The story below is tragic and difficult to read. I had the opportunity to talk to Jennifer via Facebook and she shared with me the story of how her husband Tom went from loving and caring husband and father to currently sitting in jail on trial for child abuse in a matter of 6 months. All identifying information has been changed to protect the privacy and identity of Jennifer and her young children.
Where they use to live, Tom was seeing a counselor for his depression and anger management issues.
He was doing very well until his resources ran out and the military was no longer able to support outside counseling. Tom and Jennifer knew how important it was to make sure Tom was able to get the help he needed, so they used their meager savings account to help pay for his counseling sessions for about 4 weeks, and then after that they just could no longer afford it. They had already put their entire savings into it.
Right around that time, came word of the move. Jennifer wanted to find a way to get Tom back into counseling, but quickly found the the remote area the military had stationed him had very few counselors in the area. The few that were in town refused to take their insurance, and again Tom had to go without counseling. Tom grew more depressed and withdrawn since they were moved by the military from a thriving metropolis they loved to small rural town on the other side of the country. The area had minimal resources.
Over the past 6 months Tom’s temperament and personality has been changing. Jennifer noticed he was becoming increasingly aggressive. While he was seeing a counselor he was not like that. Tragically Tom recently turned his anger from words to violence, and injured their one month old son in the process.
Tom is now sitting in jail facing felony charges for child abuse. The military has suspended his pay leaving Jennifer to figure out, in a small town with no support system, how to provide for he two young children.
As I spoke to Jennifer I asked her what she felt could have made a difference. She told me that if Tom had been able to keep seeing a counselor and have resources readily available to him she feels that their situation would have been completely avoidable and they would still be together as a family–Husband, Wife and Kids.
She also told me how hard it has been on the kids. In her town the media has been running regular stories about their father. No kid should have to learn about their father in that way.
She asked me to share her story and to this note:
“I know that there are millions of people who could benefit from Renewing Hearts and avoid the side effects of an untreated depression, anxiety, chemical imbalances, or any other such negative result from a mental anguish being left untreated.”
Would you consider donating today? Kids should have their families together. Wives should not have to watch their husbands fall apart before their eyes knowing how to help but being unable to.
