Hope and Healing for Nicholas

Our Nicholas has nobly endured lifelong issues associated with neurological impairments which have permeated every facet of his being.  His physical, psychological, social, and emotional deficits have ravaged his livelihood from the age of 2, when he was initially diagnosed with a pervasive neurological disorder operating like a chimera within his body and mind.  Nicholas is currently 41 years old.

Nicholas has been studied, and treated, at every major neurological/medical center in the country. There are of course, many conjectures by many experts, in many fields of study around his kaleidoscope of symptomatology, and beyond all the treatments, therapies, medications, and surgeries, there lies  one glaring constant, life is very hard for Nicholas due to his myriad of compounding diagnoses. 

A simplistic run down reads like this:

Psychomotor Epilepsy 
Severe OCD
Severe Depression 
Severe  Anxiety
PTSD
ODD
LD
Anterior Temporal Lobectomy
Extreme Sensory Response 
(olfactory and audio, evolving as a result of the lobectomy)  the latest and probably most debilitating and invasive of Nicholas’ occupiers.

There are so many stories and countless avenues pursued in efforts to heal, protect, normalize, instill, acheive, and integrate it is impossible to give adequate attention to the entire realm of this history.  Clearly it is the missteps taken over these many years which seem to sharply define Nicholas'  profound distrust of the mental health systems, as well the seemingly inert stasis of neurological research in this country.  Most of all the anguish he has experienced through the traumatizing 
police/emergency process he and so many others have been subjected to by ill educated responders, and purported mental health professionals.

We are  not heroes or saints, we are a family strung together loosely by the fallout of our challenges and the strong bond of love. But we have never and will never stop seeking answers for Nicholas. There are no miracle cures, however some semblance of quiet contentment has to attainable.

A more current update and synopsis revolves around this past year of Nicholas'
life, which began last June (2019) with a emotionally wrought suicide attempt. At 
the time Nicholas was once again living at home and having a lot of difficulty with
the stimuli of the household, added to that was the stress/anxiety over a sibling's
erratic behavior.  He became overwhelmed and tried to electrocute himself in the bathtub. Nicholas ended up in a ten month intake at two different mental health institutions. This was huge, and we needed to dig into our state's resources to come up with a plan.

Throughout his hospital stay, we worked hard at getting Nicholas the services he needs and succeeded to some degree, or least as well as one possibly can when challenging a broken system. Really broken. He is now living in an apartment on his own receiving rental assistance from the state, and support from various agencies
within the state network.  Covid 19 has compromised his abilities to receive most of the services awarded him due to obvious quarantine and community shut 
down issues, however they are beginning to trickle into his life.

Although we are very appreciative that we finally obtained housing assistance for Nicholas (an extraordinary journey through inept government departments and ambiguous policies)  this cannot be the long term solution for his overall health and welfare. As previously mentioned, due to the effects of Nicholas' extreme sensory issues and PTSD, any loud or sharp noise, and strong odors become deleterious to his well being.  As these issues are considered by most us as just temporary
irritants to be dismissed with some brevity,  when repeated over time with some consistency in his environment sets Nicholas on a a continued path of discomfort, fear, and horrendous anxiety which spirals into self harm.  He then will perseverate the expectation of the next onslaught . Probably the saddest of these sensory issues is Nicholas' inability to tolerate any strong odors which would bring most of us a sense of comfort, such as baking, roasting, coffee, etc.  To Nicholas these odors
bring extreme nausea and mental/physical duress.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, and more, we have decided to embark 
upon charitable funding to hopefully jumpstart a new beginning for Nicholas where his environment is controlled by him.  An essential stepping stone to his independent success in this world of ours.

We are seeking funding to purchase a  small detached  dwelling that will
accommodate Nicholas' medical and psychological issues.  He so deserves a home where his physical safety and mental well being are finally at the forefront of his
existence. For so many years Nicholas has had to make do with less than optimum circumstances,  tolerating painful discourse and animosity directed toward him
because trying to understand him was so much more work . Hard and impossible work sometimes.  All due to his compromising circumstances,  the unfortunate
roll of nature's dice which he himself could not control or reason with.  
A veritable DNA crapshoot.

The median price of a relatively small, detached dwelling in our area of the 
country runs between $250,000 tom $350,000. We would like to raise enough 
funds for a strong  financial down payment, which would allow Nicholas to live 
comfortably on his disability income, simultaneously receiving mortgage 
assistance from HUD. The amount that would cover what would be needed
to achieve this, is $80,000 to $100,000, depending on the cost of the dwelling.

We embrace all questions, concerns, and/or record requests to substantiate 
Nicholas' situation, and hope you will assist us in our continued journey toward
a life of measure and joy for Nicholas.

So that you may know him a little better.. . . .

Nicholas is an extraordinarily bright and engaging man whose interests revolve 
around reading (he LOVES books), mostly science, history, buddhism, nature, and some Rurouni Kenshin  to balance it out! He listens to music and watches various
programs and movies. His one favorite daily ritual which he enlists to help calm
him from the stressors of his day is to watch Bob Ross videos, a talented artist
and gentle soul who Nick feels is a kindred spirit. He is an avid electronic game 
enthusiast, enjoying all genre of games. Nicholas loves all creatures of nature
and loathes the though of any being harmed , and yes he is the person that
will catch an insect in the house and gently return it to its natural habitat. He
is an environmentalist with a passion for our beautiful planet and is doing
what he can to contribute to it's longevity, well informed  on the subjects of
global warming ( causes and effects),  sustainable footprints and industry leaders
in the fight to save our planet. He endeavors respect towards others and their
personal space and hopes they will respect him in kind. He is the quintessential
gentleman in every sense,  always polite and kind , generosity is an extension
of his being.  

Were it not for all the harsh stimuli interruptions  to his small world which 
act almost as a small army of combatants pummeling away at him, he would be so much more giving to humanity in so many ways.  Maybe someday.