to raise children. Of course there are examples of failures where two parents raised children, but I believe there are many, many more examples of failures where one parent is missing for whatever reason; divorce, death, promiscuity and never being married, etc.
The facility released JW sooner than I thought they would. I got a call from him on the 17th of July. He sounded good on the phone and he asked me if I could come and get him so we could visit awhile and talk.
The facility released him before he wanted to be released. When he got home his attitude was pretty negative. His mom told him that ROBAR had bought him a bible. He could of cared less and made some derogatory comment about bible thumpers. Then his mom told him that there was a card with the bible and he needed to read it.
That card that I felt led to purchase for some reason made all the difference in the world. JW read the words the Lord had me write. His whole demeanor and attitude toward me changed. He felt that I was really genuine just because of the card.
I traveled to his home to get him. The man I saw was not the same man I remember from the numerous times I had shared with his younger brother when he was present. He had lost a ton of weight and was much, much more outspoken. It took me a moment to confirm that he was in fact the same man.
I took him to my house and the sharing was real good. Sharing with his brother had always been luke warm, but JW soaked up everything I shared with him. He was hungry to learn and by all appearances was a good student and was serious about trying to change his life.
We left his house about 5pm. He wanted to go to an AA meeting that night, so I took him and stayed at the meeting with him. The meeting was good. JW saw one of his old sponsors from long before. It was almost like old home week. I took JW home after the meeting and stayed visiting until about 11pm.
That night in my diary I wrote:
I went to town on the 12th to get some guttering for the front of my house and I also bought two new bibles. One for Joe to replace the one his sister took and one for JW.
The Lord also moved me to purchase a get well card for JW.
With card and bibles in hand I stopped at their house to drop them off on my way home. Jerry was still away getting help. Joe was asleep, so I decided to return at a later time. This allowed me to write something to JW in his get well soon card. I felt the Lord guiding my writing. I had no idea what adding this simple gesture of a card to the gift of the bible, but I would soon find out.
I returned later that evening to drop off the bibles and the card. I was hoping they would be able to get JW's new bible and card to him in the facility where he was getting help. I gave JW's bible to his mother and showed her the card. It certainly touched his mother's heart. JW's father died at the young age of 41 when JW was only 15, 16, or 17, so he did not have the benefit of a father at a crucial time in his life. His mother did the best she could with her children, but a healthy two parent home with both a father and a mother has been proven to be the ideal environment to raise children. Of course there are examples of failures where two parents raised children, but I believe there are many, many more examples of failures where one parent is missing for whatever reason; divorce, death, promiscuity and never being married, etc.
The facility released JW sooner than I thought they would. I got a call from him on the 17th of July. He sounded good on the phone and he asked me if I could come and get him so we could visit awhile and talk.
The facility released him before he wanted to be released. When he got home his attitude was pretty negative. His mom told him that ROBAR had bought him a bible. He could of cared less and made some derogatory comment about bible thumpers. Then his mom told him that there was a card with the bible and he needed to read it.
That card that I felt led to purchase for some reason made all the difference in the world. JW read the words the Lord had me write. His whole demeanor and attitude toward me changed. He felt that I was really genuine just because of the card.
I traveled to his home to get him. The man I saw was not the same man I remember from the numerous times I had shared with his younger brother when he was present. He had lost a ton of weight and was much, much more outspoken. It took me a moment to confirm that he was in fact the same man.
I took him to my house and the sharing was real good. Sharing with his brother had always been luke warm, but JW soaked up everything I shared with him. He was hungry to learn and by all appearances was a good student and was serious about trying to change his life.
We left his house about 5pm. He wanted to go to an AA meeting that night, so I took him and stayed at the meeting with him. The meeting was good. JW saw one of his old sponsors from long before. It was almost like old home week. I took JW home after the meeting and stayed visiting until about 11pm.
That night in my diary I wrote:
"In bed. ThankYou Lord Jesus for the day. Thank You for JW. Please continue to help him on his journey and protect him. Do a miracle in his life Lord and truly help him pass through the narrow gate and train his sword well. Inspire him to listen to the little red radio and feed him necessary nourishment. ThankYou Lord Jesus for hearing my prayer."
Chapter 3 - JW seeks help
Some of this is second hand, but I think it was sometime in May 2011 JW was really hating himself and his life so he tried to drink himself to death. He ended up in our local hospital and when he came out he went totally off the bottle. He lasted 60 to 70 days.
During this time he experienced a radical personality change and an extreme loss of weight. Weight wise he went from 200 plus to 140 something. JW suffers from bipolar disorder that presents mostly as extreme mania where he goes for days without sleeping.
Somewhere near the tail end of this time of being dry I was told by his brother or mother that he had checked himself into the hospital wanting help. This man was wanting and seeking help. I really did not know him well, but I was moved to buy him a bible and also get him a get well card.
During this time he experienced a radical personality change and an extreme loss of weight. Weight wise he went from 200 plus to 140 something. JW suffers from bipolar disorder that presents mostly as extreme mania where he goes for days without sleeping.
Somewhere near the tail end of this time of being dry I was told by his brother or mother that he had checked himself into the hospital wanting help. This man was wanting and seeking help. I really did not know him well, but I was moved to buy him a bible and also get him a get well card.
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