What would you do if the two most important people in your life passed away?
Paris, a young man living at Mercy Home, found himself answering that question at much too early of an age. After the death of his adoptive mother and brother, Paris didn’t know what to do. Luckily, he found Mercy Home. But, unfortunately, losing his family wasn’t the first of Paris’ struggles.
At a young age, Paris and his five siblings were removed from their biological parents care due to their parents drug use. “It was not a good time,” he recalled.
Things started to look up for Paris when he was placed in his now adoptive mother’s home, but it didn’t last long. Soon after she adopted Paris, his adoptive mother fell very ill, and the young man found himself caring for her, missing out on the childhood that most children get.
Paris cared for his dying mother until she passed away just after his birthday. Three months later, Paris found himself alone in the world when his adoptive brother passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack.
“I lost my family, and they couldn’t help me out anymore,” said Paris. “I didn’t know what to do, or who to trust.”
It was then that Paris found out about Mercy Home.
At Mercy Home, Paris thrived. He had someone to take care of him, instead of him being the caregiver. He was able to focus on being a kid again, and as Paris became more comfortable at Mercy Home, he began to let his personality shine and his outlook brightened.
“Once I saw that I’m not the only one in this world that has problems, it helped me change my attitude,” Paris said.
His program manager, Susan Hackney, agrees. “Paris exhibits a true spirit of Mercy Home,” Hackney said. “His unique, energetic, and insightful personality helped him to build significant relationships with the staff here, as well as understand how his past was affecting him.”
Paris continues to thrive at Mercy Home, using all the resources available to him. Through therapy sessions, Paris was able to understand his difficulties and how to overcome them. He found a new, loving family, someone he could trust.
“No matter what staff is going through at home, they always come to Mercy with a smiling face and are ready to do their job to help us succeed,” Paris said. “At Mercy Home, you will always have good friends, no matter what.”
