Joseph’s Home, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System, empowers men who are experiencing homelessness and acute illness to heal in a nurturing, faith-based environment and achieve independence. Recent graduate Jamie is one of those men.

Jamie was hit by a bus while riding in a cab, which injured his knee and left him unable to work. He came to Joseph’s Home to heal, manage his health and keep a positive outlook. His story, which was recently shared in the Joseph’s Journey newsletter, is below:

A Life Transformed: Bouncing Back from Being Hit by a Bus

Jamie knows what it’s like to get hit by a bus. Literally and figuratively.

The first time was figurative. It was 1993 and he was working two jobs and studying full-time for a nursing degree when one August day he and a roommate got in an argument about money. The roommate pulled a gun. Jamie had a split second to react. Trying to defend himself, they struggled and the gun went off. His roommate was hit and killed.

In an instant, his life was shattered.

Without witnesses to corroborate his story, he was convicted of manslaughter and served six years in prison. His conviction meant he was unable to pass the background check required for a career in nursing—or many other jobs. He managed to make a living for a few years working as an unlicensed caregiver for family and friends.

Then he got hit by a bus—literally

He was riding in a cab that was broadsided by a city bus. At first glance, it appeared that he had escaped major injury. But then his right knee started swelling and hurting. Unable to work, he lost his apartment.

He had surgery, but struggled to rehab his knee while living in homeless shelters.

In September 2015, he was admitted to Joseph’s Home, where he could rest his knee in the privacy of his own room. And perhaps even more importantly, he found that he could talk with the Joseph’s Home staff and volunteers. With their support and encouragement, he worked to process his emotions, manage his health care and keep a positive outlook.

“Joseph’s Home is like a home to me. There’s still a lot of pain, but they’ve eased of lot of that for me,” Jamie said.

In March, Jamie found an apartment that accepted him in spite of his felony. He looks forward to participating in the Joseph’s Home Alumni Advisory Board and, if possible, he wants to help encourage and mentor future residents on their journey out of homelessness.