Before finding support through Guild, Gloria’s world felt small, heavy, and isolating. Living in Wisconsin at the time, she recalls a life marked by limited access to care, transportation challenges, and deep loneliness. Her marriage was strained, her support system felt distant, and her mental health struggles had already been unfolding for decades.
“It just felt very alone,” Gloria said. “Very, very alone.”
Gloria’s journey with mental illness began years earlier, shaped largely by grief. The loss of her grandparents and later many others she loved left a lasting impact. What started as overwhelming sadness grew into something harder to navigate, something that didn’t simply fade with time.
“I could not heal from that grief,” she shared. “It was overwhelming.”
Over the years, Gloria experienced repeated hospitalizations and struggled to find the right kind of care. But everything began to shift when she moved to Minnesota and connected with Guild in 2012. For the first time, she found a system of support that felt responsive, human, and truly centered on her needs.
One of the biggest differences was access — to people, to services, and to hope.
“They’ve got the resources to connect in so many ways,” Gloria said. “I just wouldn’t have known about any of it.”
Through Guild, Gloria was introduced to a wide range of outside supports that helped her regain stability and independence. Occupational therapy taught her practical tools for daily living, including building a Wellness Recovery Action Plan.
She also found comfort in resources like Minnesota’s Warmline, a peer support service she describes as compassionate, reliable, and deeply understanding. These connections helped her combat isolation while giving her a safe space to talk openly about her experiences.
“Sometimes the best things in life are free,” she reflected. “That peer support … it’s just wonderful.”
Equally important has been the Guild team surrounding her. Gloria speaks with gratitude about the providers and staff who have supported her over the years, including her psychiatrist, therapist, and case managers. Having a team, she says, makes all the difference, especially during difficult moments.
“It helps a lot to have a connection with someone who knows what to do,” she explained.
Her case manager even helped her learn how to order groceries online, something that brought her a surprising sense of pride.
“That’s one of the nicest things I’ve ever done for myself,” she said.
For Gloria, one of the most meaningful aspects of Guild’s support is their willingness to meet her where she is — literally and emotionally. With increased anxiety in recent years, traveling can be difficult, so having providers come to her home has been “huge.”
Today, Gloria describes her life with one word: gratitude.
“Finally having hope,” she said, “that maybe we’re actually going to battle this thing in the right way.”
Her journey hasn’t been easy. It has been shaped by grief, loss, and years of searching for answers. But through connection, compassion, and the right support, Gloria has found something powerful on the other side: a sense of stability, dignity, and renewed possibility.
And for anyone wondering what difference that kind of support can make, her answer is simple: “It’s a very good cause. You are helping.”
