Leon Regains His Health and Entrepreneurial Spirit at Harbor Care

Meet Leon

Leon grew up in Carson, California. He described his home life as dysfunctional and stated, “We were the problem family on the street.” The home was plagued with alcoholism and abuse. Oftentimes, Leon would take off on his bicycle to escape the issues at home. Despite his challenging home life, Leon was able to graduate high school with honors. Not knowing what he wanted to do next, he made his way over to the local community college where he started studying electronics and automobiles. However, Leon discovered the career pathway that best suited his nature was entrepreneurship.

Leon’s Journey

Leon used his savviness and intelligence to open a store that sold workout equipment. Due to the success, he was eventually able to open a second store, which was also met with great success. However, when he opened a third store, things took a turn for the worse because of some misplaced trust in business partnerships. This led to the closure of his business. Fortunately, he was able to use his skills to sell equipment on eBay, which kept him financially afloat for a while. Unfortunately, his mental health began deteriorating. Every morning, Leon would wake up and say to himself, “What do I have to do to get through today?” And when the pandemic hit, his finances took a hit, then his car was hit, and Leon was left in a vulnerable state. Difficulties kept piling up on Leon and it was breaking him. He was evicted from his home. Years of trauma and negative programming were manifesting. His psychological toil took a physiological toll. A severe heart attack landed Leon in the hospital. The medical professionals were able to help him get stabilized and heal enough for discharge, but Leon now had no support to discharge to. Fortunately, the hospital social workers referred him to Harbor Care Center.

How Harbor Helped Leon

When Leon first got to Harbor, he was barely able to move around without getting exhausted. He would take short walks around the facility but would quickly run out of energy and be forced to return. His heart issue stole all his stamina. He was physically and mentally drained. Harbor helped him get back on his feet. Leon said, “I can sleep whenever I want, they do my laundry, they cook for me, and the self-administered dispensing of meds is regimented so there is no forgetting when and if I took my medications.” Slowly, but surely, Leon was able to improve his walking ability. His short walks became long. One of his passions was tennis, and during his final days at Harbor, he’d hop on his bike, ride to the park, and play some matches. The Harbor Care case management team connected Leon to benefits and housing. Leon will be moving into an independent living center in Van Nuys. Leon now has a restored body and spirit and he’s grateful to Harbor Care for helping him through a tough season in his life. He has plans to explore new innovative ideas that come from his entrepreneurial spirit and build a new business.