Meet Joan
I am here to share a story with you about a client that touched a lot of hearts here at the YWCA. Unfortunately, she is not here to be able to share her story with you but would want you all to know how hard she tried and all the success she achieved during the time she spent with the YWCA. Joan Lloyd. Joan was the most stubborn, caring, and funny lady we have ever had the privilege of meeting. The story for Joan goes back to November 2020, when Joan first came to shelter. Before coming to shelter Joan was sleeping on the street behind the Giant tiger. Joan had a horrible infection on her leg that was not being taken care of. This is when we all learned about her hatred of the hospital. If one thing Joan was certain of it was that she was NOT going to the hospital. Over the months the advocates began to learn more about Joan. Joan was 67, from newfound land and experienced a lot of trauma and heartache that shaped her into the person she was. Joan was funny, smart and a very caring person, not to mention Joan was very resilient. Joan loved to read, tell stories, and spend time with her sons. Joan lived with a lot of different health concerns; Liver problems, Kidney problems, numerous infections, bad knees and was hard of hearing. Numerous hours were spent writing everything down for Joan and this frustrated Joan some days. Joan always tried to help everyone who was in need but never liked to look after herself. With the help of the YWCA and the 3 years we worked with Joan, Joan became a very special client and with the help of her worker she was able to follow through on her goals and accomplish things Joan never thought she would have. Joan was able to have support to accompany her to all her doctor appointments, keep track of her appointments, was connected with a mental health worker, and obtained a new scooter to get around on as well as a walker. Joan was also able to hear again for the first time in years with her new hearing aids. Joan made a friend out of her worker at YWCA, this was her go-to person for any needs, someone to talk to on a bad day, someone to laugh with and someone to trust. This made a huge difference in Joan's life and Joan went out of her way every day to make sure her worker knew how important the work and support that was being provided was and how much of a difference she made. Working with the YWCA Joan was able to stabilize her health and her life. Joan struggled with addictions for years, once moving into stable housing at the YWCA Oakdale building Joan was able to stabilize her addictions and abstain from using substances. Joan was able to open a bank account for the first time in years as well as Joan learned how to grocery shop again after not grocery shopping for years. For the last year, Joan lived at Oakdale and worked towards her goals while remaining independent in her home. Joan was given the chance to spend time with her sons in a unit she made a home. Joan was very grateful for this. Joan succeeded in everything she put her mind to and jumped through all the hoops that were put in her path. Joan's liver and kidney became stable, infections were under control, and Joan received carries for her methadone due to being substance-free. Joan had workers come in 3 times weekly to help her maintain her unit so that was one less thing Joan needed to worry about. Alongside all this Joan had a home and friends around her. Joan lived a beautiful life because Joan was a beautiful person. Joan passed away suddenly in June of 2023 but she will never be forgotten and us here at the YWCA will always have a special piece of her in our hearts. Her success will never go unnoticed.
To my best friend and S. Worker : “When life seems filled with challenges, that’s when we need a helping hand to be there to provide support, caring and understanding”
Love Joan