To the Editor:

I recently stumbled upon an article on the pending fate of the Fairfield Hills buildings.

What really caught my attention was Kent House.

It took me back to the mid-80s when I was a patient who lived in that building for over a year.

This is not just part of my history, but that of Connecticut’s as well. In a strange way I feel very protective of this particular building, a famous landmark in its own right that not only saved me but lots of others.

I was just out of high school when I was put into Fairfield Hills Hospital.

I would often look out my window at the beautifully kept grounds below, where we were allowed to walk during the day.

Although this was an “asylum” I somehow felt safe behind those bricks and bars.

I was in a ward in Kent House that had many severely mentally ill people. It was a “mixed” ward, with males and females. Sleeping quarters and rooms were separated, and hanky-panky between sexes was highly discouraged.

I learned to care about them all on some level because we were all going through this together.

Visitors were allowed right outside the ward entrance, where there were tables and chairs. This area also doubled for a place where we had “socials,” a kind of break from our routine.

There was an occasional “disruption” with an upset patient but it was always quickly diffused by the staff in a very professional manner. I saw nothing but respect between staff and patients.

As for the tunnels, they were helpful in times of severe weather so we could go safely from one building to another for meals or meetings. I never saw any “bodies” being transported in the many times I went through.

Before this all happened to me, I was just a girl who grew up in Newtown. I spent my childhood going to Hawley School, Newtown Middle School, and finally graduating from Newtown High School.

I now live on the other side of the state, but my heart is still in Newtown with the old Smoke Shop, the famous Flagpole, and watching $1 movies at the Edmond Town Hall.

I show my love and support for my town every December on “the anniversary” by tying white and green ribbons on my car and having “Sandy Hook Promise” written on the back window with hearts and angels. I drive around with my hazards on during the moment of silence.

Newtown is my heart and Fairfield Hills is part of my history. Connecticut should show it that respect by giving it a proper place in the state’s history by saving Kent House and the other buildings.

I think they at least deserve that level of recognition for how they helped not just me, but the countless others who came there for treatment, keeping me and others feeling safe and secure inside the bricks and barred windows of Kent House.

Lynn Torielli

Groton

PS — If Kent House is made into apartments, I want to be the first on the list for one, with an extra special deal on the rent of course having been a former tenant (LOL).