Success Story
“Curtis Laughs Now”

When Curtis first moved to Life Span’s Bon Rea, he transferred here from another organization’s facility. We were told that he could do very little for himself and was aggressive and extremely defensive when he perceived that he was in any danger (which was correct most of the time). I forgot to mention that Curtis has very little use of his lower extremities, which causes him to depend on a wheelchair for his mobility. He is blind and also nonverbal, so to defend himself when he sensed danger, he would scratch, bite, and pull hair. While we were teaching Curtis to trust us, he was teaching us not to sneak up on him. We purchased a van with a wheelchair lift so we could transport Curtis, and anyone who has dealt with strapping a chair into a wheelchair van knows what that involves. The only time he seemed to come close to being comfortable was when he was left alone in his room at night. He would just rock back and forth in his bed.

Since Curtis came to live at Bon Rea, he let me list a few of his accomplishments. We were able to exchange our wheelchair van for a regular van and he transfers from his chair and sits in a regular seat while riding in the van. He participates in meal prep, feeds himself, and helps to clear the table after the meal. He works in the yard along with staff and the other guys to keep their home beautiful. He goes on community outings. Just recently he has been to see the African Children’s Choir (twice), the Latino Picnic at Calvary Church, the Labor Day Fest at Good Sheppard’s Church, a fish fry, the annual picnic at Marion Diehl Recreation Center, and The Greek Yaissou Festival. He also dines out at various restaurants in the community. Curtis participates in group activities, going to dance class, exercising, playing games indoors and out, going to the park, attending Sunday School, and going to Wendy’s for a frosty. His mother says she is able to sleep at night because she knows that he is being given excellent care.

And, oh yes, Curtis laughs now.