Matt's Story Drugs and illness pulled Matt's family apart. EMQ helped put it back together.

Matt was a 10-year-old boy who lost his family to drugs and illness. His mother suffered from depression and began using street drugs for self-medication. Eventually her drug dependency made her unable to take care of Matt. The other family member who could have cared for Matt, his grandmother Liz, was diagnosed with cancer and was too ill to take Matt into her home. Liz was unsure of the outcome of her surgery and thought it was best to have Matt go into a foster home where he would have a support system in case Liz did not survive the cancer diagnosis.

Thus began Matt’s journey through the child welfare system. Over two and a half years, he shuffled between three foster homes, one shelter and two group homes. Matt became more and more downcast, and his schoolwork suffered so much that he was eventually placed in an alternative school. Even his once passionate enthusiasm for sports disappeared. The only thing he wanted was to go back home and be with his grandmother. Liz constantly kept in touch with Matt by phone and visited him whenever she could, but much of the time Liz’s illness kept them apart.

When Matt was 13, EMQ Children & Family Services entered Matt and Liz’s lives. An EMQ staff member began visiting Matt four days a week at his foster care or group home to listen, talk and advise Matt and evaluate what other services he needed. This consistent contact enabled Matt to build upon the foundation his grandmother had provided, so that he could work through his problems in school and life. When his grandmother had to go away for cancer treatment and rehabilitation, consistent contact with his EMQ staff member helped sustain Matt through the rough periods. Liz says, “Without EMQ, I know that Matt would not have made it through as well and would probably have ended up dropping out of school and ruining his future.”

An EMQ team worked to help Matt build on his strengths as a smart and thoughtful person and encouraged him to become involved in sports again, especially football, which he loved. This helped Matt gain a brighter outlook on life and he began to show more hope and improve in school. Once Liz recovered, EMQ worked with her to navigate the child welfare system so that she could get permission to bring Matt home.

About a year after EMQ began working with Matt, he was reunited with his grandmother permanently. Together with the EMQ team, Liz has been Matt’s cheerleader and motivator. Matt returned to a mainstream school and graduated from the eighth grade with only four months of eighth-grade instruction. Liz made sure that Matt put in extra work and time so that he would graduate with the rest of his class.

Matt got his wish—to be home with his grandmother. He is entering high school this fall and plans to play varsity football as a freshman. His passion for sports and life has returned!

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