The Opportunity Zone (OZ) is a place to celebrate the successes of those impacted by Sisters Place services.
A Hand Up
“Your daughter has Pediatric Parkinson’s disease.” The diagnosis came as a shock to “Ed” and “Jenna”*, who had noticed that their youngest daughter, “Katie” – age 1, was having hand and eye coordination issues. They never even considered such a serious illness, nor did they even know much about it.
Since that time, though, they have both united in giving their daughter the best care possible. Which would have seemed impossible just two years prior when they were living on the streets, and Jenna was pregnant with their first child, “April.” They had been living with family, but when that family was evicted from their home, the couple felt that they had no other options. Until they heard about Sisters Place. They moved into their housing in September 2019, and Jenna had April in March of 2020.
Jenna and Ed are no strangers to adversity, having both battled addiction and Jenna had domestic violence issues in her past, but they are determined to give their children the best care that they can. Both parents have put jobs on hold while they manage doctor appointments and childcare, though they continue to plan for their futures. Ed has laborer skills and picks up odd jobs here and there, often volunteering to help at Sisters Place, and Jenna hopes to return to school at some point.
Resilience
Ms. Tammie, their Wellness Counselor, shares that the family is on a “healing journey” and has the resiliency to persevere. Both parents are committed to sticking through the hard stuff and spending quality time interacting with the children, often on the giant car mat rug set up in their living room! Both strive to do what’s right for the children – keeping up with their recovery, maintaining their neat and comfortable household, participating in the Sisters Place program, and being good neighbors.
Their journey is not over, and there are still some challenges and barriers that they must endure, but they continue to move towards progress, working with doctors to help Katie manage her disease, connecting with our collaborative partners for their personal needs, and focusing on a stable and secure future for their children.
*Names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the family
