LETHA VANCE - COMING HOME

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Narrator: The Vance family comes from hardy Oklahoma stock. Lloyd and Joan Vance grew up during the Great Depression.

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Lloyd Vance, Letha's father

Lloyd Vance: It was rough for a long time, then it got worse. (laughs) about the size of the deal, but anyhow, we toughed it out. And I remember very well, 1934, '35, '36, the dust storms, and when the Okies all starved out and went to California, those that could. But some of us was too poor to get there, we had to stay here. And I was in the latter bunch. (laughs) The "stay here bunch."

Narrator: Lloyd and Joan's family grew and they worked hard to support their children. He has fond memories of going on picnics, playing hide and seek, going to the town cemetery for Decoration Day and seeing old friends.

When the youngest child, Letha May was about eight months old, Letha's mother suspected something was wrong, because Letha wasn't able to turn over by herself. After taking her to many doctors, Letha was diagnosed as profoundly disabled. 

Caring for Letha 24 hours a day, seven days a week took a heavy toll on her mother's health. When Letha was 10 years old, the Vance's learned about the state school in Paul's Valley. 

Mr. Vance: But the day that we left her, it was very bad on my wife. And she couldn't hardly stand it. She was getting heavier to handle and it was killing my wife. We had kept her way too long, but we didn't know there was anything else that we could do. We lived out in the boondocks and was pretty well out of touch, because it was so far out. And we didn't ask very much of anybody, we just existed. (laughs) And that's just how she wound up in Paul's Valley. And she's been there 40 years.

Narrator: During that time, the population living at state-supported, state-funded facilities in Oklahoma went from over 1,000 residents during the 1980s to less than 300 residents in 2011. Had Mr. Vance ever considered moving Letha out of the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center or SORC?

Mr. Vance: No. Huh-uh, no. We would go visit her and all and they take good care of her there. And they had real conscientious people working there. And they had their own doctor that just worshipped them little kids.

And so she was away. The reason we could accept it the way we did was because she was so much better off there than she would have been with us. However, we did miss her.

Narrator: Letha's older sister, Sevilla is Letha's guardian. When she learned that SORC would be closing, Sevilla wanted to know what opportunities were available to her baby sister.

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Sevilla Vance, Letha's sister

Sevilla Vance: I wanted to be one of the first to move my sister for a couple of reasons. Number one, I felt like it was the right thing to do because of her age, my age and it was just going to be an opportunity for her to live a different life, to be in a home like I've been allowed to live in in my life.

Narrator: Naturally, Mr. Vance was apprehensive about making such a change after 40 years. Sevilla met with a DHS Case Manager and shared what kind of setting she wanted for her sister, and where she wanted her to live.

Ms. Vance: And once I got my eyes opened up a little bit and saw what opportunities were out there, a home that she could live in and have an environment more like I have, I just felt like that would be the right thing to do and visited with my father and he agreed and he said he thought this was the right thing to do also as long as we knew that she would be very well taken care of, wherever she lived.

Narrator: Amanda Hogue is Letha's Case Manager. She explained that each parent or guardian who was advocating for their loved one can be as involved in the transition process as they want to be.

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Amanda Hogue, Case Manager

Amanda Hogue: What kind of setting? She wanted her closer, you know, to have more opportunities around her. And then, I mean, based on that, you start looking for a home that can meet her needs and that, you know, has the right kind of people in the home, the right kind of roommates, make sure they can all get along. And then once you find a house, you invite the guardian over, and they look at it and if they like it, and they feel like it'll work out, they can have the person come and look at the house. We didn't do that in this case, 'cause the distance and everything, but her new roommates went down there and met her and we made sure. They hit it off immediately. It's really nice to watch all three of them. They seemed to really enjoy being around each other.

So I just started building the team, based on SORC's recommendations on what she needed for physical therapy and nutritional and equipment, making sure, you know, she had her wheelchair and shower chair and the lifts in the house and you just start building from there and I got lucky. I mean, we all worked really well together.

Ms. Vance: After 40 years, we had a big meeting. A lot of OKDHS staff were there. And that let me know, it was sort of like there was a team that was going to have to let her go and a team that was going to accept her. And you could just feel it in the room. There was a lot of concern and love. And “Oh! Make sure this happens.” And “Do you know this?” And there was a lot of discussion about Letha, with Letha there and my father there. So then we set a date and got everything all coordinated and it happened.

Narrator: After many meetings and phone conversations, the day for Letha to leave SORC and move into her new home arrived. It was time. 

DHS Worker 1: Here she goes. 

DHS Worker 2: How about that?

Ms. Vance: I saw people that have known Letha and worked with her for 40 years. Those ladies had tears in their eyes. My father had tears in his eyes as they were saying thank you to each other. It was very emotional and my father, just the idea of change, and he just was concerned about a change in her life, because that's where she's always been. He knew she was safe. He knew she was comfortable. And now after she's moved and stayed out a month or two, he is going to see that she is also safe and comfortable and will probably see that she's going to blossom.

Narrator: Now that Letha has moved into her home in the community, DDSD continues to work and meet with the providers, the staff, and all the members of her team, including her health care coordinator, nutritionist, as well as the Office of Client Advocacy, and so many more to make sure Letha is safe and has a good life.

In addition to the numerous people on Letha's team, her vocational program manager found an opportunity for Letha to have meaningful work. Several hours a week, Letha goes to Show, Inc. in Sapulpa, an employment training center for adults with developmental disabilities.

Ms. Hogue: When I asked Mr. Vance how I could make him feel better, he told me that I already had and that just working hard and trying my best for Letha and I'll still constantly, I'll call him and I'll just try to reassure him.

Mr. Vance: Well, it's a nice house. For me, it is, because I've never lived in a nice house. It is a good building and a clean place. I appreciate that. And if the girl is going to be happy and well taken care of here, I'm the happiest person in the world. And that is all I was apprehensive about, you know, was her, because she had been 40 years where she was and we had her 10 before that. It makes her now 50. She's my Okie. All of those other kids were California born. And her mother was. But me and her was the two Okies, so that naturally makes us better. (laughs)

Narrator: Sevilla and Lloyd plan to make many visits to be with Letha and so do old friends from Paul's Valley.

Ms. Vance: Oh Gosh! I wish for Letha to have a long, healthy, prosperous life. And she's well on her way. We have her situated. I look forward to more family time with her, because she is in her own home and we can go to her room and we can close the door and watch a basketball game with her. She's got a dog in this home where she lives, little Cleo. She wasn't able to have a puppy dog at Paul's Valley.

It's been a very difficult decision for my father and I have great respect for him with the decision that he made. It was the right decision at the time. And this was the right decision at this time.

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