“I haven’t smiled in 35 years.”
Sterling Bishop, a 57-year-old man from Cincinnati, Ohio, flips proudly through the pictures on his phone as he shows off his beloved daughter’s wedding photos from last July. “I didn’t smile here though,” Bishop said. “I wanted to smile so bad, but I didn’t want to mess up her moment.”
Bishop began having problems with his teeth in adolescence, and ultimately lost them about three decades ago. He now smiles brightly at the photos; his new set of full dentures a glistening white. “Hopefully we get to retake that picture.”
In March of 2017, Bishop moved to Atlanta to find faith. Sure enough, he found it at Atlanta Mission homeless shelter. He succeeded in establishing a community and support network around him – an often impossible task for the transient population. He had found a lifeline. But like others experiencing homelessness, he struggled to find basic resources like food, shelter, and a medical home that could help him get healthy and stay healthy.
Enter Mercy Care, a network of 11 clinics and mobile clinic sites dedicated to caring for vulnerable populations without health insurance. The Atlanta Mission is one of Mercy Care’s many community partners where Sterling found the dental services he needed.
“Mercy Care has been a blessing, a blessing, a blessing.”
Gerard Reid, a 19 year Mercy Care employee, is a resource specialist who helped Bishop to access the dental work he needed. “[Mr. Reid] puts confidence in people’s life. He saves people’s lives. They can get jobs now. They can face reality now. A smile carries you a long way. And it makes you happy and builds up your self-esteem. I never thought the day would come. But now I know God sent me here for a reason,” Bishop remarked.
Through Mercy Care, Bishop also found housing. “I have to thank Miss Beverly. I haven’t missed a Tuesday seeing her,” Bishop said. Beverly Kerr-Caesar, a senior mental health specialist in case management, has aided numerous clients just like Sterling Bishop in finding housing in the 12 years she has worked at Mercy Care.
Now equipped with a support system and smile to match, Bishop said he feels recharged.
“What changed in my life is confidence, a smile. You got all your teeth in your mouth; that gives you hope and builds up your confidence. I feel like I’m a totally different person. This smile gave me hope. Yes, it did! And it’s given me a chance to give other people hope.” — Sterling Bishop
Indeed, Mr. Bishop has taken that confidence and expressed a great desire to pay it forward. Bishop volunteered in Atlanta Mission’s kitchen for a year, and is a men’s group leader in his church community. He has received encouragement to become a pastor himself.
“My mission is just helping people. Helping the homeless, wherever that lands me. Just somewhere that I know I’m helping. My mission is to keep giving back…When I see the women and children on the streets, I give what I can. I’d rather starve myself than let them starve.”
His dream is to one day have a truck of his own that he can fill up with food and distribute to those in need. Though the future is never certain, Bishop is confident that with this support network, he can continue to make a difference.
“Me, myself? I’m blessed now. Thank God for Mercy Care. I haven’t smiled in 35 years. Mercy Care blessed with a new set of teeth, blessed me with these glasses, blessed me with housing. I love this place.”
