Behind Each Number
is a family & their world
“Dear SBH, You have helped my family in unimaginable ways.
For those of you at SBH who don’t know my story, let me fill you in. My wife and I got married with bright hopes for our future. We lived a wonderful life – I had a steady job, my wife gave birth to three beautiful children. We were what you would call “normal” or “mainstream.” One of my daughters has special medical needs, but we were always able to deal with it.
Then quicker than the blink of an eye, I found myself jobless. I tried, I looked for a new job, went for interviews; but to no avail. To make matters worse, I could not continue to afford the special needs that my daughter needed. Soon, our savings ran out, and I could not even give my children basic things, like food and clothing. It was surreal. I never thought that I , a regular “normal” person, would ever find myself in this situation.
Somehow, I got in touch with SBH. They assigned me a captain. I can’t even begin to explain to you the lengths that she went to help us. My captain was constantly calling – asking how my day was going, what was missing, if I was happy. She helped me find a low paying job, while at the same time helping me search for better employment. SBH began to pay my utility bills, taking that extra pressure off my back. I never had to go to sleep afraid that my gas or lights would be shut off, or that my children would be freezing in the long winter nights. Plus, she put my wife and me in touch with a counselor in SBH to teach us how to cope effectively with all the difficulties we were facing.
I want to share with you one day that will be etched into my memory forever. It was a gray rainy day outside, and I walked into the SBH building…I sat down to meet my social worker, speaking about routine things and ways that she could help us. She brought up my daughter’s situation and all of a sudden, I burst into tears. I could handle what was going on in my life, but to watch my daughter hurt, while I was unable to do anything, just about killed me. Through my sobs, I told my social worker, “ I would do anything for her – I’d rather give her what she needs than put food on the table.” I didn’t think SBH could do anything for me. You had already done so much for us and this was not a life or death situation. But, just like that, I was put in touch with SBH’s Make a Wish and Medstar’s One Dream at a Time, and they truly made my dreams come true. My heart nearly burst with happiness when they told me they would be able to help with her medical needs.
I am not going to tell you that today my life is back to what it used to be. It is not, but I am ok with that. All of you at SBH have given me so much – whether physically, emotionally, intentionally, or unintentionally. Every phone call, email, volunteer at my house, and kind smile did not go unnoticed. I don’t want to think of where I would be right now if you hadn’t entered my life.