“Voices of Hope” chronicles the lives of local men and women struggling with illness

The following account is one in a series of stories about local people living with mental illness. It is quoted in part from “Voices of Hope, Conversations with Helen L. Shore.” The book was commissioned by Employment Options, Inc., of Marlborough. To obtain a copy of the book call 508-485-5051.

Self-described as a black sheep of his family, D was confronted with the harshness of life at a very young age. Severely burned while playing with matches as a three-year-old, his early child hood was spent flying back and forth from South America to the States for treatment, and undergoing multiple operations in the process. His life beyond that traumatic point in time is filled with a history of alcohol and drugs. In addition to being chemically dependent, D has a mental illness.

“I stopped all that drinking and drugging stuff when I was married; I was doing the married life thing then,” he said. “But I had a bad marriage. I had a little daughter, but I got thrown out of our home when she was only three years old. I was married for eight years, and when it ended, I started drugging and drinking real bad.”

Eventually, despite determinedly masking his mental illness with addiction for so many years, D was diagnosed and admitted into a rehabilitation program. It is now over 10 years since he first came through the Employment Options Clubhouse door and began a long trek to reclaiming himself.

Over the years, D has reclaimed more and more of himself from his past so that now he is able to maintain a steady job with only the most minimal of support from Options’ staff. D now has real friends. “They’re all my friends here. In fact, I advocate for them, I stickup for them. That’s just the way I am. This is the club, and that’s what it is all about,” he said. D’s successful effort at quitting smoking was marred by throat cancer, but the support of his friends at Options made all the difference. “They brought me to my doctors appointments every day. When I had to go into surgery, one of the staff was out front waiting to take me home,” he continued. “I’m glad the club is here for people with all different kinds of problems, and that they can use the club for what they need it for. And if you don’t know what you need it for, it doesn’t matter. You’ll soon find out how it can help you,” he shared.

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