Experiences
Heartlands Partner Together for Heart’s Desire
Recently, Heartland of Oregon granted the Heart’s Desire of Nilda, a patient, to attend the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) in Dublin, OH. Nilda has been a state board member since 2014 but was unable to attend the conference last year as she was recovering from a spinal surgery that left her partially paralyzed.
Nilda plays a very important role as a state board member for NAMI. She is the first Latina woman to sit on the state board from Toledo, OH. She began as a volunteer and then started working as a facilitator and teaching classes. She was the first bi-lingual facilitator in Northwest Ohio. This was very important as Latinas were shy to attend NAMI classes because of their language barrier. Nilda became a translator and helped to open doors for those who speak Spanish to seek the benefits of NAMI. She was also the first facilitator to start support groups in Northwest Ohio. She was then asked to be a state board member.
Heartland of Oregon transferred Nilda to one of our other facilities, Heartland of Dublin, so she could attend the conference. When she arrived at Heartland of Dublin, they rolled out the red carpet. The staff were there to greet her, escort her to her private room and give her a bouquet of welcome flowers.
“I never knew anything like a Heart’s Desire existed. I am grateful that Heartland of Oregon took me into consideration for this gift. I did not think it would ever be a possibility with everything that has happened to me and not being able to walk. It was a dream come true,” said Nilda.