Access Services - Creating Better Ways To Serve People With Special Needs

Sharing Her Lifesharing Story

Life takes many strange twists and turns and sharing the story of an individual life can change other lives. A 66-year-old woman has been in our Lifesharing program for four years, and in that time, she has blossomed into a confident and independent woman. Her life had always been difficult.  She was in an abusive marriage and was in and out of institutions.  She is illiterate because she never had the opportunity to go to school.  To make matters worse, she suffers from diabetes.  In order to deal with all of this, she took a lot of medication and had great deal of psychological support. Today she is free from her abusive marriage and living a renewed, purposeful life. She attends literacy classes, uses less medicine, has controlled her diabetes by monitoring her blood sugar, and no longer sees a psychiatrist. Recently she was invited share her experiences with students at Moravian College in order to educate them about individuals with developmental disabilities. She candidly answered questions from the class and encouraged everyone there to participate. Many of the students were surprised that she had lived in an institution.  They were shocked to hear that she had been married and especially surprised to hear that she had never been given the chance to go to school. She was thrilled to receive a thank you letter from the students and is looking forward to speaking again next semester. Today, in a supportive Lifesharing home, she lets everyone know that she is happier now than ever before in her life.