Survivor
My Story:
|
Friday, April 13, 2018, my life and my family's life, as we knew it, would be changed forever. We were accused, which meant we were guilty, of abusing our 6 week old son. This accusation was made due to the negligence of the child protective team at the University of Michigan, Mott Children's Hospital.
Our son was born with Rickets. Rickets is a disease in children caused by Vitamin D deficiency. Symptoms of the disease include imperfect calcification, softening and distortion of the bones, which can result in fractures due to normal handling. Laboratory tests confirm our son was bordering on extreme deficiency when he was seen at the University of Michigan April 13, 2018, at just 6 weeks old. Since birth, our son was receiving Vitamin D supplementation as he was exclusively breast fed. Studies confirm the correlation between maternal and fetal Vitamin D levels. In August 2018, 6 months after giving birth, and after the peak of the summer months, my Vitamin D level was checked at routine physical. My level was 8 ng/ml, considered extremely deficient. Why my level was never checked, and why our sons level at birth was never considered can be argued, in my opinion, as either negligence or a willingness to disregard pertinent medical information in order to confirm a diagnosis of abuse, therefore misleading MDHHS, CPS and the courts. An ultrasound and CT scan, both done prior to a skeletal survey, ruled out abuse. Mott Children's Hospital was on a fishing expedition at my son's expense. They performed unnecessary testing, exposing him to unwarranted and unneeded radiation, searching for abuse. All of these tests continued to show no evidence of abuse. The smoking gun: A skeletal survey showed a rib fracture. Hours later, this 1 rib fracture was turned into 4 rib fractures. U of M finally had what they needed. But...our son had a Vitamin D level bordering on extreme deficiency. The staff at Mott Children's Hospital claimed my son had no evidence of a genetic bone disorder or metabolic bone disease. The 5th sentence of this same paragraph (in my son's medical record) claims my son in no way had rickets, yet, the physician prescribed the AAP's (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommended treatment for rickets, which was 2,000 international units per day of Vitamin D for six to twelve weeks, followed by maintenance dosing of at least 400 international units per day. After 8 months, our case was finally dismissed. Our judge, in tears, apologized to us, thanked our attorney, Lisa Kirsch-Satawa, as she presented evidence in our case "rarely seen in his courtroom". A local investigative reporter who has been investigating the director of the child protection team at Mott's Children's Hospital, the accusing physician in our case, for over 5 years, approached us about doing an interview detailing our 8 month nightmare. Reluctantly, we agreed but, I cancelled the interview the day before. I couldn't bring myself to make our nightmare so public, and expose my children. I wasn't ready for this. My husband asked me later that night, "If our story can help just one family, will it all be worth it?". I couldn't argue. He was right (as usual). I couldn't let other families go through this because I was too afraid to tell our story. We rescheduled the interview. The same investigative reporter went even further into what exactly is happening to families due to the child protection team at the University of Michigan, Mott Children's Hospital, directed by Bethany Mohr. That story can be seen here. The day after our story aired, I awoke to numerous emails and messages from families and individuals looking for help. I knew at that moment I needed to do something. My husband saw it in me before I did. He knew I had the strength to not only get through this, but to help other families get through this as well. I needed to do something for families and individuals who find themselves lost after being accused of a crime they know they did not commit. This is just one of the many problems that have come about with the introduction of the sub-specialty, child abuse pediatrics. The physicians, mainly pediatricians who take an exam to become "board certified" as an expert in child abuse, are not diagnosing and treating disease. They are accusing families and individuals of a crime. The ethical violations being committed when a physician "teams up" or "works closely with" CPS agencies and law enforcement is staggering. Advocate
After I started receiving messages from other families across the U.S., desperate for any help they can find, I began to realize the true scale of this issue and how many innocent parents and caregivers are falsely accused of child abuse. This is when I began advocating for other families. The list of things to do is never ending, and every week there is sometimes 2 and 3 new families seeking help. My advocacy includes helping families and individuals find legal counsel. Legal representation is a must when trying to combat accusation of child abuse made by a child abuse pediatrician. With the help of Lisa Kirsch-Satawa, defense attorney and legal consultant for cases related to child abuse and Shaken Baby Syndrome, now referred to as Abusive Head Trauma, we assist families with their defense against allegations of abuse. |
|
|
Speaker
May 2020, I was invited to participate in the Steel on Steel podcast, a nationally syndicated radio talk program with a Christian perspective.
The interview was with host John Loeffler, a 50+ year broadcast veteran, author, speaker and lecturer. He is also a broadcast and media production consultant and news and journalism researcher. CNN/HLN Live Interview, December 16, 2019:
Since our nightmare ended November 2018, I have signed up to address the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan. I have been accepted as a speaker three times now. Here are my addresses to the board.
University of Michigan - Board of Regents meeting - February 21, 2019
University of Michigan - Board of Regents meeting - July 18, 2019
As a mother who has gone through this nightmare, I know how it feels to be accused of such heinous crimes.
I have had to listen to doctors and prosecutors paint me and my husband as monsters, all the while knowing no one would ever harm either of our children. It's hard to imagine or comprehend what something like this feels like unless you have been in this situation. There are a lot of people who have been falsely accused of a crime. Many of which are currently incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit. Whether it's child abuse or something else, to be repeatedly told you did something you know you didn't do is devastating to an individual in so many ways. As a loving mother, to be accused and tried for abusing her child, even when found innocent, is a life sentence. There is a light at the end of this very dark and lonely tunnel. You can overcome. If you interested in having me speak for an event, radio broadcast, podcast or television, please contact to check availability. |
Never be afraid to Raise Your voice for Honesty, Truth and Compassion, against Injustice, Lying and Greed. |