FL - Neglected Boy, 4, Wasted Away to 10 Pounds, Pace

[believe09]

if they let her visit him from jail...ie; took her to the hospital, i am not sure how committed they are to the idea that she had evil intentions...

 

[Kymistry35]

I think the "news" coverage, especially Nancy Grace's piece on this, is disgraceful. I would have trouble dealing with an infantile 4 y/o who has seizures and needs a feeding tube. A teenager should not be expected to deal with this. It took some hunting around for me to find out what his disability is - the news coverage doesn't really let on how severe the condition can be. The cop that keeps giving the interview is making horrible judgments about this tragic situation that he should not be making at all let alone blabbing on national tv. He put her in jail, now he should stfu. She does not deserve to be tried, convicted and crucified on tv for this.

The boy needs a hospital, the mom needs .....a mom. And a grandmom. And some hugs. And where's the daddy????

I disagree with this part of your statement. While I feel deeply for mother and child, SHE chose to go out and get pregnant so IMHO she is expected to deal with it. She is the mother and that is her responsibility.

 

[luthersmama]

Well, how about, "a child should not be expected to provide skilled nursing care to a severely disabled baby without alot of adult help and supervision"?

And who knows whether she "chose" to get pregnant? I have seen no mention of the father, and I wonder whether she may have been raped by a family member, hence the reference to "caretaker". Maybe the boy is also her brother?

 

[Beyond Belief]

Whatever took place here, TWO CHILDREN have been affected.

 

[Taximom]

I'm glad someone here asked where the babydaddy was. I'd sure like to know.

 

[DeltaDawn]

Yes I agree that two children have been affected here. I do not blame her..I can't even imagine how she coped with all this on her own for 4 years. Her family, the child's father and his family and society failed her. We are supposed to provide support in situations like this..where was that? Where was a social worker that should have been checking on her and the child..what were the doc's thinking prior to this..why didn't they help her get the support and $ she needed for this/ If he wasn't given certain meds she probably couldn't afford them any longer.

Society is to blame..we all failed her because our taxes and system are put in place to make sure people in her and her son's circumstance are taken care of and given the help they need.

This story breaks my heart and makes me very angry that so many people let her down and now she is paying for that... this is not right!

 

[Cubby]

So, this girl was 15 when she had this child and has been caring for him for 4 years. From reports, it appears that, at least, up through Sep of last year, she was taking him to docs. Also, $634 + $100-200 in babysitting isn't exactly a landfall for a person who is caring for a 24x7 needs child. Imho, this sounds like a case where the system failed them both. And, unless reports indicate otherwise, I am inclined to think that charging her with a crime is... well... a crime in and of itself.

I agree. No mention of any extended family or help for this poor mom. Like someone else said, we don't know the circumstances under which this child was conceived, and it takes two. Never mind the link Luthersmom provided indicated in more severe cases children with this disorder rarely reach the age of two. Not only did she appear not to have support from her extended family, what was going on with the medical providers seeing this child? Did they not find some kind of support, respite?...... I agree, society failed them both miserably.

 

[Taximom]

I can't figure out why the local "Birth to 3" program wasn't part of the picture. They are usually a wealth of information, financial aid and various other supports like respite and therapies. Once a child turns 3, unfortunately they pass the child on to the local school district for all that. Ha, that's not a lot, believe me.

If she truly took him to see a doctor (or sought medical help) in Feb '08, I don't fault her at all for what happened. Someone then should have stepped in and done something if this wasn't typical for a child with that disease.

I hope she's released soon and then gets all the help she needs. I would even contribute to a fund if there was absolutely no family for her to help her out.

 

[believe09]

I agree. No mention of any extended family or help for this poor mom. Like someone else said, we don't know the circumstances under which this child was conceived, and it takes two. Never mind the link Luthersmom provided indicated in more severe cases children with this disorder rarely reach the age of two. Not only did she appear not to have support from her extended family, what was going on with the medical providers seeing this child? Did they not find some kind of support, respite?...... I agree, society failed them both miserably.

unless this girl was an emancipated minor, how is it possible that she has cared for this angel alone for 4 years? I just want to hug her-and I am not being callous regarding her son...I think that this situation must have been maddening and heart breaking. If you have not experienced seeing a baby then toddler with reoccur ant seizures, it is horrifying.

 

[luthersmama]

Sounds like the hospital staff acknowledged that the underlying brain deformity is going to lead to his death:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/13293/2/comments/#readComments


"Sacred Heart medical staff advised they do not expect (the boy) to survive this hospitalization,” the report states. “They believe this is the inevitable consequence of his medical diagnosis.”

and another mom who lost a child to the same disorder has spoken up:

" In Pensacola, Kammy Tribus, the mother of a 3 1/2-year-old boy who died of a similar brain disorder, said hospice care would likely end with the boy’s death. She said raising a child with a terminal disease is overwhelming — and that the healthcare system failed Markes.


“Why aren’t the social workers who failed her sitting in jail with her?” Tribus said Tuesday, claiming that someone should have helped Markes find resources for her son.

“If you’ve never had a special-needs child, there’s a whole world out there you don’t know about,” Tribus said.

Tribus said her son’s needs were similar to Markes’ — both boys had seizures and required feeding tubes — but Tribus had help finding a full-time nurse paid by Medicaid. "


So she had a nurse but her child died anyway. Poor Erin is being totally screwed by the system.

 

[wildTrose]

I hope they let her out o she can be with him when he passes! I dont think this was intentional, I think she was just too young to understand the ramifications of this disease. This girl has had enough to endure over the last 4 years, why add to her pain and sufferng and not ler her be with her son?

 

[wildTrose]

She has been releases and has supervised visits.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/13323/1

 

[Taximom]

Thanks for the good news, wildTrose.

 

[MCDRAW]

I hope they drop the charges.

 

[luthersmama]

Another article about Erin's release.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080402/NEWS01/80402017#gslPageReturn

Baby's dad is in Missouri. Erin moved to Florida to be with her extended family. If you read the comments, her aunt and sister are among the posters. There are also posters who have had bad experiences with the Dr. that evaluated the kid. It appears that the boy's name is Jayden.

 

[luthersmama]

Looks like the Pensacola newspaper is giving a much more balanced and informative look at this case:


http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804110324

I hope they drop the charges and just order that the kid gets 24/7 skilled care until he dies. Sad situation.

 

[SewingDeb]

Disabled boy's mom finds an ally after jail: National Lissencephaly Network has referred Erin Markes to an attorney

Fitzgerald's organization has referred Markes to Bill McHenry, an attorney at the Michigan-based law firm of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux P.C. The network also is considering forming a legal defense fund for Markes.

The firm's Geoffrey Fieger represented Dr. Jack Kevorkian in his doctorassisted suicide trial.

McHenry did not return a message Thursday. Peter France with the Santa Rosa public defender's office has declined comment on the case.

and

"We are behind Erin 100 percent," Fitzgerald said. "The fact that she has kept this child alive for four years speaks volumes. He has the most severe form of this terminal disease and he has lived far beyond his life expectancy."

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%2520News/1311988/

 

[tempusfugit]

I feel terrible about the post on made early on, of course I jumped to conclusions. I've learned my lesson,! I won't post again on a thread until all facts are in...

 

[SewingDeb]

I feel terrible about the post on made early on, of course I jumped to conclusions. I've learned my lesson,! I won't post again on a thread until all facts are in...

Don't feel bad. All we knew was that a 4 year old was taken away from his mother and he only weighed 10 pounds. Then we also read about how young the mother was, etc. I'm glad she has allies and an attorney now.

 

[tempusfugit]

Don't feel bad. All we knew was that a 4 year old was taken away from his mother and he only weighed 10 pounds. Then we also read about how young the mother was, etc. I'm glad she has allies and an attorney now.

Me too! Not making excuses, but with all the horrific stories you read about child abuse cases, my mind immediately went to dark side!!