There’s No Place Like Home
Being at home brings joy. Our residents at Hope Residence, a disability housing community in Belle Plaine, MN, know that feeling. Especially over the past few years, as they have spent more time at home.
Hope is a place one resident, Jacob, was fighting to get back to. Hope became home for Jacob in 2006 when he was 23. Jacob had been living with his father, Jon, but wanted more independence. Together, the father-son duo visited Hope Residence, and Jacob fit right in.
In late December 2021, Jacob went into the doctor to check his dialysis port. Jacob has Down Syndrome and also kidney failure, and he requires dialysis. During the appointment, doctors were placing a stent in. The stent became loose, sailing up his arm into his heart, where it lodged against his heart valve.
To remove the stent, Jacob required emergency surgery. Rhonda, Jacob’s program manager, was one of the first people to visit him after surgery. Jon lives in northern Minnesota, and he traveled to see his son soon after he learned of the surgery. Jacob spent the next three weeks in an induced coma, fighting for his life.
“Jacob is very connected to his peers at Hope,” said Rhonda. “Multiple times, different residents and team members asked on his recovery while praying for Jacob.”
In January, Jacob turned the corner as his heart began showing signs of stability. Soon after, he was stable enough to transfer to a regular hospital bed.
“When Jacob came out of the coma, I called or Zoomed with him daily,” Jon said. “When he finally was able to start talking again, he mainly kept repeating two things: “I love you Dad” and “I want to go home.”
He also began respiratory, speech, and physical therapy to learn how to breathe, talk, and walk again. And, thankfully, with his health returning, Jacob—affectionally known as the Prince of Belle Plaine to family and friends—made his triumphant return home to Hope.
“When he returned, we had a big party for him. His friends and residents participated onsite with his family joining online,” Rhonda explained. “It feels like a real-life miracle to have Jacob back at Hope.”
Hope Residence provides a home and a sanctuary for Jacob and all our residents. Our care community provides an environment full of comfort, dedicated caregivers, and friends just down the hall. We are welcoming home new residents. To schedule a tour and find a new home for a loved one, call (952) 873-2143 or visit myhopebp.org.