Darius has not had it easy. He and his sister were removed from their mother’s care at an early age due to neglect and abuse, so he faces serious emotional challenges.
Thankfully, the children were blessed with an amazing caregiver—and now legal guardian—Sylvia, who loves them unconditionally. She has selflessly sacrificed to give them the best possible education.
She enrolled them in a local private school where Darius thrived. He was on the honor roll and received the student of the month award, among other recognitions.
Unfortunately, a few years later, the trauma of a failed attempt by his birth mother to regain custody of Darius and his sister affected him seriously. Darius was a changed young man.
Darius became angry and defiant. He stopped caring about school and failed a grade. He hit walls and doors, damaging them and hurting himself.
Through it all, Sylvia did not give up on him, which is when she found Wayfinder Family Services. She had heard that Dr. Syed Naqvi, a renowned pediatric psychiatrist, would be speaking on our campus.
Sylvia contacted our mental health services, which gave Darius a Wayfinder case manager and therapy sessions with Dr. Naqvi himself.
Soon after Darius began receiving services, his life began turning around. He sees his case manager, John, every week and Dr. Naqvi every month. His grades have improved and he’s begun taking college-level classes through a community program.
“We’re so thankful to have found Wayfinder and Dr. Naqvi,” says Sylvia with relief. “Seeing Darius fail for a year and a half was hard, but now he is succeeding, and I attribute that to the support we’ve received at Wayfinder.”
December 27, 2017