I’ll never forget the day Luke messaged me saying, “I’m sorry to do this to you mom but I just can’t take it anymore. I love you.” I knew immediately that this time he was serious. I told my husband we had to call the police to find him because he was going to try to end his life. 

The police ended up finding him and taking him to the hospital. The doctors said they had no choice but to send him to the teen psych ward in the city as Luke wouldn’t let them help him. As I watched the ambulance drive away, I thought that maybe this would be his wake-up call and things would get better. I was very wrong. While in the ward Luke tried to take his life two more times. 

I couldn’t believe that this was our life. The impact it was having on our marriage and our younger kids was crushing. Many times, I wondered how people who did not have a relationship with Jesus ever made it through such trials. Jesus was all that was keeping me together and giving me hope that things would change. 

In August 2021, I dropped Luke off at Rock Solid Refuge. I kept thinking that we had made the wrong choice, that Luke wasn’t doing as bad as we thought, that we were overreacting, being dramatic. Luke begged me to take him home, said he couldn’t stay there, and that he would change. I was crying and telling him he needed to stay and trust the process. Then it was like a switch flipped and he got angry. I looked at him, shocked and then relieved; Rock Solid’s counselor had told me this would happen, and not to take it to heart.

As we drove away, I felt such peace, the further we got the more peaceful I felt. I knew we had made the right decision—for our marriage, our other kids and for Luke. Rock Solid Refuge gave us the opportunity to pause, to exhale and re-group. They gave us the tools we needed and the space to work on ourselves and to learn a better way.

A year later, when Luke graduated from Rock Solid Refuge, he had the same light in his eyes that I had seen in the other boys when we visited. He had his laugh back, his sense of humor and a positive outlook. Things are not perfect, there are still struggles but we have all changed so much this past year. We are different people and different parents. Our family is so much healthier. 

I will always be grateful for your prayers and the gifts you have given to make this possible for families like ours. I cannot begin to imagine where we would be right now without you.

Thank you for being a part of our story!
 
Jen,  
(Luke’s Mom)