The InVisionary
I met Alex for the first time in early 2010. She was a 23-year-old young woman who unfortunately had been living at a state hospital for some time at that point. It was customary in those early years for me to regularly visit people who were looking to transition to InVision from their current living situation. People relegated to living at a state hospital were always some of the emotionally hardest for me. Seeing the way people were usually over medicated and without purpose was always difficult, but also incredibly motivating to help them move on to a better life.
As was typical of these kinds of situations, when I visited for the first time, I joined a large group of people (her treatment team at the hospital) all sitting around a huge table to discuss Alex. They warned me about how she was stable but only because of the number of medications she was on. But even at the high dosage they were giving her, she regularly heard and saw things that others did not. These symptoms were always going to be part of who Alex was, but they felt that she was as stable as she was going to be. While I don’t remember much about the meeting from 15 years ago, I do remember them expressing how Alex thought she could speak seven different languages and how this was just a “manifestation of her symptomology”.
Finally, after the “professionals” had time to say their piece I got to meet Alex. They ushered her into this sterile large room and placed her at the table in front of everyone. I found the situation overwhelming and can only imagine how she felt at the time. I remember her slumped over struggling to keep her head up and nodding slowly every once in a while when people would ask her to speak. After several people, who all spoke loudly and slowly – like she couldn’t understand them – didn’t have much success in getting Alex to speak, I gave it a shot. More than anything, I just wanted to connect with her in some way, so she knew that I was here to help. I spoke up stating that I took three years of French in high school – but don’t remember really anything. I said, “I heard that you speak seven languages…. that’s amazing!” Alex immediately said “Je parles un peu Francais” – I remembered enough to know what she was saying, and that she spoke a little bit of French.
I told her if she wanted, I was going to try and find her a home outside of the hospital with people that could help her live her own life. I don’t know if she really knew yet what that would mean or look like, but I hoped that it gave her a little bit of optimism that day.
We regularly sent people to the hospital to spend time with Alex to start building relationships – relationships with people that hopefully she could learn to trust enough to feel safe with. Eventually, on a warm and sunny day, June 10 of 2010, Alex moved out of the state hospital and into her own home.
There have been many ups and downs for Alex as one would expect for someone who had such a traumatic and terrifying childhood and early adulthood. Also – helping her transition to a more reasonable medication level had taken time and effort. We had to continually adjust our support to meet Alex where she was. We had to help staff understand Alex’s experience, which is very different than most people’s in that she hears and sees things that others do not. This can be very scary for anyone…but we always want to help them understand that this is Alex’s reality and it can be even more scary for her. Everything we do is to help Alex feel in control and grounded.
Alex has always presented herself as a friendly and hospitable person, especially with people she is comfortable with, which is always the key. Over the years she has grown into a confident woman, not afraid to go after the things she loves or even try something new. Alex has a love of art and music; she loves to draw and paint. When you visit her home, you will see her sense of style in all rooms of her house. Her drawings are beautifully displayed throughout her home. Having seen her dedication and the beauty in her artwork, Alex’s support team encouraged her to send art to GoggleWorks – a public studio in Reading, Pennsylvania, where her artwork has been featured on two separate occasions. She has also been a contributor to the drawings on the holiday cards for the InVision family, most recently on the cover of our 2024 holiday card.
Alex loves to meet and socialize with her friends and peers. She is known to throw great parties at her home to celebrate her brother’s birthday or just get people together and celebrate any occasion. Oh, and let me tell you about Alex’s brother! In August of 2012 we began supporting Andrew through our Residential Program, who has the same last name as Alex. We didn’t know it yet, but this was Alex’s brother; the pair had been separated early in their lives but shared much of a difficult childhood together. Through careful research, we were able to put the pieces together that these two were in fact siblings. I remember external team members expressing concern about the two of them ever finding out about each other because it might be “re-traumatizing” for them. Long story short, we were going to find a way. Alex and Andrew are now reunited and share many holidays and birthdays together…sometimes choosing for it to just be the two of them.
Alex likes to stay busy and volunteered at the food shelter in Reading until she started working at a department store twice a week. Her weeks are packed with activities ranging from going to the gym, taking walks around the neighborhood, the park, or visiting new places, attending dance classes, going to work, cooking and even taking violin lessons. She also loves summertime! She enjoys exploring new places with her support staff, participating in activities ranging from hiking, going to amusement parks, and of 
course, shopping. She loves dressing up and never leaves the house without make-up.
Alex has her everyday struggles like all of us do. She, however, does not allow one difficult day to dampen the next. She knows what she wants and works hard to go after her goals and her dreams. She lives her life fully and we are lucky enough to be along for the ride.
This is why the work we do matters. People living meaningful lives of their choosing.
As was typical of these kinds of situations, when I visited for the first time, I joined a large group of people (her treatment team at the hospital) all sitting around a huge table to discuss Alex. They warned me about how she was stable but only because of the number of medications she was on. But even at the high dosage they were giving her, she regularly heard and saw things that others did not. These symptoms were always going to be part of who Alex was, but they felt that she was as stable as she was going to be. While I don’t remember much about the meeting from 15 years ago, I do remember them expressing how Alex thought she could speak seven different languages and how this was just a “manifestation of her symptomology”.Finally, after the “professionals” had time to say their piece I got to meet Alex. They ushered her into this sterile large room and placed her at the table in front of everyone. I found the situation overwhelming and can only imagine how she felt at the time. I remember her slumped over struggling to keep her head up and nodding slowly every once in a while when people would ask her to speak. After several people, who all spoke loudly and slowly – like she couldn’t understand them – didn’t have much success in getting Alex to speak, I gave it a shot. More than anything, I just wanted to connect with her in some way, so she knew that I was here to help. I spoke up stating that I took three years of French in high school – but don’t remember really anything. I said, “I heard that you speak seven languages…. that’s amazing!” Alex immediately said “Je parles un peu Francais” – I remembered enough to know what she was saying, and that she spoke a little bit of French.
I told her if she wanted, I was going to try and find her a home outside of the hospital with people that could help her live her own life. I don’t know if she really knew yet what that would mean or look like, but I hoped that it gave her a little bit of optimism that day.
We regularly sent people to the hospital to spend time with Alex to start building relationships – relationships with people that hopefully she could learn to trust enough to feel safe with. Eventually, on a warm and sunny day, June 10 of 2010, Alex moved out of the state hospital and into her own home.
There have been many ups and downs for Alex as one would expect for someone who had such a traumatic and terrifying childhood and early adulthood. Also – helping her transition to a more reasonable medication level had taken time and effort. We had to continually adjust our support to meet Alex where she was. We had to help staff understand Alex’s experience, which is very different than most people’s in that she hears and sees things that others do not. This can be very scary for anyone…but we always want to help them understand that this is Alex’s reality and it can be even more scary for her. Everything we do is to help Alex feel in control and grounded.
Alex has always presented herself as a friendly and hospitable person, especially with people she is comfortable with, which is always the key. Over the years she has grown into a confident woman, not afraid to go after the things she loves or even try something new. Alex has a love of art and music; she loves to draw and paint. When you visit her home, you will see her sense of style in all rooms of her house. Her drawings are beautifully displayed throughout her home. Having seen her dedication and the beauty in her artwork, Alex’s support team encouraged her to send art to GoggleWorks – a public studio in Reading, Pennsylvania, where her artwork has been featured on two separate occasions. She has also been a contributor to the drawings on the holiday cards for the InVision family, most recently on the cover of our 2024 holiday card.Alex loves to meet and socialize with her friends and peers. She is known to throw great parties at her home to celebrate her brother’s birthday or just get people together and celebrate any occasion. Oh, and let me tell you about Alex’s brother! In August of 2012 we began supporting Andrew through our Residential Program, who has the same last name as Alex. We didn’t know it yet, but this was Alex’s brother; the pair had been separated early in their lives but shared much of a difficult childhood together. Through careful research, we were able to put the pieces together that these two were in fact siblings. I remember external team members expressing concern about the two of them ever finding out about each other because it might be “re-traumatizing” for them. Long story short, we were going to find a way. Alex and Andrew are now reunited and share many holidays and birthdays together…sometimes choosing for it to just be the two of them.
So, what is Alex up to today?
Alex likes to stay busy and volunteered at the food shelter in Reading until she started working at a department store twice a week. Her weeks are packed with activities ranging from going to the gym, taking walks around the neighborhood, the park, or visiting new places, attending dance classes, going to work, cooking and even taking violin lessons. She also loves summertime! She enjoys exploring new places with her support staff, participating in activities ranging from hiking, going to amusement parks, and of course, shopping. She loves dressing up and never leaves the house without make-up. Alex has her everyday struggles like all of us do. She, however, does not allow one difficult day to dampen the next. She knows what she wants and works hard to go after her goals and her dreams. She lives her life fully and we are lucky enough to be along for the ride.
This is why the work we do matters. People living meaningful lives of their choosing.
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