Hope Residence: A long journey home
David and Suzie Radtke have made the journey of more than 600 miles twice, traveling from their home in Michigan to Hope Residence in Belle Plaine, Minn. — all that travel to ensure they’d found the right place for Suzie.
A few hours before Suzie was born, her mother, Ruth, went into insulin shock, cutting off oxygen to Suzie’s brain. Doctors didn’t know if Suzie would survive. Thankfully she did, her life taking a different path than the one her parents had imagined.
When Suzie was in her 20s, Ruth found Hope, which provides an extensive array of services to support and enhance the lives of residents dealing with disabilities.
“She decided 20 or 25 years ago that’s where Suzie would live. She kept that in her mind and had our will made up and put that in it,” David said.
Ruth wanted Suzie to have the spiritual care Hope offers through chaplaincy, worship services and Bible study. As the years went by, David came to share his wife’s conviction. Certainly Hope was a long way from Michigan, but it would provide for Suzie’s spiritual wellbeing.
“I want to be sure she’s going to have her faith the rest of her life, that she’s not going to lose that,” David said.
When Ruth passed away, David and Suzie trekked to Belle Plaine to see Hope Residence. That was about a dozen years ago. They came again last summer at the urging of Debra Wilbright, Director of Disability Services at Hope.
“I don’t want to just move somebody from another state just to fill a bed. We want it to be their home, and we want to make it easy for them,” Debra said, noting nine of Hope’s current 52 residents moved from out of state. “If the families can get here to visit, that’s nice, but we always go visit them as well because we want to make sure we’re able to meet their needs.”
Radtkes arrived at Hope in June accompanied by Andy Pevonka, Regional Director of Mission Advancement for The Lutheran Home Association. Knowing David’s sense of humor and love for the Green Bay Packers, Debra and Andy had arranged a surprise for their guests.
“Just before we went into the building, Andy put a Packers sweatshirt and cap on me. And Susan had a cap; all three of us walked in there with Green Bay Packers gear. Debra comes running up to shake our hand. She had a Vikings sweatshirt,” David said. “Everywhere I looked, someone was wearing a Vikings jersey. Everybody was very friendly.”
A personal welcome is important at Hope Residence.
“You just find out the different things the person enjoys, what’s important to them, what they like,” Debra said. “I figured it would be fun for Suzie and David, and they’d get a kick out of it and see we’re a fun environment.”
David plans to move to senior living on the Belle Plaine Campus when Suzie goes to Hope. With guidance from Andy, he has made a plan to leave his estate to Suzie and Hope, providing for her care and the future of Hope.
“It’s going to be perfect. My daughter will be at Hope, and that money will be used to enhance life for all the people who live there,” David said.
The distance they’ll travel to their new home doesn’t seem like too far to go.
“You get a feeling when you meet people. You kind of feel that it’s the right match up. This is going to work out perfect,” David said.
If you’re ready to make a plan for a loved one’s future but don’t know where to start, The Arc’s Center for Future Planning is a helpful tool, with reliable information and practical assistance on areas such as person-centered planning, decision-making, housing options and financial planning.
And you can always contact us at Hope Residence to find out more about our community. Call or email Debra Wilbright — (952) 873-2142 or dwilbright@tlha.org.