[georgiagirl_pam]

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A SEVERELY DISABLED CHILD?!?! HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER CARED FOR A SEVERLY DISABLED CHILD?!?
HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE HEART-BROKEN EVERYDAY ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR CHILD AND WANT EVERY BIT OF HAPPINESS FOR YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER THAT YOU CAN SQUEEZE OUT OF LIFE?!? BUT CONVERSELY TO REJOICE IN THE BLESSING THAT YOUR CHILD BRINGS TO YOU AND EVERYONE AROUND HIM EVERYDAY?!?

I DO!!!

MY GOD! SOME OF YOUR HEARTLESS COMMENTS ARE BEYOND ME! I AM NOT EXPRESSING AN OPINION ABOUT THE MOTHER’S DNR DECISION, I AM COMMENTING ON OTHER OPINIONS THAT ARE BEING VOICED HERE.

AND YES, I AM YELLING!!!!!!
Pam

[GovernmentShrinker]

You are perfectly entitled to yell. The voices of parents who have faced or are facing this sort of situation need to be heard the loudest, since they are the most knowledgeable and also have the most at stake when government and its agencies start getting involved in decisions like this.

[SoftballMominVA]

Preach it sister.

Seems like some would just be happier to put these kids in institutions or camps or hide them away from society so that the regular kids aren't traumatized by their presence.

As far as the parents 'squeezing' Uncle Sam for money for educating someone who is not worthy? How do we know she is not worthy? How do we know that the child who is perfectly normal today will not be in a tragic car accident tomorrow and become just like this young lady. That happened to my friend of my daughter. Horrible accident, now she is learning to swallow, control her arm to feed herself, how to indicate she needs a diaper change - all at a public school.

What a waste. Maybe the paramedics should have left her on the side of the road to die and make it easier for everyone else

[Steelerfan]

Well spoken. We may disagee, but assuming these parents are acting out of selfish motives here is wrong. They may very well want to spend every last moment they can with her, and they may be sacrificing those desires because they honestly believe she is happier being around other children.

Again, thoughts and prayers for both this girl and her parents.

[Sopater]

Hi Pam,

I don’t, but I can honestly say that I cannot personnaly honor a DNR order provided by a parent for a child who cannot speak for herself.

That being said, if you have such an order for your child, please don’t leave them in my care, or don’t hold it against me if I do not honor the order.

If presented with such an order, I would feel compelled to make this known to a parent up front.

[imjustme]

Pam I understand your yelling in your post. I am floored by some of the comments here.

Getting a severely disabled child to school everyday is not always easy. Especially if you have been up and down all night with the child. Changing and feeding them, bathing them, dressing them, and getting them ready for the school bus can be draining. Then spending the day washing all their bedding because their diaper leaked and their pillows because they drooled during the night. Not counting having to still function on lack of sleep and be a mom to the other siblings and still get housework done and the list goes on.

It is physically and emotionally draining.

Yes my daughter is such a blessing to us in my family. Reality is reality though. I spent part of this morning trying to get my daughter to eat some breakfast. Just two bites and some fluids. I ended up just holding her and crying.
After some bouts of seizures she regresses and that includes forgetting who to swallow her food. Things we take for granted she forgets.

[Melas]

Far be it for me to ever argue with an emotional woman intent on yelling. Nuff said.

[DeLaine]

Stop yelling Pam. If it would do any good, I’d say yell. But you’re not going to sway any opinions in capital letters.

Once I replied in a post about motorcycle helmets. My son was killed in a motorcycle accident because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. All I asked was that they consider their freedom a little less and consider the pain of those they left behind.
OMG, you’d have thought I’d had asked them to sacrifice their first born child or something. And I didn’t even capitalize!
I immediately recognized I’d taken the discussion too personally because it was so near to me and asked the one who attacked me not to write me again, that I would not respond, but he couldn’t resist. He had to call me names and threaten me, it was all I could do not to respond in anger, but it would have done no good for such a closed and limited mind.

Just as your all caps will antagonize the very ones you are trying to reach.
God bless you and your family.