My Recovery Statement

My name is Jonnie Mae Rentas and I have a long Mental, and penitentiary history. I have had a mental disease sense i was 7 years old. But it wasn't diagnosed until I was in my late teens. I was very violent I was told all the time and had a lot of trust issues. I was put in the D-H at a early age and then I started getting into more trauma. I did a off and on amount of time of 6 years in Fallsview Mental Hospital and I have 45 convicted felony's and 3 penitentiary numbers and I am in the mug book of the State of Ohio. But in 1999 I was released from prison and taken to Choices for a job interview and was hired. And they new of my past and still gave me a chance at a new start. They had a hard time with me too, but they still just kept trying to hang in there with me . That gave me the strength to take time out to see with in myself what they have been seeing the whole time. And that is someone who has ability to do something in life. I started going to there Bridges groups, WRAP groups and learned more about me and my diseases and learned more tools to deal, and coup, my spiritual side strengthens me totally too. I now have 9 years clean sober and i have my own cleaning business and I facilitate a group called positive outlooks in life once a week. Choices and it,s staff and members is a great place to go.
Written by Jonnie Mae Rentas

John Moneypenny
This is my story recovery and success is something that is ongoing but is never finished. I'll try to make this the short version just the basics to give you an idea of my story. As a kid, growing up I had my problems. I guess they just thought of me as a bad kid. I showed signs of my illness, but no one seemed to know or care. Like a functional alcoholic I learn to be a functional adult. In my twenty's I had some TIA's (mini strokes) and a small stoke. My motor skills were not right so I had to learn to walk, talk and hold things. I could do all of these things but not easily. After that I went down hill fast. I was in the hospital more then I was out. Their answer to everything seemed to be drugs and restraints. For and example I went to staff with a problem. I had two small kids at home and no one there to look after them. Their mother took off somewhere. Instead of helping me get someone to be with the kids, I was to upset. I needed sedation and restraints. I was given shock treatments which didn't help. They sent me to a long term hospital 100 miles away. I received the same type of treatment (sedation and restraints). One day I wasn't going along with there program so they were going to put me in restraints. I went off that got me court order to the State hospital. They were ready to let me out of the hospital but, I would have to wait to get into there release program which would take another year to year and a half. They let me out as long as I would come live in my parent's house. I entered Cuyahoga Valley Day Care Program. I was worse shape coming out of the hospital then before I went in. Don't know how long I was there. They closed the program down and sent me to Portage Path Behavioral Health. I started doing better. I went to BVR 3 times didn't do much to get me back to work. I was referred to Choices a consumer operated center. I started working part time at Choices. In 2006 I started working full time as Assistant Director of Choices. I haven't been back in the hospital since starting at Choices. Almost forgot I got a diploma in accounting from Hammel College.