Craig's Success Story

Craig's Success Story

A confident man walks into the French Club. He has a smile on his face as he looks around and greets people as he walks over to a table of friends. He spends a few minutes talking to ask how everyone has been. He listens to the music and then he heads for the dance floor. There are a lot of smiles and some gentle joking around. He spends the rest of the evening dancing and talking with his friends.

You Meet Craig

Craig is eager to meet you, but he is a little shy. He asks your name and wants to know a little about you. As you get to know each other better, Craig asks you about yourself. He wants to know what you do, where you live and something about your family. 

Family is important to Craig. He is close to his own family and thinks the world of them. For many years, he lived with his mother. He has a lot of interests and enjoyed going to the movies and watching movies at home with his mother. He went out to eat and was comfortable in his home and his neighborhood. He had his friends and family and enjoyed his life. 

Family is Important

One day, Craig had a serious fall. He wasn’t able to walk for a while and he went to a rehab facility to recover. While he was there, his mother became ill and passed away. Craig stopped participating in rehab and remained in his wheelchair. He insisted that he couldn’t walk and he was afraid to try use a walker. Because he continued to use a wheelchair, Craig remained at the facility.

Craig’s family asked Whole Life to work with Craig while he was at the rehab facility. We were asked to help Craig participate in activities away from the facility during the day. 

We learned that Craig enjoyed going to movies and going out to eat. He wanted to visit some of the places in his old neighborhood. He got a library card and brought movies to share with the other residents of the facility. The direct support professional worked with Craig to build his confidence and strength. He was encouraged to participate in physical therapy and to walk more. 

Places to Go

When there was a vacancy at a small Whole Life group home, Craig was walking and was eager to move. He met his two housemates and the three have become dear friends, looking out for each other and sharing a lively household. 

Since then, Craig has become very independent; he makes his own choices and continues to build his strength and stamina. He is a busy man with a full and active life. He enjoys a close friendship with his two house-mates and with the support professionals who have been with him since 2013. He is very active in his community; he attends dances at the local French Club where he walks in confidently, greets his friends and he dances! Craig also enjoys going to see shows at the Bushnell. He’s already picked out the shows that he wants to see this season and has his tickets. Craig throws a big birthday party every year at a local restaurant and invites his friends and family to celebrate with him. 

Craig decided he wanted to go to Disney and Universal Studios. We talked about it with his family, Craig did some research and then he packed his bags for Florida! He went to Disney and Universal Studios with a little support from his staff. Now he is planning a cruise! 

With the help of his incredible family and a team of committed and compassionate direct support staff, Craig is building a life for himself based on his own choices and curiosity about the world. If you ask him, Craig would be happy what he is planning to do next!

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