Dana- I don't know the name of the facility my niece is in. It's in the suburbs of Philly. She ran away last year and was gone for 4 days before one of her sisters found her. The took her to police station, because she was stoned. She gave the cops a hard time, threatened to burn the house down and said she would run away again. She had to go before a judge and he sent her to an outward bound type program. They kicked her out because she was fighting with the staff. Now she's at the current facility. It was rough for the first few months, but she's been doing better. It's just that she can fly off the handle in a blink of the eye. As soon as she doesn't get her way, she goes crazy.
Her probation officer told her if she didn't get her act together and the staff at this facility felt they could not do anything else with her, she would be transferred to another facility in a different part of the country. Then she wouldn't be able to see her family at all, because of the distance.
She gets therapy sessions a few times a week, so we're all hoping she continues to progress.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Since you and your Mom have tried to help him and he doesn't seem to care or want the help, it may be time for him to go away to get professional help. And while it may not sound "right", you and your family need some peace of mind and don't need the stress and frustration that he is causing. It's time for him to help himself. He's the only one who can make himself change. No matter how much anyone else tries to help him, he has to put forth the effort. Until he does, it'll just be more stress and worry for you. If he is away, you can have some relief and know that he has help available to him and he won't be able to hurt anyone in your family.
Terri
Her probation officer told her if she didn't get her act together and the staff at this facility felt they could not do anything else with her, she would be transferred to another facility in a different part of the country. Then she wouldn't be able to see her family at all, because of the distance.
She gets therapy sessions a few times a week, so we're all hoping she continues to progress.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Since you and your Mom have tried to help him and he doesn't seem to care or want the help, it may be time for him to go away to get professional help. And while it may not sound "right", you and your family need some peace of mind and don't need the stress and frustration that he is causing. It's time for him to help himself. He's the only one who can make himself change. No matter how much anyone else tries to help him, he has to put forth the effort. Until he does, it'll just be more stress and worry for you. If he is away, you can have some relief and know that he has help available to him and he won't be able to hurt anyone in your family.
Terri
Knowing me, I would completely forget. Consider it added to the packing list.
I had a similar experience with one of mine about 18 months ago. He made it to the hospital, but afetr his exam we discovered there was no chance he would recover and would suffer greatly if we tried to maintain him so I had to make the very difficult decision to let him go. I was there with him when he died so I know just how you feel. Working out really helped me deal with my grief.
WTG on signing up for your 5K. That's great. Boy, I haven't run a race for at least 8 or 9 years, but I'm going to do some this year.
, maybe because I've been begging for a Bowflex for months. 
on signing up for your 1st 5K!!! You are going to have the best time--I love running 5K's. 
My first 5K was in August, I finished in 39:04 doing the walk/run. I'm looking forward to doing a 5K now that I'm up to 5r/1w.
and tell you how sad I am for your loss. My furbaby (a 5 year old cairn terrier named Cali) is so incredibly precious to me that I know I will want her in my arms when it is time for her to leave us (I hope not for a very very long time). I hope you and Shanghi can console each other. 
Here's a non-caloric, no sugar, diabetic-friendly cake for you! 
