Our Remarkable People

Meet Joy and Jeanne

Meet 53 year old Joy Barsoian and 39 year old Jeanne Hendricks. This is the story of how they came to live together. Joy was 21 at the time and Jeanne was 7.
It was 33-years ago, and Joy was living outside of New York after college where she received a degree in psychology and human development. Joy’s sister was working for a residential program in NH and wanted to be close to Joy so she set up job interviews for her. One of them involved Jeanne, who has hyperactivity and seizure disorders and who suffered a stroke when she was 2 years old. According to Joy, Jeanne needed to be helicoptered out of her home for treatment on almost a daily basis until she was finally removed to a residential program. That’s where Jeanne was on the day she met Joy. Joy says Jeanne took one look at her and offered to share her toys. “Instant connection,” says Joy. So Joy moved to New Hampshire, which proved to be life changing for both women. Joy worked with Jeanne from age 7 to 14 in a residential and school setting. Jeanne began to spend her weekends at Joy’s home when she was about 14 years old. As Joy remembers, “I was watching all the kids go home for the holidays and Jeanne would just stand at the door. I told her she’d always have me, that I’d always be there for her.”Jeanne moved full time into Joy’s home, with Joy as her guardian. It was supposed to be temporary until a provider could be found to provide a permanent living solution. Enter Nashua Center leadership, who urged Joy to also become the provider so she could make her home Jeanne’s permanent place. Joy says she needed Jeanne to be safe and happy but was hesitant and wasn’t sure she could actually do it. Nashua Center assured her they would work out something. Joy listened and believed....... After Joy became Jeanne’s guardian and provider, she could be with Jeanne 24 hours a day. A little over 16 years have passed since, and Joy and Jeanne have always been together. They have moved several times, and Jeanne helped pick out their current residence which she calls it “happy home.” Joy says, “At first Jeanne didn’t have the love or the grounding. Now she is more relaxed. Jeanne knows this is her home, and she has strong connections with the church and her family and friends. She doesn’t try to leave on her own, which she would do at her previous program.” “Her mom has supervised visits with her, and her dad sees her every other weekend. They are awesome visits,” says Joy with great pleasure. “Jeanne is very caring and loving,” says Joy. Just some of her many examples: “Jeanne loves to make Christmas cards for soldiers and for many years would mail out cards, and even got a letter thanking her, which made her very proud.” “Jeanne enjoys traveling, walking at the YMCA, and animals. She regularly goes to the local animal shelter where she plays with the cats.” “Jeanne is mobile and understands a lot. When she is home, she’ll say ‘my room,’ when she is in there.” “When my then boyfriend Jeff, now my husband, had to have surgery, she was able to offer her support, and accompanied me to the hospital to visit and helped walk him to the car when he was going home. Jeanne worked her way into his heart. She calls Jeff, ‘friend, friend.’” What Joy does is demanding. “I lost 100 pounds the first year I worked with Jeanne. But the effort is always worth it. Jeanne is my friend, and no one should walk this life alone. I love that girl.” Joy has no children; a decision that came with careful consideration because of the life she chose to lead with Jeanne. About Nashua Center, Joy says, “Nashua Center is always there if Jeanne ever needs anything. They provide money, monitor her medicals, and are an extreme advocate.