Carrie and Cory’s Story: A Young Couple in a New City
In early 2014, Carrie and her fiancé Cory moved from Fort McMurray to start a new life in Edmonton. They came to Jewell Manor in April 2014 as a brand new couple living together for the first time in a two bedroom apartment. Carrie wanted to relocate to Edmonton to be closer to her family. Carrie's Mom is a Foster Parent and Carrie has had many Foster Brother & Sisters with whom she remains close. Carrie and Cory have been hosting occasional family suppers in their new home. Carrie also goes to church with her family and spends Sundays with them. She is thrilled to be here in Edmonton and to be so close to her family.
Carrie and Cory had no clue how to start their life together in their own place. Like most new young couples, they fumbled trying to figure out how to cope with everyday little things, and with big decisions like monthly finances. With the help of the staff at Jewell Manor, Cory and Carrie are getting everything figured out, particularly with taking care of their home, cooking, and managing finances.
Carrie and Cory have been taking the ETS bus, but Carrie recently got DATS because of her seizures. In addition to Cerebral Palsy, Carrie suffers from seizures, which are triggered when change happens. This presented many challenges at the start, but now the staff know what triggers to look for, so that she doesn't suffer through so many seizures because of sudden stress or excitement. Carrie knows exactly what kind of medications she is on and knows a lot about her condition. Cory is a big help to Carrie when it comes to a seizure; He runs to get staff, and is there to support Carrie through the whole thing. In turn, Carrie helps Cory with communication. Cory stutters quite a bit, so Carrie helps him because she understands him when he talks or she knows what he is talking about by certain words. Both Carrie and Cory have great personalities.
The couple have both found jobs in Edmonton. Carrie works for Superstore. Her job involves in putting carts away, bagging groceries, putting products back on the shelf, and facing the shelves. Carrie has a good working relationship with the other Superstore employees and loves her job.
Cory works in the kitchen at The Pint Public House & Sports Bar. “I work in the kitchen and help with washing the vegetables for meal preparations and also cleaning the kitchen. I really enjoy my job and plan on staying for a long time,” says Cory with a wide, proud grin. He is highly respected by his coworkers.
“Cory keeps the kitchen running and clean. He helps out in every way, prep and dishes. Easily the most upbeat guy in the kitchen.” -Duncan
“He makes sure everything is prepared for the day, clean organized. He’s always willing to help out. He has a positive attitude and people feed off of him. He has this willingness to help and contribute.” -Ocean
“Cory does his work, says hi, gets everything done on time, makes jokes. He’s a big part of the team.” -Scott
“Cory is a bright light and always has a positive attitude.” -Breanna“He’s always positive, always has a smile and he’s really funny!” -Kip
Carrie & Cory are well-liked at Jewell Manor. They have a good relationship with their neighbours and get together with them regularly. Everyone at Jewell likes to go out as a group to all the events in the city. Carrie is very good at being neutral when it comes to problems that might arise with some other individuals. She doesn't take sides and is friends with everyone. Carrie and Cory are good neighbours, and they both help the other Individuals at Jewell whenever they can.
Story and photos by: Mackenzie Linnen, Marilyn Ponech, and Ally Duncan