COLUMBIANA COUNTY With help, family finds a home, tries to focus on health, future

The couple's son lost his job because he used a sick day to help his parents move.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Although finances remain tight, Ted and Cindy Davis are settling into a new home and are determined to make a fresh start.
"I keep saying I'm too old to start over, but this is a new chance for all three of us," Cindy said. "It's up to us what we do with it."
The family -- Cindy, 49, Ted, 40, and Cindy's son, Justin King, 19 -- is on a fixed income because of mental illness. Both Ted and Cindy come from abusive and violent homes, so there is no contact with family members.
Cindy is a recovering alcoholic and all are being treated for depression. Justin has attention deficit disorder. Ted suffers from agoraphobia -- an abnormal fear of being in an open space.
Ted is also recovering from a near-fatal diabetic episode that left him in a coma for 12 days. The day Ted was rushed to the hospital, Cindy was told by their Lisbon landlord that the home they had rented for three years was sold and they had to move out by June 6.
Between daily visits and some overnight stays at Ted's bedside in a Cleveland hospital, Cindy searched for a house to rent. With mental health agencies and other support agencies centered in Lisbon, Cindy hoped her family could remain in the village, but no suitable and affordable housing was available there.
Gamut of experiences
"We've had some good experiences and some bad ones in this move," Cindy said. "We want to get established here and back on our feet so we can give back to the community. That's what I do. I'm an advocate for the homeless and people with disabilities.
"There are a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions about mental illness, and people need to be educated," she said.
With the help of Faith Chapel Fellowship Pastor Larry Paxon, the family moved June 6 into a two-story, two-bedroom rental house on 4th Street.
"The people have been great to us," she said. "After things fell through a couple of times, we found out about this place and this minister we just met gave us a good recommendation. The church has been very supportive. They didn't have a piano player, so now I'm their piano player."
Justin said he was fired from his job of three years because he called in sick June 6 to help his parents move. He did much of the moving himself, including a piano.
Left behind
A quick move meant the family had to find homes for their dog and cat, and Cindy left many of her plants behind.
"That was hard not having our pets, especially our dog, Callie," Cindy said. "We found a good home for her though, with an older couple who just had to have their dog put to sleep. As soon as they asked if she liked to ride in the car, we knew she'd be happy. She is happy with them, and we have visitation rights!"
Despite numerous obstacles in recent weeks, the family is determined to succeed. Cindy and Justin are looking for work. Ted hopes to be well enough to return to supplementing the family income by detailing cars.
"We want people to know that those stereotypes about mental illness are wrong," she said. "We're not lazy or dangerous. Mental illness can happen to anyone. We just hope the Salem community will give us a chance here."
Cindy and Justin continue to unpack with advice from Ted. Although Ted isn't able to lift heavy items yet, he's the family organizer.
"You can give him 20 minutes in a room and he'll have everything organized," Cindy said. "He's great at that, and I miss that."
Taking care
Ted has worked through nutrition and physical therapy programs and has progressed from using a walker to using a cane. Ted and Cindy are acquainting themselves with the community, visiting various shops and grocery stores. They buy groceries carefully, keeping Ted's diabetic exchange diet in mind.
"Ted can go just about every place I go now," Cindy said. "We go grocery shopping together, and we're reading the labels. We're planning meals and we're eating together. We haven't done that for quite awhile."
Cindy is involved with programs at the Counseling Center, both for her own personal counseling and by assisting with programs to help others like her who are coping with mental illness. She is active in a program to help people with mental illness who are homeless.
Cindy was homeless at one point in her life, left with only a lawn chair and a barbecue grill. She was on her own and had a home for 20 years before she divorced her first husband. After the divorce, she moved 16 times in 14 years.
Cindy wants to be a paralegal so she can be a legal advocate for people with mental illness.
Justin hopes to attend Kent State University in the fall. He enjoys writing, and reading classic literature. He wants to be a human-services worker and work with children.
Family's goal
Ultimately, the family's goal is for each member to become self-sufficient and off Social Security.
"We're not takers," Cindy said. "We've had a lot of support both here and across the country. We're in an online support group and many people have been praying for us."
While the unpacking and job hunting continues, Cindy is replacing some of the house plants she had to leave behind. She's planning to fill a side porch with plants and is planting flowers outside.
Cindy hopes the community will follow the lead of one of its younger members in accepting her and her family. Recently, as Cindy was planting flowers in front of the house, a young child approached.
"What are ya doin'?" the child asked.
"Planting flowers," Cindy said.
"Did you just start here?" the child asked.
"We just started here," Cindy said, "a week ago. Is that OK with you?"
"Yeah, that's OK!" the child said, and scampered off to play.