By the time Mia* was placed with her foster parents, Joseph and Traci, she was severely traumatized and almost nonverbal. At only five years old, she’d already endured sexual abuse, chronic neglect, and frequent hunger.

As a result, she’d become hyper-vigilant, with severe defense mechanisms like extreme tantrums and urinating on herself. Making things worse, Mia was also on the autism spectrum.

The toughest kid ever placed

Within the first three weeks of living with Joseph and Traci—along with her six-year-old sister and baby brother—Mia was kicked out of her school. At her new school, she rarely made it through the day without needing to be picked up early. Twice within two years, she required placement in the mental health unit of an area hospital. The only thing in Mia’s bedroom was her bed because she destroyed everything, including furniture.

Eight-year-old Nikki loved her life. Her family had just moved to a big farm in the country and her dad showered her with gifts whenever he returned from a trip. As she got older, Nikki began to wonder where her dad was going and how he could afford these gifts—until the day her home was the target of a meth raid. Suddenly, she understood.

Richie* was born with loving parents, bright eyes, and a weak heart. After enduring his first heart surgery at six days old, Richie spent most of his first year in the hospital. As he grew, he endured bullying at school, and then, in an incredibly painful blow, when Richie was little, his home burned to the ground and he lost everything. Even his beloved family pets.

A cry for help

Eventually, it all became too much. As Richie grew older, he began to isolate himself. He stopped talking to the people who loved him. And he attempted suicide, twice.

Richie’s parents were desperate to help their son, and they brought him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where they recommended Richie continue outpatient therapy at Nexus-Gerard Family Healing.

Mark Gilbert joined the Nexus family when he was 23. As an adolescent, he drifted into drinking and drugs, then theft. For six years, he was in and out jail, always running, always chasing elusive dreams. 

It was a vicious cycle. "I’d get high feel good, go out and do something stupid, then regret it. I got to the point where I hated life…” 

Then he heard about Nexus from a cellmate who was sent there. After two days, he came back to jail. “I couldn’t make it,” he told Mark, “But you’d probably like it.” Mark was tired of running; he wanted to turn his life around. So, he decided to try it.  

Taking a Leap of Faith

His first contact with Nexus was the family interview where all the residents and staff meet an incoming resident for the first time and decide to accept or reject him. That scared Mark. He’d been rejected all his life.