big tommy

today i do not feel particularly inspired to write, but guilty if i don't-

if you are a long time reader of my blog, you may remember a blog about a boy named tim and how we have been visiting with him since 1994----his real name is tommy--we actually call him "big tommy"--since i had a baby boy named tommy when we met big tommy---

big tommy lives in a state institution--i am not sure how long he has lived there, but most of the workers believe it has been most of his life--he is in his middle forties, although he looks like a teenager----tommy is in a wheelchair and is severely disabled-

we had been volunteering with the institution since 1989--we started with a girl named jaime--she is in a much earlier blog also and her name was changed  then to "janie"----we met big tommy while visiting with jaime one day--

jaime was in the hospital one time and as we were leaving the complex, i told my husband frank, i felt we were to go in the regular unit, where jaime lived and volunteer to stroll other residents around--sing to them and just cut up and make them laugh while getting some fresh air--

to frank's surprise, the workers allowed us to do it---that was before the "hippa" law-----so we started coming every weekend to visit jaime and any others they would bring to us----big tommy was one of them-----i believe part of tommy's diagnosis is autism---but one day he purposely met my eyes, with his sky blue eyes and did a little wave---we knew at that moment, he was ours in our hearts--


forward to a few more years maybe ten or so--the hippa law came---that law may have done some good in some situations, but not where we volunteer----most all of the residents have no family involved and no one hardly ever has a visitor---so it was they who were punished, as they could not speak up and tell anyone, that they would like us to keep visiting---

fortunately, big tommy's mother, who no one had ever met and never had come to visit tommy, signed for us to still be able to visit tommy--

this past Sunday we went to see tommy--we were informed that they were being shut down, due to state budget cuts, by the governor---they thought we had heard--we had not---they told us, that the next time we visited, tommy may not be there--that other residents were already place else where---

as i understand it, all residents are trying to be placed in their county of birth---now don't misunderstand--i think that would have been wonderful if they had done that with each one in the beginning---but most of the resident's only family, has been the workers at the institution----

we are hoping big tommy's mother will be asked to sign for us to know where he will be--otherwise, we will lose contact with him forever potentially and that is too sad a thought for us at this time--

i believe big tommy lives in the moment and i know he will adjust, but something better has to be done with our disabled and mentally challenged population-----

by the grace of God i kept all of my angels at home with me---but for many reasons, one of which, people cannot get any help sometimes, if they keep their love ones at home---people are choosing to institutionalize their family-----i make no judgement except please please, just make a visit now and then---

so today's post is another sad one, and for that i ask you to forgive me---i just had to share this, in hopes that, someone might read it and know something to do---in the mean time, could i ask you to pray for big tommy and all of the other residents and workers at southside va. training center--thank you <3