The Bishins Family Story

When Sandy Bishins had to make the difficult decision to place her son Dan in an adult community for the developmentally disabled, she was fortunate that a family member knew about a great program on the eastern shore of Maryland - Benedictine. This decision and acceptance into the program was the best thing that could have happened for both Dan and Sandy.

Dan has been developmentally disabled from birth and attended public school where he did not thrive. Sandy knew he needed to learn life skills, including job development skills, not history. Sandy was able to get him in a private school where he thrived. After graduation, Dan was living with his single mom and the challenges were too great. Dan is on the autism spectrum, is cognitively impaired, and also suffers from varying degrees of blindness in both eyes. So at age 25, Dan joined Benedictine. During visits to Benedictine, Sandy was incredibly impressed by the group homes and how much care and love Dan receives from the Benedictine staff. Communication between the staff and Sandy also eased her mind. It was such a relief to know that Dan was safe and well cared for.

At Benedictine Dan has learned a great deal of independence and his mother has really seen him thrive socially. He loves to celebrate birthdays and go to dinner, bowling, and the movies with his friends. He especially loves sports and has attended Ravens games in Baltimore and Shorebirds games in Salisbury. Dan also worked at Acme in Chestertown where he was recognized for his service! Recently Dan developed a condition which causes fainting and unfortunately, for safety reasons, is no longer able to work.

Sandy knew throughout this long, challenging journey that she would have to ensure Dan is taken care of after she passes. Dan receives social security and Medicaid. If she were to leave her assets to him in her will, he would lose those benefits. Therefore, Sandy set up a Special Needs Trust for Dan to cover extra expenses during his lifetime, that will ultimately benefit Benedictine and those it serves. Sandy has also recently started doing Facebook fundraisers as a way to support Dan and Benedictine. With the support of friends and family, Sandy has raised over $2500.

Dan will be heading out to Las Vegas soon to visit with his dad. Sandy is so grateful that Benedictine allows Dan to live a fulfilling life and allows her do things like travel to Florida to be with her mother. She is eternally thankful to Benedictine and the staff who care for and support Dan.