The best call of their lives
For Ann and Peter, receiving a long-awaited phone call from their daughter Alice about her recovery from mental illness meant the world.
Ann and her husband Peter got to know the care providers at the St. Joseph’s very well when their daughter Alice was admitted for inpatient mental health care. The care team kept the family well informed about her progress with constant updates.
“They were fabulous,” Ann says. “They always took my calls and would say to me every time, ‘do not give up hope’.”
The journey to recovery
The family has faced a rollercoaster of health challenges through the years, ever since Alice sustained a brain injury during a bicycle accident. The injury took her future down a different path, and she gave birth to her daughter while she was still a teenager. Alice sometimes struggled to make ends meet.
In her 20s, Alice started showing some aggressive behaviours and had trouble regulating her emotions. Her doctors thought the behavioural changes were linked to her brain injury. But those doctors weren’t able to meet her unique needs – Alice was in and out of mental health care facilities and found treatments weren’t successful.
Ann and Peter stepped in to become guardians for their granddaughter. “There’s no manual for raising a grandchild on your own,” Ann says, but their granddaughter thrived with their love and support. And Alice’s health and well-being were never far from their minds even though they couldn’t intervene as much as they wished.
Starting fresh
In 2023, Ann and Peter decided to relocate to a town near London. With the support of an Assertive Community Team, they were able to set Alice up in her own apartment nearby. Unfortunately, her mental health shifted again that fall. She was admitted to St. Joseph’s, where doctors determined a different diagnosis and a new treatment plan.
Alice didn’t improve right away. Whenever she called her parents from inpatient care, she sounded like a stranger. But Ann and Peter held onto hope that recovery might be possible – and that one day, she’d call them and sound like herself again.
Shortly after the holidays, the call came. “We finally heard from her, and she was better. It was the best call of my life,” Ann says.
The future looks bright
Today, Alice is back living in her apartment and making great progress at recovery. She’s a talented artist and visits with her parents at least once a week.
Ann and Peter credit much of Alice’s recovery to the care and support they all received at Parkwood – and it’s why they said thank you through a donation. “All of the nurses and doctors are so attentive, and the living spaces are so comfortable. It made such a difference.”
Names have been changed.