Quincy woman's obstacle list is long: Homelessness, mental illness and quadriplegic father
QUINCY − Seven years ago Dominique Pina was working at a job she loved. But things suddenly took a turn.
The 45-year-old began having auditory hallucinations, which she described as "amplified sound, as if you were at a concert." Later she would go through abnormal episodes, finding herself walking down the street, talking out loud to herself. "You can't control it," she said of her symptoms.
"It was scary," said Pina, who grew up in Plymouth and now lives in Quincy. "I never had mental illness before. I was fine. I was working. Just living life."
Unable to continue work as security operations supervisor at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Pina became homeless. Even then, she didn't give up. Though living on the streets, she volunteered for the Council on Aging's Meals on Wheels program in Plymouth. Soon her volunteer work turned into a part-time job.
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"It was awesome because I got to be around the elderly people," said Pina, who has a degree in criminal justice from Quincy College. "I'd go to Dunkin' Donuts in the morning to use the bathrooms and wash up, and then to Meals on Wheels."
But Pina's symptoms would come and go and she stopped working. She was in and out of mental health facilities while homelessness, having occasional episodes, and side effects from the medications prescribed to her.
Eventually a doctor found the right medication, which allowed Pina to stabilize her life and begin planning for the future. She now attends Quincy College, where she studies computer science with a focus on cyber security. She plans to graduate in 2023.
Unfortunately, her elderly father suffered a serious injury just as Pina was getting back on her feet.
Pina's father had a fight with a man living in the same housing facility, who called him the N-word during the argument. Later they met at the top of a stairway and quarreled over who would descend first.
Pina said her father was pushed down the stairs and broke his neck, rendering him a quadriplegic. He spent the next eight months at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. He got a staph infection on his back while hospitalized, a condition which continues to plague him.
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Pina said he's not eating because of the infection, and that his body is degenerating. "He takes a tube feed," she said. "He can't really swallow, and he'll aspirate because of the tube in his nose. The infection won't heal. He's just fighting."
Pina's family got her father a place in Kingston. "When he's out of the hospital, I stay there," she said. "Me and my nephew take care of him, and I travel to school and back." She could use a help to cover transportation costs between Quincy and Kingston.
Pina acknowledged that caring for her father while restarting her career can be a difficult balancing act. "You get through it," she said. "I want to do both of them. Of course I'm going to be there for my father, and I want to further my education."
Over the holidays, Pina plans to devote some time to volunteering with Interfaith Social Services, a commitment which is informed by her own trials. She hopes her story will help others too.
"People who are homeless, with sudden mental illness, I say stay strong. It can be frustrating, but you can get through it, especially if you reach out to (social service) organizations. There are good people in those organizations." Pina said
"If you're frustrated, things can still change," she continued. "You can still grow and be successful."
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Dominique Pina now studies computer science at Quincy College
