Getting his smile back

PATERSON  There is a reason why Bruce is smiling a lot more these days. He has been clean and sober for 20 months and he literally has a new smile after receiving a new set of dentures, thanks to the efforts of diocesan Catholic Charities and Eva’s Village here. To thank all those who have helped him, Bruce, who turns 50 years old this year, met with Scott Milliken, CEO of Diocesan Catholic Charities, along with staff members and volunteers of Catholic Charities Feb. 5 at Straight and Narrow here.

“This is the best day of my life in a long time. I have my smile back,” he told those who helped him get his new dentures and his life back. “I’m going to take a lot of selfies. I feel great.”

His journey to recovery is unique. He was a client at Straight and Narrow and was among the 50 men who were living at the 410 Straight Street here when a five-alarm fire destroyed the building on Aug. 24. Because of the fire, many of the men lost everything they owned — important documents, jewelry, watches and sneakers. Bruce lost his dentures. During the fire, he was at work and was not wearing his dentures that day.

Patricia Rizzo, employment specialist of the men’s halfway house at Straight and Narrow, said, “There was something significant about Bruce’s story. While all the men lost something, Bruce lost his smile in a sense and we knew we had to help. It is amazing how we put the word out and this community came together. It was a chain reaction of help.”

Because Bruce was successfully graduating after 16 months of treatment from the halfway house program, a few days after the fire, he was no longer considered a client of Straight and Narrow and he did not know how he would get replacement dentures.

Milliken recalls learning about Bruce’s situation from a hand-written note from Bruce on a piece of scrap paper. “A day after the fire I was just about to speak about the situation and he slipped me a note. One line struck me. Bruce wrote, ‘Please don’t forget about me,’” Milliken said.

After five months without his dentures, Bruce received a brand new and better set of dentures due to the undertaking of volunteers from all three Catholic Charities agencies — Straight and Narrow (S&N), Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS) and the Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD). In addition, Eva’s Village was instrumental in helping Bruce get his dentures through services provided by its medical and dental clinic.

One of the issues that required the help of volunteers was transportation. Since Bruce was returning home after treatment, it was a two-hour drive to it in Burlington County. The volunteer dentist was in Paterson with appointments in the morning. Milliken sent out an email to all agencies looking for drivers.

Joe Wickham, maintenance supervisor at DPD, read the email and thought his wife would be willing to volunteer. Debbie Wickham, who recently retired, has volunteered to drive the sister-students at Assump­tion College for Sisters in Denville to their doctor’s appointments in the past.

Debbie Wickham, who serves as director of religious education at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oak Ridge, agreed to take on the task. She would wake up at 3 a.m. to make sure Bruce got to his appointments on time. “I love to drive and was happy to help. The hardest part wasn’t waking up early but getting to bed early,” she laughed. Her husband added, “His story hit close to home. I think everyone knows someone who has been affected by drugs.”

On the return trip home, Archie Burrell, intensive case manager supervisor at CFCS volunteered to drive Bruce back home. The trips totaled four roundtrips in order for Bruce to receive his new dentures.

Both the Wickhams and Burrell now consider Bruce a friend. “It was a pleasure to help him. When I first met Bruce, I just remember meeting a guy who was really respectful and appreciative. We would have dinner after the trips and I got to know him,” Burrell said.

Going back some 21 months ago, Bruce said he would have never expected this outpouring of support from complete strangers. He had been addicted to drugs for 30 years and had been in prison three times. Each time he was released and returned home, he was back to using drugs. The reason why he needed dentures in the first place was that three years ago he was assaulted and woke up from a coma without most of his teeth.

At his last meeting with a judge in drug court, Bruce said, “I begged the judge, ‘Do not send me back to prison. What I need is help. Please give me some help. I want help.’ I realized this last time that this is real. This is life or death and I didn’t want to die.”

The judge sent Bruce miles and miles away from home to Straight and Narrow, where Bruce admits he was not the easiest resident and resisted any help at first. “In the beginning of my treatment at Straight and Narrow,” he said, “I remember saying I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. But through the process, I started learning about myself and Straight and Narrow saved my life.”

Ruth Jean Marie, senior clinical director, said, “We work with a client’s potential and guide them to fight for their recovery. Bruce reached out for help and he was active in changing his life. I pray you continue to fight, Bruce.”

Currently, the residents of the halfway house are in Passaic and the staff at S&N still considers it a miracle no one was injured in the Paterson fire. “Two men were sleeping at the time and one was in the shower,” Rizzo said. “As the last man was leaving, the building was completely engulfed in flames.”

Milliken gave a brief update on the aftermath of the fire during the meeting with Bruce, “We are going to rebuild the halfway house so men like Bruce continue to receive the treatment they need,” he said. “We are in the final stages of approving an architect for the project. We’re rebuilding from scratch and it is providing us with a great opportunity to create a place that fully meets the needs of the clients and make the building more functional.”

As for Bruce, he told The Beacon, “I am so grateful to Catholic Charities and Eva’s Village. This boosts my self-esteem and I will never forget what they have done for me.”