Daniel's Recovery Journey
$270
Raised
7
Donations
$22,752
Goal
Dear friends,
In the beautiful twin island paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, beneath the veneer of sparkling blue waters and white sand beaches, a stone’s throw away from five-star resorts and pristine golf courses lays a quiet scourge of mental health crisis.
Because treatment is not easily accessible, persons with little financial means and without family support often end up on the outskirts of society. You may see them in the streets of St. Johns. Filthy and disheveled. They have no access to bathing facilities. They rummage through rubbish bins searching for scraps of food. They sleep in gutters. The kindness of strangers who pause, take a second look and notice their plight, is their only hope for survival.
Some wonder - how can we help these poor abandoned souls.
In July 2022, Mary John, a well-known humanitarian and community activist felt moved to intervene for one such person - Daniel Thomas. Until July 2022, Daniel had been living on the streets for almost half of his life. Many of his immediate family members also battle mental illness and as such are unable to lend him support or advocate on his behalf.
Together with her friend Leslie Gomes, Mary John began the herculean task of Daniel’s rehabilitation. When his journey began, he had severe infections on his feet, and his hair was matted with a variety of objects embedded: electric devices, mango seeds, and chicken bones. After six washes it was still filthy. But Mary remained committed and after several hours at Fort James Beach, Daniel’s outward appearance was transformed.
Then, it was time to go beyond the surface. After 16 years on the street, Daniel suffered from a variety of ailments. There was dental work to be done and physical rehabilitation to tackle injuries received from violent attacks. Much of this work is ongoing and some has been done pro-bono thanks to the kindness of local doctors and dentists.
A huge part of his recovery has been his mental health treatment. Despite many attempts, Daniel was refused admission to Clarevue Hospital. However, thanks to the tireless advocacy of Mary John, he was able to receive psychiatric and medical treatment from private doctors who advised that the road ahead would be long but with constant care and treatment, full recovery is possible.
Owing to her transparent documentation of this journey on her Facebook page, people have reached out to offer support. Daniel has received clothing, donations towards his living expenses, haircuts, and grooming services from barbers. Many of his donors wish to remain anonymous but some organizations have publicized their support.
In December 2022, in a show of his commitment to his recovery and regaining independence, Daniel began part-time work at a local farm and a warehouse where he packs and unpacks containers. As he is still regaining his health and strength, full-time work is not yet feasible.
Despite Daniel’s part-time income, sporadic donations from kind locals, and Mary’s contribution of thousands of dollars of her own money over the past 11 months, every month when the bills are due it is a scramble to raise enough funds.
The goal of this campaign is to raise enough money to cover 12 months of expenses. We hope that after this time, Daniel will regain his health and strength and be able to accept full-time work, and enter the new, brighter phase of his life.
We also hope that in the future, this community support that funded Daniel’s remarkable transformation will serve as a benchmark to encourage the Ministry of Social Transformation’s investment in other persons who remain in similar situations without access to rehabilitation.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for your generous support.
See below for a breakdown of Daniel’s monthly expenses and how the funds from this campaign will be used:
Rent $590
Utilities $70
Medication $75
Toiletries $37
Physical Therapy/Gym $150
Tutoring $120
Food $630
Transportation $150
Entertainment (movies) $74
Total monthly $1,896
Total 12 months $22,752
Links to related news stories:
Activist Mary John Helps Transform Yet Another
Mary John receives humanitarian award
Mary John - RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS prize recipient
https://foundationhalo.org/thank-you-3/
AUA’s donation towards Daniel’s housing
https://antiguaobserver.com/help-for-daniel/
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