A different kid

Marion and her husband never imagined being the primary guardians of their great-grandchildren.

“I really didn’t want to take them, but now I know that it was one of the most wonderful gifts I’ve ever been given,” Marion said.

Brylan is an energetic little boy with unruly brown hair and a glowing smile that makes it impossible to resist smiling back. Though he is small in stature, his personality fills the room.

Life has not always been easy for Brylan. At just nine years old, he was often left in charge at home, taking care of himself and his younger siblings.

“When Brylan was with his mom, he was the man of the house,” Marion said. “He basically took care of his little brother and sister. He had to grow up too fast, and I think that became an issue for him.”

When their mother’s home was no longer a safe place, Brylan and his younger brother moved in permanently with their great-grandparents.

Brylan’s journey to the Ranch was marked by difficulties at home and in school. Marion described how her grandson’s frustration often spiraled into anger and aggression and said she was concerned about his well-being.

“He would get mad. He would throw things around,” Marion said.

Marion worked closely with Brylan’s teachers to manage his emotional outbursts in the classroom, but nothing was working, and they were quickly running out of options.

“It got to the point where he was starting to destroy himself,” Marion said.

Everything changed when Brylan, at age 13, made a pivotal decision for his future.

“He decided that he really wanted to go [to the Ranch] because it’s a place where you [get] help whenever you need it for your emotions,” Marion said.

Like for many kids, transitioning to the Ranch was tough, both for Brylan and his family.

“I cried all the way home, but I knew it was best for him,” Marion said.

When Brylan arrived at the Ranch, he struggled with aggression and impulse control. He became easily dysregulated and simply didn’t have the tools to manage his emotions.

Gerriana, Brylan’s case manager at the Ranch, said, “In the beginning, Brylan struggled with using slurs with staff and doing whatever he could to get under their skin and then look for those reactions.”

But, Brylan worked hard in treatment and engaged in therapy, and by the end of his stay, he had learned new skills and strategies to identify and manage his emotions in a positive, healthy way. He even built relationships with staff members he had struggled to get along with.

“When he left,” Gerriana said, “Brylan told me he was really going to miss one staff member he wasn’t kind to at first, and he shared about the relationship they’d built.”

The changes Marion saw in Brylan throughout his stay were truly transformative. His aggressive outbursts diminished and were replaced by the coping mechanisms he learned in therapy and through interactions with Ranch staff.

“Brylan liked being at the Ranch because there was always someone who would listen,” Marion said. “I think that helped him the most.”

Now back home, Brylan is thriving, and life has improved for his family. He continues to see a therapist to process his emotions. He has occasional setbacks, but is using the coping skills he learned at the Ranch, and even teaching those skills to his brother and teachers.

“He came home, and he told the teachers how to handle him,” Marion said. “They would practically have to go in a closet to laugh. He was just a different kid.”

Before the Ranch, Marion struggled taking Brylan and his brother out because of his impulsive behavior and aggressive outbursts, but after being at the Ranch, the story changed. This past Easter, they took a family trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to visit extended family.

“Taking them places and seeing them have fun excited me,” Marion said.

A grandmother’s reflection

Marion cannot say enough about the good the Ranch has done for her great-grandson and her entire family. She believes that coming to the Ranch was the best thing that ever happened to Brylan.

“Brylan has been through so much and he’s accomplished so much,” Marion said, “and it’s all due to the wonderful people at the Ranch.”

At the Ranch, Marion found the support she needed to ensure Brylan got the help he needed. She felt listened to and supported throughout his stay and appreciated that she was able to visit him at the Ranch and that Ranch staff would bring him home for weekend passes. More than anything, the team never seemed to give up on Brylan.

“I was asking questions, and they seemed to have the answers,” Marion said. “And if they didn’t have the answers, they would surely dig and find them. They were all just so good to my little guy.”