One of the best parts of working for Solid Ground is seeing firsthand the impact that all of us – donors, volunteers, and staff – have on the lives of people touched by our services. That’s why we wanted to share this lovely note from Sand Point resident David Grech, who reached out to share his gratitude for Sand Point’s monthly newsletter for residents, the Sand Point Edition, and Behavioral Health Specialist Ruben Rivera-Jackman. Ruben comes to Sand Point every week to provide one-to-one and group counseling for residents as part of Solid Ground’s larger effort to connect the folks we serve with behavioral health resources that meet their needs.
The May 2023 Sand Point Edition featuring Ruben Rivera-Jackman. Click to read the full newsletter.
Well, I just wanted to say thank you for your newsletter and for your story about Ruben.
I wouldn’t have known about him until the article came out in the newsletter and at that point, I was able to reach out to him for an appointment to see him.
I don’t want to bore you with the details about how I ended up at Santos Place [an apartment building at Sand Point Housing], but I just wanted to let you know that I used to help run the Cathedral Kitchen in Seattle at St. James Cathedral on First Hill, and one evening after my shift I was just crossing the street from the church to get my bus home to North Seattle where I was living at the time when I got hit by a distracted driver, who was texting on their cellphone and didn’t even realize that I was in the crosswalk and I had the right of way until it was too late.
I was thrown 40 feet away and I had a traumatic brain injury, and I was rushed to Harborview Hospital, and I was in a coma for three weeks afterwards, and I was only given a 5% chance of survival.
[As a result of my care], I had over $80,000 in medical expenses, and I was still in no position to pay for the services, and the person who hit me only had $20,000 in insurance, which is the minimum amount that the state requires.
By the grace of God and the help of my friends and family, I began my journey to recovery, and I learned that my experience could have happened to anyone. My medical coverage with Kaiser was not available for counselling and I had to do my best to help myself through it all.
I hope you have a chance to talk with Ruben and your supervisors and let them know that what he does is very important and helpful, and I so hope that they will be able to see his work is fundamental and that it is a drop in the bucket of what society has to pay for the services when someone falls through the cracks in the system.
Ruben is a great example of the incredible dedication of the people who work here, and I hope you can please do your best to thank him and thank the people who work here.
You are all just angels in disguise and I doubt that you get paid enough for the work you all do. I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you for letting me share my experiences with you.
~Bless you, David Grech
Photo at top: David Grech pauses for a moment outside Santos Place at Sand Point Housing. (Photo by Neal Simpson)
Leave a Comment