For Ms. Kumba, Parkview Villa is a home she loves. Since moving there in 2004, she has found comfort, caring relationships, and a place where she wants to stay.
Born in Liberia, Ms. Kumba came to the United States in 1994, seeking safety from the war ravaging her home country. Before she was able to flee, she endured confinement in a forced treatment center with severe beatings that injured many parts of her body. When she arrived in the United States, her injuries, including broken feet, required immediate hospitalization and a lengthy recovery.
The trauma she experienced has made memories of Liberia difficult to recall. In fact, when asked about how old she was when she escaped, Ms. Kumba said she wasn’t sure. But when she speaks about coming to America, her gratitude is clear. Here, she says, she is happy and free.
A mother of 11, two of whom she has lost, Ms. Kumba also faced the pain of separation from her family. Her youngest child was just four when she left Liberia. As her family fled the violence, the chaos was so intense that she couldn’t find all of her children, as well as her husband.
After receiving political asylum, Ms. Kumba began working toward bringing her children to the United States. Five years after her arrival, she was able to apply for their asylum. Eventually, she was able to reunited with some of them; they were young when they came, but today have families of their own.
Ms. Kumba also applied for asylum for her husband, but his application was denied. He later became ill in Liberia and died in 2004. After his death, their children still living in Liberia were immediately also denied asylum.
Building a life in the Twin Cities took determination. Ms. Kumba initially lived with her brother. After getting her first job, she moved into a fifth-floor apartment on Franklin Avenue. She later lived in several homes throughout the area as her family’s needs and circumstances changed.
For a time, she worked at a nearby hospital. One day, while walking to work, she fell in the snow and broke her foot… again. When asked what motivated her to go to work when the weather was so horrible, she answered simply: “because I needed money.”
Injuries and financial hardship made housing difficult at times. An uncle helped by providing an affordable home where her children could stay and attend school. But after his death, the new owner kicked them out and she again needed a place to live.
Then Nancy, her social worker, found Parkview Villa.
Ms. Kumba moved into Parkview Villa in 2004, coincidentally the same year her husband passed away. She loved it immediately. 22 years later, she still resides in that same unit.
Among the people who have made her home special is Mary Ann, a Resident Connections Coordinator with Aeon. Ms. Kumba is deeply thankful for her work and care, and she thinks of Mary Ann as a daughter.
Now 92 years old, Ms. Kumba lives with lasting injuries from trauma years before. Some days she feels well; other days are harder. Through those changes, her faith sustains her. She says she remains standing by the grace of God.
Her children often ask whether she needs anything or would like to move; she tells them she loves her home.
When Ms. Kumba reflects on her life, she returns to her gratitude: for freedom, for the people who have helped her, and for the home she has made at Parkview Villa.
