WEBVTT - Holding Hands Thrift Store

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<v Speaker 1>And we continue with our American stories, and up next,

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to hear from Donna Howard tell the story

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<v Speaker 1>of her daughter, Cassie, who was a teenager was met

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<v Speaker 1>with a diagnosis that changed her life. You'll find out

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<v Speaker 1>where that diagnosis has led Donna to today, to a

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<v Speaker 1>place where she can help not only her daughter Cassie,

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<v Speaker 1>but others under similar circumstances, and all while shedding light

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<v Speaker 1>on an illness that had kept them in the dark

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<v Speaker 1>for so many years.

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<v Speaker 2>I was director of ideology at a hospital here in

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<v Speaker 2>Mississippi for many many years, moved to Arkansas, got married,

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<v Speaker 2>had three children, and in nineteen ninety Cassie became ill

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<v Speaker 2>on her fourteenth birthday. It was a Sunday afternoon. I

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<v Speaker 2>remember it very well. She came in the kitchen that

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<v Speaker 2>day and said, the new kids on the block are

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<v Speaker 2>saying happy birthday to me through the air conditioner.

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<v Speaker 3>And that was AHA moment.

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<v Speaker 2>I began to think back, and she had been telling

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<v Speaker 2>me things and I had not paid attention. I say this,

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<v Speaker 2>and I don't think people really understand when I say

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<v Speaker 2>she didn't sleep till she was five years old, And

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<v Speaker 2>I think now, was she hearing the voices and that

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<v Speaker 2>was normal to her. But there were many many nights

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<v Speaker 2>we didn't sleep. So I called the pediatrician and I said,

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<v Speaker 2>we need to talk to you, and so we met

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<v Speaker 2>him at the emergency room, and after about an hour

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<v Speaker 2>of him and her talking, he came out and he said,

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<v Speaker 2>she's got some serious, serious issues.

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<v Speaker 3>She was in and out of hospitals.

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<v Speaker 2>Then it took a long time to get a diagnosis

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<v Speaker 2>because a lot of doctors didn't know a lot about schizophrenia.

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<v Speaker 3>It took us a year. We went out to UCLA to.

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<v Speaker 2>The Neuropsychiatric Institute, and that's where we got our diagnosis

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<v Speaker 2>of chronic paranoid schizophrenia at age fifteen. She was having

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<v Speaker 2>such a hard time that year that I don't think

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<v Speaker 2>it really resonated with her what chronic paranoid schizophrenia was.

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<v Speaker 2>She just knew she was hearing these voices that were

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<v Speaker 2>very real to her. It was very scary for her.

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<v Speaker 2>It was hard to find anybody to treat her. It

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<v Speaker 2>was just a nightmare because I couldn't get any help

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<v Speaker 2>and I couldn't find any peace for and I also

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<v Speaker 2>had two other children at home. She went to school

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<v Speaker 2>until she was in the tenth grade, and I finally

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<v Speaker 2>took her out because here she was a quiet, shy

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<v Speaker 2>little girl sitting over in the corner crying. So after

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<v Speaker 2>six months of them calling me every day, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>we don't know what to do with her, I finally

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<v Speaker 2>took her out of school. So I had to stay

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<v Speaker 2>home and take care of her and educate myself on

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<v Speaker 2>what to expect and how to handle what we were

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<v Speaker 2>going through.

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<v Speaker 3>It was extremely difficult.

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<v Speaker 2>Time because you didn't talk about My family wouldn't talk

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<v Speaker 2>to me about it. They didn't really understand it. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's when we decided she needed to get a job

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<v Speaker 2>that that might help. And we tried many jobs, and

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<v Speaker 2>I even paid one place to let her work there.

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<v Speaker 2>I paid them just to let her come in and

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<v Speaker 2>clean their equipment, just so she'd have something to do.

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<v Speaker 3>Then she got a job and.

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<v Speaker 2>Worked at this grocery store, but the people were not

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<v Speaker 2>kind to her. They didn't understand her. She was twenty

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<v Speaker 2>years old. She looked like she should be able to

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<v Speaker 2>act like a girl woman and make decisions, and she couldn't.

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<v Speaker 2>And every day she would come home, I hate my job.

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<v Speaker 3>I hate my job. You know, I don't want to

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<v Speaker 3>do this.

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<v Speaker 2>So I was in Nashville shopping with my sister in

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<v Speaker 2>law and we went into a thrift store and we

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<v Speaker 2>got to talking to the owner and he had opened

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<v Speaker 2>it to give his daughter a job because she had autism.

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<v Speaker 2>And we walked out the door and my sister in

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<v Speaker 2>law looked at me and said, you're going to do that.

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<v Speaker 3>Aren't you. It took me four years. I retired.

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<v Speaker 2>Then I put what retirement money I had into it,

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<v Speaker 2>and I opened the store here in Oxford to employ

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<v Speaker 2>persons living with mental illness in a safe work environment

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<v Speaker 2>in hopes of helping them achieve independence and self respect.

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<v Speaker 2>Cassie was thrilled. She was very excited that she wasn't

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to work at the grocery store anymore.

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<v Speaker 2>We started out with two employees. I had started getting

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<v Speaker 2>donations before I opened the store, and so we had

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<v Speaker 2>a few things, not a lot. But the first day

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<v Speaker 2>we opened, a lady stole from me the very first day,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I hadn't thought about that.

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<v Speaker 2>Everything we sell is donated. We don't buy anything. We

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<v Speaker 2>have to depend on the people in the community to donate.

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<v Speaker 2>There were lots of paydays on Thursday night, I'd say, lord,

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<v Speaker 2>please put the money in the bank, because paydays tomorrow

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<v Speaker 2>I don't have it. And we always managed to make payroll.

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<v Speaker 2>I always didn't get paid, but we always managed to

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<v Speaker 2>pay the employees. It was a real learning process. We

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<v Speaker 2>really just struggle financially, just get by and keep our

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<v Speaker 2>doors open. But when the pandemic hit, people were home

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<v Speaker 2>cleaning out their closets and their attics and their garages.

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<v Speaker 2>Cassie and I and my niece worked at the store

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<v Speaker 2>every day just to keep the donations out of the

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<v Speaker 2>parking lot because people were.

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<v Speaker 3>Bringing them in like crazy.

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<v Speaker 2>Not only did we get all the donations, people learned

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<v Speaker 2>about us that didn't know about us before, and since

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<v Speaker 2>then we are we're doing really well.

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<v Speaker 3>Today. We have about fifteen employees.

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<v Speaker 2>It's very rewarding. Most of my employees have been there

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<v Speaker 2>a long time. I have one young man that's worked

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<v Speaker 2>with me ever since we opened. He and Cassie were

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<v Speaker 2>friends when we opened, and they love working there.

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<v Speaker 3>They do a good job.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's like a new day every day because just

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<v Speaker 2>because you told somebody that those go in the floral

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<v Speaker 2>section one day, the next day you have to tell

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<v Speaker 2>them again. Sometimes my customers will mistake my employees for

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<v Speaker 2>being rude, and I'll pull them aside.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll explain the situation. You know, here's our brochure, this

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<v Speaker 2>is what we're about. And most of the time they're

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<v Speaker 2>very understanding and then they're apologetic. But we do have

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<v Speaker 2>people that are just downright rud and I just say,

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<v Speaker 2>we are here to give these people a safe work

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<v Speaker 2>environment where they can feel comfortable, and it's not tolerated

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<v Speaker 2>because all we want is to be loved and to be.

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<v Speaker 3>Treated with kindness. That's it.

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<v Speaker 2>They work very hard, several of them. I have to say, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>you need to sit down and take a break because

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<v Speaker 2>they work hard. The joke around the store is some

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<v Speaker 2>days when we would be overwhelmed, my niece, who has

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<v Speaker 2>helped me from the beginning, she would say, would you

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<v Speaker 2>please quit praying for furniture because God always supplies. I

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<v Speaker 2>knew when I walked out that door in Nashville, if

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<v Speaker 2>that's what he wanted me to do. I didn't have

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<v Speaker 2>any idea how I was going to do it. I

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<v Speaker 2>had been through so much with Cassie being sick and

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<v Speaker 2>not being able to work at times. But we never

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<v Speaker 2>went hungry and we never did without. So I have

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<v Speaker 2>a pretty strong fate and I knew that through this

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<v Speaker 2>he would provide and he has.

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<v Speaker 3>It's pretty awesome.

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<v Speaker 2>A dream is open more stores and more cities to

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<v Speaker 2>help more people, because I mean, I don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>Cassie would do, and I don't know what the other kids.

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<v Speaker 2>And I call them kids, they're not kids, they're young adults,

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<v Speaker 2>but I don't know what they would do if they

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<v Speaker 2>didn't have a place to go to. I have a

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<v Speaker 2>young man that came to me at the time, he

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<v Speaker 2>couldn't count change, and his confidence.

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<v Speaker 3>Just grew and grew as he worked for me.

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<v Speaker 2>And now he has moved out of his mother's home,

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<v Speaker 2>has moved to Nashville and is working at a store

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<v Speaker 2>and he's assistant manager. And it just thrills me because

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<v Speaker 2>look what he's done, and had he sat at home

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<v Speaker 2>and not done anything, it would be such a waste

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<v Speaker 2>and it's great to be a part of that. I

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<v Speaker 2>take no credit for this at all. It's a god thing.

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<v Speaker 2>He's just using me, and I just I tell Cassie,

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<v Speaker 2>I said, some good has come from all the heartache

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<v Speaker 2>and paying the Cassies had to go through it.

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<v Speaker 1>And a great job on that piece by Madison, And

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<v Speaker 1>a special thanks to Donna Howard, the founder of Holding

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<v Speaker 1>Hands resale shop right here in Oxford, Mississippi. And we

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<v Speaker 1>tell stories from all around the country, and every once

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<v Speaker 1>in a while you'll hear stories from where we live too.

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<v Speaker 1>Oxford is a beautiful small town about an hour south

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<v Speaker 1>of Memphis, Tennessee. And well, like all communities, we come

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<v Speaker 1>together when we need to. And my goodness, finding out

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<v Speaker 1>that your daughter at the age of fourteen is diagnosed

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<v Speaker 1>with chronic paranoid schizophrenia, that's a tough one. And what

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<v Speaker 1>do you do about it? Well, Donna, well she taught

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<v Speaker 1>us all what to do about it. And she learned

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<v Speaker 1>about it from someone else in Nashville who taught her

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<v Speaker 1>what to do about it. A beautiful mother daughter story,

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<v Speaker 1>Donna Howard's story, her daughter Cassie's story too. Here our

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<v Speaker 1>American Stories