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Artwork created by students in the Gillis Day Treatment School.
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Imagine what it feels like to
be written off as a lost cause.
No matter how hard you try, you
just can’t seem to catch a break. One mistake leads to another, or you’re never
in the right place at the right time – whatever the circumstances, it feels
like nothing ever works out in your favor.
If life were a game, it would
feel like you were on a losing streak.
And, yet, something inside you
tells you never to give up, to face whatever life throws at you and knock it
out of the park. If you can just keep your head down and stay focused, you know
that you’ll hit a homerun one of these days.
Being a child at Gillis can feel
a lot like that – like you’re always the underdog waiting for a chance to hit
it big.
Most of the kids in our
treatment programs have experienced intense distress and rejection in their
short lives. Many have suffered personal trauma that is hard for us to imagine.
They’ve grappled with debilitating emotional and behavioral impairments.
But all of these adversities have helped our kids forge an indispensable character trait in the process, something we work hard to reinforce and grow . . . Resilience.
Gillis kids are the epitome
of resilience, thanks in part to the tireless efforts of our staff. Like
coaches, our caregivers help the youth develop problem-solving, coping and
social skills so they’re able to overcome personal challenges and build
relationships. Individual and group therapies help them recover from trauma,
while our psychiatric and nursing teams ensure that a winning medical strategy
is in place to help the youth come out on top.
We were reminded of just how
important resilience is when the Kansas City Royals won this year’s World Series. After
30 years as baseball’s perennial underdogs, the Royals rallied to victory and
earned the respect and adoration of baseball fans everywhere, including several
of the boys and girls here at Gillis.
Through grit, determination
and a tenacious short game, the Boys in Blue – many of whom grew up with their
own childhood adversities – showed the world what it means come back when
you’re down.
The kids at Gillis may never
receive a fraction of the recognition the Royals receive, but they will
forever share the same spirit of resilience. Life can continue to throw
everything it’s got at them – curveballs, sliders, you name it – but they’re
not going to strike out.
Each and every one is going
to make it home one of these days, and we’ll be right there to cheer them on
every step of the way.
