Please pray for one of my old students, Alex. He is 20, is caring for a grandmother with Alzheimers, and most of their immediately family members are alcoholics. He is the peacemaker in his family and just can't take the stress - cardiac pains, stomach problems, headaches, no sleep, unable to eat regularly. This has been going on for years. He doesn't have any real options and is coping by self-medicating with weed.
Last night he posted suicidal stuff on facebook. I think he'd really do it as he was the one that found his cousin hanging from a tree outside their house a couple of years ago. I spent a bunch of this evening talking on facebook with him and then he asked me to call his house. He was crying and so, so scared. He just needs to know that someone in the world cares whether he lives or dies. Everyone there just suggests getting high or drunk with them, but they won't listen to him. His cousins run one of the big gangs in town.
I think he's okay for the moment, but he's in a toxic environment and can't survive unless he leaves and gets a support system somewhere else that will help him through the hard parts. He's already tried going to Winnipeg, but all of the agencies give such a runaround that it wasn't possible to make it for long (I've dealt with this before - being directed to call five or six different places, getting no action or conflicting information). He didn't even have money for lunch at school. He won't consider rehab - obviously is scared. He is afraid of burdening other people with his problems and wishes someone in his family would care after all the care he has given them. They aren't going to because there's just nothing left over to give. He's not got anyone he can trust. His grandparents raised him (the grandma, who was the closest thing to a parent figure, is the one that now has Alzheimers and says terrible, cutting things to him. His grandpa, dad and uncles are alcoholics. His mother abandoned the oldest three kids when he was little and has only seen them once since. His dad is very intelligent and would be a good father, but kind of fell apart after that, but is now in a dysfunctional relationship with another woman and has three kids with her).
I taught him and his siblings and cousins for several years. He's an excellent guitar player and a thoughtful, perceptive person who wants to care for his family. Please pray for a sense of peace to surround him, for sleep without nightmares and for him to realize he is not alone. If any of you want to write a note, you can PM it to me and I will make sure he gets it. I know it's strange to do that, but he just needs to know that there are people out there who care.