NATHAN’S STORY Nathan Nelson graduated from Albany High School in June 2019, achieving a milestone his family wasn’t sure was possible his freshman year. “If we had not found Kerr, I would have probably ended up in juvenile detention,” Nathan said. “I’ve gone from a depressed person to a changed, healthy, mature young man.” Nathan had always been a kindhearted kid who loved animals, especially snakes and lizards. By the time he was 14, he had been diagnosed with both autism and bipolar disorder. At school, classmates were bullying him and he found himself in a sad, dark place. “I was a wreck,” Nathan said. “I had a lot of anger, frustration, and other negative emotions.” Before coming to Kerr, Nathan’s outbursts were causing harm and distress to his family, as well as himself. “It was very scary,” said his mother, Kristie Nelson. “I know firsthand what it’s like to sit on the floor in a heap being afraid for your child who is struggling and feels like hurting himself or others.” After three months in Kerr’s Crisis Psychiatric Care unit, Nathan learned techniques for coping with his complex emotions. “Kerr was a safe place,” he said. “They taught me that I don’t need to be perfect, but I do need to treat everyone with kindness and respect.” Kerr’s team approach provided the Nelson family with wrap-around services. “When I sat for the first time around the table with the group at Kerr, I thought we finally have a team,” Kristie said. “They didn’t just stabilize him and send him back into the world, instead they came up with a plan and we started to feel a sense of hope.” Nathan is headed to college to study herpetology (reptiles). “Change is possible,” Nathan said. “The growth I’ve experienced in all aspects of my life is incredible.”
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