Caty’s Refuge Chapter 7

Leave a reply

CHAPTER SEVEN

ADVENTURE AT MAMA CARROLL’S

A time came when I offered the house parents a break, and had Caty stay with me for a week. I took her into the  spare bedroom. 

    “This is your room, and the bathroom is across the hall. It has a shower, and I’ll show you how to turn on the water.” I didn’t hear any response but saw the glimmer of light shining in Caty’s eyes. 

   Caty went through the nesting process while I prepared lunch, and when I returned, I saw my Pooh Bear layered in three of her shirts. The rest of her possessions lay on the bed in neat piles. It impressed me to see accomplishments, but I would soon take a different view of the visit.

   The adventure began when Caty put her dirty clothes into the washing machine, and dumped in Ajax. A  day later a full bottle of shower gel stood empty after two showers. I don’t think being clean was her motive for the showers. 

   Her period began, and I found the paper strips from three Kotex pads lying on the counter. I guess she wanted to be prepared. I watched her with more caution but was secretly pleased to see the initiative she took in taking care of herself.

   Caty loved watching movies, so one night I chose “Rudy.” 

   She rarely commented about what she saw, but pointed to a young woman and declared, “That’s Amy, I know her, that’s Amy.”

   Amy worked as a volunteer nurse in the orphanage. I marveled at how Caty went through the mental process of identifying someone she knew with a movie character.

    “Yes, it does look like our Amy, doesn’t it?”  I said chewing on some popcorn.

   I wanted this time to be special for our gal, and remembered a necklace of plastic Christmas lights I had in some stored decorations. I dug it out and showed it to Caty. Encouraged by her smile, I hooked it around her neck and pushed the button to turn on the lights, and then moved her in front of the mirror so she could see the colored twinkles. Bedtime came, and I removed the necklace, promising she could wear it the next day and laid it on the nightstand. 

   The following day, while sipping my coffee, Caty marched in with the necklace around her neck and the lights aglow. This amazing girl had it all figured out.

   The time came for Caty to return to her casita, and I saw an attitude coming on when she refused to pack up her things. So, for an incentive, I told her I’d give her the necklace to keep when we got to the Home. Caty grabbed her bag and climbed into the car quick as lightning. That worked, and off we went. 

Tyrone Saves the Day, Chapter 6

2 Replies

Caty’s Refuge

Tyrone Saves The Day

Chapter 6

Cyndi became a house mother, much to Caty’s delight in being with her every moment possible. One morning, I heard Caty sobbing, but guessed what had happened. Cyndi left for the States that morning. Everyone in the office tried to console her and explained Cyndi would come back in three weeks, but Caty shook her head and wailed, “No, no.” 

     With sudden inspiration, I grabbed Cyndi’s house keys in one hand and Caty in the other and headed for Cyndi’s house. 

    Tyrone, Cyndi’s black Lab, greeted us with his tail flipping back and forth and nose pressed against his cage. 

     I said, “See, Tyrone is here waiting for Cyndi to come back.” So I took her to the closet, “Her clothes are here because she went to visit with her family and will return to Monjas in a few weeks.”

     Caty knelt beside the kennel and murmured, “Tyrone, Tyrone,” as she patted his head. Then, light appeared in her eyes, as she realized her dear aunt would return. 

     On the walk back to the office, Caty said, “Tia Cyndi with mom.” 

     “Yes, Caty, she is visiting her mom and dad and will return.”

     “Tomorrow?” 

     “No it will be in three weeks, but she will return to us. Tomorrow we will check on Tyrone and make sure he is okay.” Caty’s body relaxed as she gave in to waiting for Cyndi. It seemed that if Tyrone waited, she could too.

     After completing the first casita, we prepared the girls to move onto the property. Joanne and I hired a Guatemalan couple from Monjas to be the house parents. This followed our plan for each home to have a Guatemalan mom and dad. The children needed to learn how to function as a family since they did not come from healthy environments. Until now, Tia Cyndi filled that spot, but changes came with the move.

     Caty struggled when things were outside the box, and I tried to prepare for adverse reactions. Unfortunately, Tyrone wouldn’t be able to solve all the problems.

     We planned a welcome party for the couple in the new home. Several girls expressed words of greeting and encouragement. After we had eaten some cake, Caty bellowed like a wounded cow stuck in the mud. She sat away from everyone else with tears flowing. Did she get bit by a scorpion? What could be the problem? 

     With Caty’s face against her chest, Cyndi spoke words of consolation. After that, she calmed down but still exhibited a protruding lip and wet puppy dog eyes.

     “Why did she get so upset when she loves parties and eating cake?” I said.

      We decided that Caty thought Cyndi would be leaving the orphanage because we had going-away parties for people departing the Project.  

     Later, Cyndi took Caty aside and said, “I will see you every day at Shadow, but I won’t be sleeping and eating here. However, we will have lots of time together,” Cyndi said.

     I learned another important lesson from this girl. She needed to have consistent routines or an explanation when they varied.

Psychiatric Institutions Chapter Five

3 Replies

CHAPTER FIVE
PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION

We continued looking for ministries that could help Caty meet her mental needs. A missionary friend operated an orphanage for physically disabled children. Since Caty’s problems ranged from the physical to the mental shut-down, we arranged for her to live there, hoping to receive specialized treatment.

Within days, we heard of Caty lapsing into wetting her pants and acting out in ways we hadn’t seen in our Home. Their psychologist confirmed what we already knew. Caty had been traumatized, and it affected her mind.

In two weeks, we received another call from the director saying that she had taken Caty to the psychiatric institute in Guatemala City. The place I dreaded the most. The director said that their program did not work, and Caty didn’t fit into the category of mentally delayed.
I flipped out. We wanted Caty to come back to Shadow. This psychologically damaged child needed to be in a place of love and security. An environment to stimulate her brain. A psychiatric ward did not provide that opportunity.

Joanne and I frantically discussed what we needed to do to get her back while shooting up prayers like fireworks on the Fourth of July. I shuddered about the fear this girl would experience in such a place—alone and rejected. Lord, protect her, fill her with peace, and let her have favor with those around her. This would be no small feat because we no longer had legal custody. It belonged to the institution, and they would decide if we could get her back. But our God is a miracle-working God, and I found a sense of peace in my heart.

A week later, the Lord opened a door, and through all of the legal procedures, we got custody of Caty. Joanne and I went to the mental institution and met with the director. She seemed impressed that we wanted Caty in our Home. She observed Caty and reported that she didn’t belong in this type of environment. Her cognitive abilities excelled above the other residents. Caty needed to come home.

As we waited for the completion of the paperwork, I wondered how our little gal would react when she saw us. Would she be excited? We had entered the building through the dining/kitchen area, and Caty stood by a table. She looked up and then turned her back to us. Did Caty feel angry for all she had endured? Did she think we abandoned her? Within our hearing, one of the workers commented to another that she was glad Caty would leave with us because she didn’t belong with this population.

The director’s office opened to a hall that separated her from the metal cell structures on the other side. I watched as men and women sat listlessly on the concrete floor. In contrast, others moved slowly around, speaking gibberish and making loud sounds. I knew the cells served to protect the people within but lacked any semblance of a home. I saw only adults, so I assumed Caty joined them. How could she ever come out of her shell with significantly mentally challenged people surrounding her?

With the legalities completed, I went to Caty, got a half hug, took her hand, and told her we were going home. She turned, flipped the other hand in a half-wave to the workers, and said, “Adios.” Off we went as she matched my steps to the car. Perhaps in her secret place, nothing had happened since she left our Home several weeks before this. I believe the Lord spared her the trauma because of prayer.

Caty’s Refuge

2 Replies

School Options

Darla France from Life Touch Ministries (http://www.lifetouchmin.org/) described trauma:“When a person witnesses or experiences an actual event where he feels threatened or hurt.” We had confirmation in Caty’s situation that she could not deal with the trauma she experienced and shut down part of her brain. So, where do we go from here?
My problem-solving went into overdrive. I pondered what Caty’s individual needs would include. I questioned how to obtain justice in her life when we had nothing to track those responsible for the abuses. It overwhelmed me, but the Lord graciously reminded me to trust Him with the plan for her life. But, unfortunately, my worrying didn’t bring anything positive to her situation.
“Oh, Lord, will I ever learn that You are the One with the answers for Caty?”
Joanne, the staff, and I discussed additional help for Caty. “We must keep her with us for as long as possible.”
“Let’s send her to our school with the girls just like they would with special needs students in the states,” said Joanne.
“We can check out other options while she’s occupied there,” I said.
We sent her with the girls, and I chuckled as I saw her strut and giggle as they walked the three blocks. Several self-appointed classmates stepped forward to help. The director and teachers at Liberty Christian School set up a program for her while looking at other possible services for Caty.
The social worker found a school for intellectually disabled children a short distance from San Cristobal. Joanne and I visited the facility and liked the plan they had for their students. I didn’t know how Caty would feel being away from her security, but we needed to test her response. It concerned me about her reaction to the transportation service available for the students. Would Caty refuse to leave with strangers?
The day the van came, she fell over her feet with eagerness and jumped into the back seat. I relaxed as we prayed for her and trusted that it would be a good day. All her actions hit on the positive. One more step toward learning how to cope with her disabilities. 
When the van returned that evening, Caty gave me her mulish look. “Chica mia, they will come and get you tomorrow, and then you can go to school again.” With pushing and shoving, we finally got her out of the van.
Within minutes the girls surrounded her with questions, and her pout turned to a smile.
“Did you like school?” 
“Was it fun?”
“What did you do, Caty?”
She giggled as her hip swung out in a pose of importance.
After a few days of school, Caty shuffled with her arm stuck back and out while her foot dragged. At mealtime, we saw her eating with her hands. Then it struck me that Caty imitated the children she spent the day with. She copied the behaviors of cognitively healthy girls, but now a different class of people modeled for her. Actions of regression did not go with our plan.
“Joanne, we can’t let this continue. So we are back to the beginning with her.”
“Let’s pull her out of the school and send her back to our school. She must stop this new behavior and continue imitating our girls.”
Disappointed, I crossed one more idea off the list of options for helping Caty to receive an education with her handicap.
We put Caty back into Liberty Christian School, and she settled in as if she had never left. Perhaps she went into her secret place while away from the Home. The foot-dragging stopped, as did other adverse actions.