In the family now

WESTERN BUREAU:

On Christmas morning 2025, while most families were at home, possibly gathered around their trees or opening presents, certified nurse practitioner and devoted caregiver Rose Marie Glaze was on the streets of Montego Bay searching for a homeless man.

Glaze, in the spirit of goodwill associated with Christmas, wanted to give the man, identified as Kemeila Campbell a proper Christmas at her home, with her family. The plan was that after Christmas, she would return him to the streets, which he had made his home.

Now, almost three months after Christmas, Campbell is still at Glaze’s home, and she has no intention of sending him back on the street – he is now a part of her family.

Life-altering commitment

Glaze told The Sunday Gleaner that a brief holiday act of kindness has since become a life-altering commitment as she cannot bring herself to abandon Campbell, who she considers vulnerable.

“My heart pain mi, I couldn’t leave him. All I planned on doing was to take a mentally ill man off the road for Christmas and take care of him, clean him up and let him have a good time and place him back on the road,” said Glaze, who described the experience as her first act of kindness in that way.

The experience, which has evolved into a beautiful story of compassion had its genesis in Sam Sharpe Square, in Montego Bay, last November when Glaze crossed paths with Campbell, and felt the urge to take an interest in his well-being.

For Glaze, since taking Campbell into her home, she has realised that he still had so much to offer society, so she is working tirelessly to secure placement for him in a nursing home, albeit while struggling to cover the needs of herself and her 21-year-old son.

“My heart cannot allow me to bring him back on the street. I realised that this man can be put back into society with care and empathy,” she said. “If I take him back, he will be full blown mad and start eating out of garbage.”

“No matter how long it takes, I will continue hunting to ensure that I get him into a home so I can go look for him,” added Glaze, who is yet to find a nursing home for Campbell.

“It’s very hard on me to take care of him. I have to clean, bathe and shave him. When I am leaving in the mornings, I make sure he gets breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Glaze, who is no stranger to taking care of patients who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Campbell, who appeared quite calm when The Sunday Gleaner visited Glaze’s home and saw him relaxing in his makeshift room on the family’s veranda, spoke to the happiness he was feeling in his soft-spoken voice.

“I feel happy that she took me in, I feel comfortable. I have been living on the streets for quite some time now,” said Campbell, seemingly quite comfortable in his plywood and tarpaulin room, with modest mattress on which he sleeps.

“I plan on getting work and will do anything I can. I usually work on sites (construction) and I clean yard good,” said Campbell, who at times drifted away, talking to himself.

Campbell believes he is from Coral Gardens, in Montego Bay. However, when Glaze contacted the police and residents in that community, they confirmed he had been living there, but that he was not originally from the area.

“He took me to Coral Gardens and showed me exactly where he had been staying, sleeping under a house bottom on cardboard with dogs,” said Glaze.

According to Glaze, through her own investigations, she learnt from persons, who knew Campbell when he was well, that he is from Kingston.

“He has no clue that he is from Papine, in Kingston, and came to Montego Bay for work. I was informed by people that he became ill and has not returned home in over 10 years,” said Glaze.

Since Glaze has taken in Campbell, she has taken him to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) on four occasions, where doctors referred him to the psychiatric clinic for further evaluation.

“He is not currently admitted to a mental health facility, but for now, doctors have prescribed DPH medication to help him sleep until his appointment on March 24,” said Glaze.

In the meantime, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said there were currently not enough available resources at the St James Infirmary to meet the needs of all the parish’s homeless population.

“The infirmary continues to provide essential care for homeless and mentally ill persons, but demand is currently exceeding available resources,” he said. “The waiting list has grown to over 80 individuals, with new requests [from family and community] coming in daily. This reflects the significant need in our community and the strain on existing facilities.

Vernon further noted that the infirmary has a total capacity of 70 persons, 16 spaces for females and 54 for males and that at present, 42 spaces are occupied, 31 males and 11 females.

“Once operations stabilise, there will be 28 spaces available, 23 for males and five for females. However, this is far below the number of people seeking admission, and we acknowledge that demand significantly outweighs supply,” added Vernon.

While people generally fear being around mentally challenged persons, Glaze says she is not afraid for her own safety, though she is cautious.

“I have to be careful, just like when I am at the home that I usually work,” she said, noting that she usually judges their mood by the facial expression and eye contact. “One patient I dealt with, and cared for, was very aggressive. They call me mom, nurse and old people ‘tehteh”.

ashley.anguin@gleanerjm.com