Early one morning, Jamie Lewis- Ojeda had a special request of his direct support professional (DSP): military- style exercise.
His DSP that day,and many days, is Mike Ceidro, a veteran of both the U.S Armed Forces and his current work with Achieva, with about one year of familiarity with Jamie.
"I didn't think he really knew what he was asking for," Mike said, and suggested a walk instead. But to honor Jamie's adventurous spirit, he suggested a trip to Laurel Caverns in Farmington, PA.
Many of Jamie's excursions are local to his Greensburg community home, but this one required a one-hour drive and plenty of guts: It's Pennsylvania's largest cave system with about four miles of passageways.
The duo opted for the 40-minute guided tour, but when the tour guide seemingly took a wrong turn, the group hiked deeper into the cave than expected. Multiple tour groups simultaneously converged because of the misstep, and with only narrow passageways back out, Jamie looked toward Mike for cues on how they'd handle their unforeseen circumstances. "I was like, 'Well we're already in the cave. There's no way out of this place," Mike said. "We just have to keep going," which gave Jamie the boot-camp experience he hoped for.
"That kind of reinforced the power of speaking things into existence because, by the time we were out of the lower section of the cave, it was a military-grade exercise," Mike said. "We were both breathing pretty heavily, and our hearts were pounding pretty good."
"We coached each other along, joked along the way, and made it out."
Jamie has spent all of his 23 years in the foster care system and community home settings. He often expresses insecurity when socializing as a result. But while 200 ft underground with only slim, slippery pathways separating him from sunlight, he was different.
He admits the extra adventure was "scary", but he soldiered on: "There was a steep hill, but I knew I could do it."
On his way through, he enjoyed the sight and feel of the rocks and the colored spotlights which showed upon them, especially those in hues of blue, green, or orange. The narrow spots didn't bother him, and neither did the view from Chestnut Ridge when they exited the cave, despite it being more than twice the height of Pittsburgh's Mount Washington.
In fact, the only thing on his mind when they were finished was how "awesome" he felt- a feeling made stronger by the pair's genuine, unscripted adventure.
"He was smiling, laughing. We just had a good time going through it, and he was very excited at the end to say he did it," Mike said. "And as he says, 'Mike jammed me up."
It's a running joke between the two- a jab from one guy to another- for non-ideal situations. It's easy to know that Jamie was kidding, though because he already asked for another chance at caving. Thanks to Mike's research and mutual thirst for adventure, that one will involve exploring a cave via rowboat.
Much like Jamie's reaction to an extra-long cave tour and the mountainous heights at its end, his adventurers spirit is ready for that next opportunity: "It's not too big for me."