Heritage/2006-2008

On October 3, 2006 Emma began attending school at Heritage, known as Day Treatment. By this time she was at the end of her 7th grade year. She never attended her junior high, and circumstances forced the professionals to send her to this therapeutic school.

We were having a get together, with my sisters and brothers. Emma was highly agitated. Mia began with Emma, the way she does, picking on her. The closet doors needed to be hinged, as they were unhinged. With the adrenaline of her rage, she picked up that closet door, and attempted to ram it down Mia’s throat. We pulled the door from her grasp, but not until Emma bit Mia in the face, and drew blood from her cheek. I had to call the police, even though no one wanted me to. Not even Mia. But, I wanted to teach Emma, that although I didn’t really call the police when she attacked me, she couldn’t get away with assaulting people without the consequences.

The police had come to the apartment over the years. None of them had really mistreated her. Most of them were very kind to her. Except one, whose step-daughter suffered from Bipolar disorder he scolded her quite a bit, and hand-cuffed her to the bed.

So, now Emma was at The Day Treatment Program. It was there that her new therapist Don Krikorian told me that she probably had Asperger’s disorder a high functioning form of autism, which characterized itself in her fixation on things. Like her love, and fixation of Hogan’s Heroes. Emma knew every episode by heart.

Oh no, Lord, not one more thing. During this time I had gone back to Fresno City College to finish my AA degree in Drug and Alcohol Counseling.

Emma made attending college nearly impossible, as I had to call the teachers nearly every day to explain why I wasn’t there as it was nearly impossible to get her to school. Even though a county car came for Emma to take her to the school, she would not go. When she did go, the chauffeur said Emma had hygiene problems, not uncommon with someone who is mentally ill.

Don Krikorian left, and was replaced by Dr. Calderon at EDT. He was very chauvinistic, and would leave threatening messages on my answering machine. Emma was kicked out of EDT for not attending. As usual I had to stand between myself and the teachers and therapists. Gabe her therapist used to say I was always trying to rescue Emma. But what else is a mother supposed to do?

While this was going on, I had a most disagreeable neighbor downstairs. Who made it impossible for me to live where I lived he was a Vietnam veteran who would bang on the ceiling with a broom. He was bothered by every little noise. I felt so harassed by the enemy, I asked God to take me already. So, I Praised God, and it was at such times with The Lord, that I felt so removed from this body, and so close to Jesus. I would scream out, for Him to literally take me.

But by The Grace and Goodness of God, the manager moved us to another apartment.