Markes victim of the system, not criminal
posted by Pensacola 04/15/2008 04:08:25 PM EST
If you like this story,
digg it!
Dianna Fitzgerald, founder of the National Lissencephaly Network, believes Erin Markes is courageous mother who is a victim of the local justice system. In an interview on IN Your Head Radio, Fitzgerald says that she thinks it’s a miracle that Markes kept her son alive this long.
Listen to Fitzgerald interview.
Stop the madness. Drop the charges against Erin and send her son home.
To sign online: Exonerate Erin and Give her child back
http://gopetition.com/petit
ions/exonerate-erin.html
At first glance, this is a horrifying case of neglect. How could any mother not feed her child? Only when you delve deeper into the story will you find the truth. Erin is no criminal, no monster – but a victim of tragic circumstance.
Erin’s son was born with a severe and terminal birth defect of the brain called lissencephaly. (smooth brain) He suffers from seizures, chronic respiratory problems and severe feeding intolerance. He cannot walk, talk, sit, or play like your average baby. Most children like him die before their second birthday. The average age is 5. There is no cure, nor the hope of a cure in the future.
Feeding problems in a child with severe disabilities are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Most times a feeding tube is your first option. But a feeding tube is not a “magic pill” for all feeding problems. In fact, it can open the door to more. Reflux is a condition where the food basically bounces back and forth from the stomach to the esophagus. Hampering absorption of nutrients and medications. In delayed stomach emptying food basically sits there, undigested and unable to properly pass to the small intestine where all foods are absorbed. Most children with lissencephaly have these problems and do fare well once a J-tube is inserted. (Fed directly into the intestine) Erin’s son was not yet given this option. Few doctors are versed with extreme feeding intolerance making the diagnosis and treatment a lengthy process.
Caring for a child with lissencephaly is a 24-hour-a day job. Most families have the luxury of an RN helping them. Erin did all of this on her own. She is a single – extremely young mother who, at the age of 15, was handed a severely sick, dying child with nothing but a pat on the back and a wish to do well. The simple fact that she was able to keep a 10 pound, 4-year-old child with lissencephaly alive speaks volumes to her care. Parents of other children with this disorder applaud and admire her valiant efforts. She did her best. Don’t jump to conclusions by reports that Erin herself states, “I could have done more.” What parent doesn’t wish they could do more? When you are faced with a dying child, certainly you think you could do more. Erin did all she could. >
