Mariano Family
When Ruth and Josh Mariano got married, he planned to work and she planned to be a stay-at-home mom. But life doesn’t always go as planned.
Several years ago Josh was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, causing serious shifts in his moods from the highs of mania on one extreme to the lows of depression on the other. Josh was hospitalized 12 times in one year.
After the birth of their second child, Ruth suffered from postpartum depression. She needed and received immediate help.
By June 2007, the Marianos had six children and the family was spiraling out of control. “I thought I should be able to take care of my family, but I couldn’t,” Ruth said. She went to the children’s grade school and told counselors she needed help.
The Mariano family immediately began receiving family therapy through a partnership between KVC and the school district in Independence, Missouri. This program offers in-home mental health therapy for at-risk children and families. Although the Mariano children do well academically in school, they have mental health challenges. Three children have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, one has ADHD and one has anxiety disorder.
KVC in-home therapists helped the Marianos put expectations in place. Now the family uses school methods of discipline to reinforce consistency. “We use the color-coded system for time-outs. We use a lot of repetition and a lot of talk.”
The Marianos also receive medication management through KVC’s telepsychiatry services. “We are thankful to have the continuity among the doctors,” Ruth said. “We’ve stayed in the school system.”
In December 2007, the Marianos lost their home after Josh lost his job as a computer systems analyst. KVC worked with a family liaison to obtain low-income housing through the state of Missouri.
“We’ve put a lot of hard work in,” Kim O’Connor, KVC Director of the Independence Project, said. “This is a very different family than it was two years ago.”
“Since working with KVC, I have gone 26 months without being hospitalized,” Josh said. “This is the longest I’ve gone in my adult life without hospitalization.”
“They are a star family, and prove what motivation and quality care can accomplish,” Kim said. “They are very intelligent, hardworking and open.”
The Marianos agreed to share their story and hope that it will help others. “We will do whatever it takes to make our family better,” Ruth said. “This will be your success family. We will not fail.”
April 2010 update: the family has just been approved to receive a Habitat for Humanity home in 2010.