A Journey From Feeling Unloved to Feeling New Hope

When "D" came to the Familylinks' shelter, he was thirteen years old with enough problems to make anyone feel desolate. "D" was morbidly obese, had diabetes and mental health issues, and suffered with bedwetting as well as soiling his clothes. He had not been doing well in his foster home and, not surprisingly, he had issues with trusting people. "D" felt unloved and unwanted.

Life started to change when "D" came to the shelter. There, a nurse developed a diet for him and a plan to deal with his medical needs. Most importantly, several staff members took "D" under their wing. They spent extra time with him, talking about his feelings, his medical issues, and his poor relationships with peers. One staffer started taking "D" for a walk everyday. He even came in on his off days to go on walks, and began taking him to the Recreational Center where he got "D" involved in lifting weights and playing basketball.

Others in the staff started buying Smoothie Shakes to help "D" with his quest to lose weight. They established a behavioral plan based on positive reinforcement. And they always made sure he didn't feel embarrassed when he had an "accident," taking extra clothes and cleaning him up so it felt like less of a big deal.

Eventually, "D" started to come around. He lost 15 pounds while at the shelter. He learned to trust staff members, and discovered that people cared about him. When he left the shelter three months later, "D" no longer soiled his clothes. He had made huge accomplishments.

"D" stayed in touch with the staff even after he was discharged. One of the staff members later ran into him and barely recognized the happy youth. He had lost a lot of weight, was playing football, and no longer had all of the medical problems from before. He was a smiling adolescent who was proud of all he had accomplished.

At the Familylinks shelter, "D" had learned a valuable lesson: that he could trust and care for people - and that he could take control of his life.