Faces of Need

Scott – Mental Illness Just Means I Need Help Now and Then

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with mental illness. It got worse in my early 20s. All my friends used drugs and drank and, before long, ...

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Ramy – Learning English Helped Unlock My Potential

As a boy growing up in Egypt, I always dreamed of living in the U.S. When I was in my late 20s, I won a visa lottery that allowed me to follow that ...

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Nick — The Only Food Your Infant Can Eat is Not a “Supplement”

I moved into Loudoun County in 2003, and I have been a deputy sheriff here since 2005. In 2010, my middle child began having serious health issues. ...

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Keely — Persistence and Love Unlocked My Child’s Silence

My son Mason was 2 years old when he started to bang his head against the wall—all the time. I took him to many doctors and therapists, and they all ...

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Amado — Sobriety Gave Me a New Lease on Life

I was literally one day away from death when my adoptive mother rescued me from a local hospital in Central America. After high school, I moved to New ...

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Shirley

Shirley — I Will Live My Life with the Help of My Guardian Angels

I grew up in Loudoun as part of a large family. But, now I am fighting a battle with colon and liver cancer all alone. No one in Loudoun should have ...

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Latisha

LaTisha — The Key to Surviving Mistakes is Learning and Growing from Them

In 2015, I moved to Loudoun County to escape a bad relationship. I was 31 and had three daughters. At first, we slept in hotel rooms or at friends’ ...

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Alora with her pitbull

Alora — Living on Your Own in Loudoun Forces You to Grow Up Fast

I worked two jobs since the age of 15. At 19, I moved out. I wanted to be independent and self-sufficient. I began paying my bills and my taxes, but, ...

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Michoale – How Do I Tend My Children Once My Day-Care Assistance Ends?

After 17 years of addiction, I left my DC home with my 3-week-old twin boys and moved to a Loudoun shelter. After 3 months, I found a job—one that I ...

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Jaclyn – Undiagnosed Lyme Disease Put My Life on Hold

Ten years ago, I had a dream job where I was by all measure a top performer. But, I started feeling “off.” Eventually, I went to a long line of ...

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Greg – A Near-Fatal Stroke Can Give You Perspective on Life

In 2002, I had a stroke. I was rushed to the local hospital, where a renowned stroke specialist put three stints in my brain and one in my neck. ...

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Brianna – I Refuse to ALLOW Two Seconds to Define My Life

I was the victim of cyber bullying in 8th grade, and my counselor actually told me it was all my fault. I never realized how cruel kids could be. By ...

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