Tom

“Joined at the hip.” That’s how Tom describes himself and his wife of 57 years. When she passed away, he lost his will and purpose for living.

“I cried for four months solid after my wife died. I felt like I lost everything. When I first started the PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active and Rewarding Lives) Program, I remember my counselor asking to see a picture of my wife. I handed it to her face down. I couldn’t even look at it. I didn’t care if I lived or died. I never thought about harming myself, but I sure thought it would be okay if God called me home.”

PEARLS – a program that helps isolated older adults overcome depression – was Tom’s road to restoration.

“PEARLS started me down that road to regain hope, energy, and purpose in life. It recharged me and reprogrammed my thinking. It gave me a reason to get back to doing what I was doing. In short, I’m back to my old self, warts and all! Sometimes, judging the value of a program like this can be difficult. But how do you place a value on a regained smile, a gleam back in your eye, a skip in your step, a lilt in your voice?”