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Hayden is brand new at the Café, becoming a member on Tuesday and jumping immediately into the “Writing Alone and with Others” group. “I got tired of isolating in my room at the Board and Care,” he said, “and decided to get the injection the doctor recommended. In a month, I was so much better.”
Hayden is twenty-eight-years old with neat shoulder-length brown hair and soft, expressive eyes. “I grew up with Harry Potter,” he said, “and now I love Dan Brown novels.”
A naturally social person who worked as a waiter in Texas and New York City, Hayden hopes to attain enough stability to join the workforce again. “I used to get great tips,” he said, “until I started hearing voices.”
Something of Hayden’s natural open-heartedness is captured in his writing:
They try and keep it clean, but it’s always a bit messy. They hand out medication in the morning, afternoon, or at meal times. I’ve been there 14 times. It’s a place of comfort to me now, but it was a place full of judgment when I first got there. In my life, I’ve gone up and down with my symptoms, but no matter how bad I smelled, looked, or felt, they always opened their doors to me, cleaned me up, and did their best to cheer me up. This safe haven is called Barbara Aron’s Pavilion, and I’m so grateful for the help I’ve received there.
“I’ve only been at the Café for a couple of days, but I’m already grateful for this place too,” Hayden says as he leaves the writing group. “I can’t wait to try everything!”
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Article by Cindy McCalmont
