Before Adrian's mental health deteriorated, he was a highly skilled electrician. The onset of schizophrenia and depression forced him to give up his job, his family left him and, in despair, he turned to drugs. Living in the community exposed him to regular attacks from people who reacted to his illness with ignorance and fear. He started visiting a Thrive Garden Project in 1992. He found it difficult to speak to other beneficiaries and staff because, even on a good day, he is wrestling with a cocktail of treatments and more than 18 voices that he hears constantly.
Progress is relative.
What can seem a small step for many people is a huge step for Adrian. Many beneficiaries choose not to visit the Project when they are having a 'bad day'. Adrian says that that's when he needs us most. Coming to the Project rescues him from his own thoughts and gives him the chance to be productive. His precarious mental state means that he can't risk failure, it may tip him over the edge.