‘My gratitude is huge’
Florence Jordan recounts how a group of like-minded individuals helped her son by becoming family
Florence Jordan is just like any other mother — all she ever wanted was what was best for her child.
She spent days, nights and beyond worrying about her son, Patty, and how she could help him get his life straightened out.
For 32 of his 40 years that was difficult. He died on Feb. 21 — it was a sudden death. He had just turned 40. “When he was younger, he was always in trouble and had spent a lot of time in jail,” Jordan said.
Eventually he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
“Once he got his medication straightened out, he was doing well. He was a different person,’’ Jordan said. “(Assertive Community Treatment Team) and Lori (Rogers) were the foundation of Patty getting help. Without their support, he wouldn’t have been able to turn things around before he died.”
Jordan said she is still haunted by her son’s death and is dealing with the stresses of his former life, and how he died — a question she said has never been answered for her. But she had eight years of him living in one of the Right Turn Investments’ supportive facilities and her gratitude is obvious as she smiles when looking at Rogers and Roxanne Cullen, both of whom were busy working to complete a unit for a new tenant last week.
Not only did the couple take a chance on a troubled man, the kind of person often discarded by society and forgotten, but they took the time to become his friend and confidante, something they said helped Patty get through some tough days and made him look forward to the days that weren’t so tough.
“My gratitude is huge. I can never, ever say how much I went through with my son, but this place allowed him to be normal,” Jordan said.
“Just look at what is going on here. All these people have problems, but they are here doing something to help others. It is like a family.”
Jordan said both Rogers and Cullen would often go to see Patty, just to find out how he was doing. Sometimes they would drop by with a coffee or take him to lunch.
“My son lived downstairs from where we are now for about eight years. Lori was his landlord and always was interested in how Patty was doing. I got to know her through the work she did here,” she said.
They cared about his well-being and wanted to make sure he was OK. The others working on site did the same, Jordan said. “They were there for him 100 per cent. Even when he was in the hospital, they would go and see him and while he was in there, sent in a crew to clean his place up — top to bottom — so he wouldn’t have to worry about anything when he got home,” Jordan said.
Giving Patty and a host of others a second chance and an opportunity at stability and meaning in their lives is what Right Turn has morphed into over the years, and the closeness and friendships that have developed over the years make it even better.
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This is the third instalment in a series of articles appearing in The Telegram this week in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador (CMHA-NL) Mental Health Week, which began Monday across the province.
Events taking place throughout the week are included in the complete list of events available online at https://cmhanl.ca/mental-health-week/.