Client Family Story: Chris, Yvonne, and Caleb
Chris:
When you have a child that’s going through some emotional and mental hardships, you know, your world kind of stops. Even though the world around you is not stopping, you’re having doubts in your own self of like, what did I do to cause this? As a parent, you know. We noticed that Caleb was struggling around his sophomore, junior year in high school. We noticed that Caleb was starting to become a little bit more withdrawn. He was starting to have panic attacks. You know, you can look at your child and you can see in their eyes that they don’t have that light in their eyes.
We noticed that Caleb was struggling around his sophomore, junior year in high school. We noticed that Caleb was starting to become a little bit more withdrawn. He was starting to have panic attacks. You know, you can look at your child and you can see in their eyes that they don’t have that light in their eyes.
Yvonne:
As we started to see that things were going on with him, one of the first things we did was get him into counseling. There were many different programs that Caleb was involved with from his individual therapy when he was in high school after he left for college and came back. He got back into therapy with a more intensive therapist. He was doing amazing. He was doing so great. And right around his birthday, he received an invitation from a family member for him to come out and visit them in South Korea. At the end of the day, he was an adult and he had plans to go. He got off track and he was no longer on his same regimen of his therapy or his medications and that ended up spiraling.
Caleb:
I got back to North Carolina and I relapsed. I ended up driving across the country and got into a close call with a semi-truck and got into a wreck and was basically in a near-death experience.
Yvonne:
We knew that we had to get him into another program. He had fallen off the path that he was on and we went directly to Skyland Trail.
Caleb:
I would say the hardest part about treatment was learning about my diagnosis. With schizoaffective, you essentially have really high highs for a long time and really low lows for a long time.
Chris:
The first couple weeks of Skyland Trail for Caleb, we started to notice acceptance. We felt like we were included in what was going on with Caleb, but we were not in the driver’s seat. Caleb was in the driver’s seat.
Caleb:
I would say the more I learned at Skyland and the more I started to pinpoint the things that were going on with me, I pretty much felt unstoppable in terms of what I could and couldn’t do. When I got on the right medication, that was very pivotal for me. I just felt like I was normal again.
Yvonne:
If you met Caleb and spent time with him, you would never even know that he had all of this happen. It’s literally been life changing for our entire family.
Caleb:
When I left Skyland, I immediately got out and started working with a recovery program, was in sober living and was already looking for jobs. I had a job within the next two weeks that I had got out. Before Skyland Trail, I was lost. And after Skyland Trail, I know where I’m going.
Chris:
I’m just thankful that we have our son back. You hear all of the horror stories. You hear that this is a life sentence for people and that things will never be the same. There are miracles that do exist. There are positive stories and we are living that story every single day.
“Like I stated in the video, when I first got to Skyland I was very nervous for my future and my capability to improve my life. I knew things needed to change but I didn’t know the steps I needed to take. Going through the program gave me so much insight on my life, past and present, and what I needed to do for my future. Skyland taught me a way to channel my energy and thoughts into productively improving my quality of life. I’ve submerged myself into my creative passions, one of them being music, and I am working with a wonderful company and none of that would have been possible without this program.
To continue to keep myself structured and proactive on my recovery I have been staying in sober living program called stepping stones. I continue to strengthen my confidence with taking on life everyday. I have gained accreditation in my desired field and I’m continuing to build on it. I am looking forward to becoming involved in the field of Cybersecurity and continuing to peruse my creative passions. I say all that to say thank you and all of you play a pivotal role in the future of many individuals who are trying to conquer their hardships like myself. I appreciate Skyland for allowing me to tell my story and to be an advocate for those looking to get the help they need.”
Caleb: Benefits of Laughter speech.
Client Family Story: Chris, Yvonne, and Caleb