Another patient reunited with her family after being missing for more than three years. Today, she was handed over to her family at Halfway Home, Sabahmuswang.
IlasiewdorGashnga, a social worker at Halfway Home, spoke while handing over the patient to her family: “There is no happiness more joyful than seeing family members reunite after losing their loved ones for many years. It is even more delightful if the person, once lost and presumed dead, suffered from mental illness. Imagine the joy for the family discovering that their loved one, thought to be dead, is alive and they can reunite as a family.”
The Halfway Home, located at Sabahmuswang near Jowai, is run by the Society for Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE) and it is fully funded by the Department of Social Welfare Government of Meghalaya. Till date it has reunited two families with their mentally ill relatives who had been lost for more than three years. In less than a month, the staff of Halfway Home managed to reunite two patients with their families. On May 17, JiratanBibi from Kowarpur, Kamapur, Kamrup District, Assam, was handed over to her family in the presence of Additional Deputy Commissioner, West Jaintia Hills Smt.DV Lyngdoh and DSWO Smt. Ripaia Passah. This marks the first time a patient from a halfway home in Meghalaya has been relocated with their family. Now, with immense joy, we are glad to hand over Glorina/Martina Shadap/Kholar to her family in the presence of Smt. R. Passah, District Social Welfare Organisation (DSWO), ShriRolinsonTeron, and especially the family members of Glorina/Martina Shadap/Kholar.
Halfway Home is a shelter for mentally ill patients who have been treated at MIMHANS and are no longer supposed to stay in the institution. The government moves these patients to Halfway Home for rehabilitation and to see if they can be relocated. There are two government-run Halfway Homes and two run by NGOs. The home at Sabahmuswang, West Jaintia Hills, is run by the Society for Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE).
NiwankaShylla, Project Coordinator at Halfway Home, Sabahmuswang, said, “We are immensely pleased to be part of the journey of uniting two patients of our Halfway Home with their families. It is an experience of a lifetime.”
“On May 17, we handed over JiratanBibi to her family. Today, we hand over Glorina Shadap to her family members,” said Niwanka Shylla. Her case summary report from MIMHANS stated that Glorina/Martina Shadap/Kholar is about 51 years old and was diagnosed with Chronic Schizophrenia. She was admitted to MIMHANS on March 7, 2021, via a medical requisition through Mawlai Police Station. According to the police report, she was found loitering around the Mawiong area around 7:00 PM,” informed Niwanka Shylla.
At the time of examination at MIMHANS, the patient was conscious but uncooperative, with poor personal hygiene, and her speech was irrelevant. While at MIMHANS, the patient was not cooperative, hence detailed information about her family was unavailable. However, with treatment and medication, the patient’s condition improved, and she was able to inform that her name is Glorina Shadap and she is from Karbi Anglong District of Assam. No further details were provided while she was at MIMHANS.
Following her stay at MIMHANS, Smt. Glorina Shadap was transferred to Halfway Home Sabahmuswang on August 11, 2023, along with 11 other patients. On August 15 and 17, during a counselling session with Smt. Ilasiewdor Gashnga, Glorina Shadap, an inmate of the halfway home, shared that she is from Umswai, Amsohbra Village, which falls under Karbi Anglong District. She married twice; her first marriage was to a person named (Late) Romin Marak, and after his demise, she married Shri Lenus Malang from the Tiwa Tribe. She said she has three sons: Sontosh Khorar/Khora, Prakash Khorar/Khora, and Nelson Khorar/Khora.
She also provided more information, mentioning that she has an elder sister named Smt. Regina Shadap, and her sister’s husband is Shri John Teron. She belongs to the Shadap Manner clan and confirmed that John Teron also lives in the same village in an area called Trilate. Glorina recalled being taken by the police to MIMHANS and stated that she is now stable and wishes to return home.
On May 23, 2024, Dr. H.H. Mohrmen, at the suggestion of kong Roda Shylla, contacted his friend, Shri Rolinson Teron (who is also originally from Karbi), and requested his help to communicate with Glorina. Shri Teron visited the Halfway Home on Dr. Mohrmen’s request on May 23, 2024, and interacted with Smt. Glorina Shadap. From this interaction, we learned more about her and her exact origin. After their interaction, ShriTeron mentioned that he has a relative living in the area and would contact her family through him.
Shri Rolinson Teron contacted her family through his relative and was able to talk to her brother-in-law, Shri J. Teron. There was a delay in communication because we depended on friends to help us contact her family. At that time, they said they needed one more week to make the necessary arrangements to come and collect her.
On May 30, 2024, Glorina also interacted with her family through phone calls with the help of Shri Rolinson Teron. On June 8, Shri Teron informed Mohrmen that the family was planning to come and collect her, and it was arranged that they would come on June 12, 2024, at 11 AM. Today, Glorina was handed over to her son and her sister in the presence of R. Passah, DSWO, Dr. H.H. Mohrmen, Secretary SURE, Rolinson Teron, Celina Kholar (Glorina’s younger sister), and her son Nelson Khorar. Celina said, “Glorina has been missing since March 2021, and we searched for her everywhere; we thought she had died.” Her son, Nelson Khorar, said, “I am very happy to see my mother.” Also present was John Teron, Glorina’s brother-in-law.