A Higher Calling

Samaritan House resident turns life’s challenges into a life calling
by Christian D. Piatt

At age 45, Demetra has lived a hard life. Originally from San Francisco, she was drawn in by the temptations the big city had to offer. She became heavily involved in drugs, and upon moving to Fort Worth, got into a relationship with a major drug supplier. She lived her life as if every day would be her last, absent of hope or visions of the future.

Demetra had tried to quit using on her own, but after being diagnosed HIV-positive in 1988, she fell back into her addictive patterns.

“I saw drugs as slow way to commit suicide,” says Demetra. “Finally one day, I prayed for things to change. I had a choice to go back to California, or move in with my family. I felt I might die at any moment”

Demetra decided not to move in with her family because she didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. Instead, she decided to face her situation head-on. She went to AIDS Outreach Center to explore her options, and they recommended Samaritan House.

Upon her first meeting with Samaritan House nurse Lori Sapp at her intake appointment, she felt welcomed. However, it would be some time before she would come to the realization that Samaritan House was where she needed to be.

“I was scared at first,” she says. “What if I failed? What if I was judged?” She returned to California for a visit, but upon her return, she found a room at Samaritan House ready and waiting for her. Because of her trust in Lori, she finally agreed to move in.

Demetra’s fear came from a lack of understanding about HIV, and from the anger of being betrayed by the partner who had infected her with the virus. Being a fiercely independent woman, Demetra felt vulnerable at first in her new surroundings. But it was her faith in God that reassured her that she was in the right place.

“I prayed and prayed,” she says. “I wanted to be able to deal with this on my own as much as possible.” Demetra explains that the staff and residents at Samaritan House offered her the necessary support she required to stay healthy and to develop a positive outlook on her future. “With God’s help, I’ve been HIV positive for seventeen years,” she says, “and I’m still healthy and able to live my regular life. Samaritan House is a gift. I don’t have to worry about a lot of things that would keep me from living a normal life. All of that is right here in this house.”

Demetra works five days a week and is now waiting to move into her own apartment through the Genesis Project, where she can be reunited with her daughter. She plans to take on a second part-time job, and to investigate college course in the fall. Her goal is to become a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, so that she can help others overcome the challenges she has faced in her own life. She considers it her calling, and does not doubt now that her life has a greater purpose.

“I want to go into other facilities and places where people with HIV are,” she says, “and show them that just because you have HIV doesn’t mean you don’t have to give up on your dreams.”

Her advice? Do the work to stay healthy, and you can live a normal, productive everyday life. For Demetra, that everyday life is a dream come true.