Identified! TN - Carryville, LIVING female, 15-21, mentally disabled, Jun'12 - Lynn Cameron

[LucyOso]

I hope that this mother is at some point in the future given the opportunity to share her side of this story. There is obviously much to be learned from this situation.

Eva Cameron says that Lynn refused to use the bathroom at one establishment. I also observed the general body language displayed by Lynn and her caregivers in the video footage. I get the distinct impression that Lynn has very much the attitude of a typical teenager wanting her independence but completely lacking the cognitive capacity to do so in a safe and socially appropriate manner. Lynn is quite tall, perhaps much more so than her mother. Depending on Lynn's particular set of behaviours, she may have presented a significant threat to her mother's safety and that of others living in the home. Eva had another child to care for and if something (ie. being injured) happened to prevent her from providing that care, her other child would be at risk.

Despite what MSM initially reported, Eva Cameron did NOT open the door of her vehicle and shove Lynn curbside in front of a seedy strip joint. Lynn went in to use a restaurant bathroom independently when another patron became concerned and subsequently notified police. Police arrived quickly, all while the mother watched from a safe, discreet distance. She seized the opportunity, likely breathed a sigh of relief (one she had probably been holding for 19 years) and drove away.

BBM. Depending on what a media outlet wants the public to know and believe based on consumer interest and sensationalism a story like this can be portrayed to vilify the mother. It is all about ratings and selling to the average public, not about true and pure journalism. And the general public reads everything as if it were 100% sacred truth. Truth by ommission. They let the public fill in the blanks with their imaginations. Thank you for researching further and showing the mother did in fact watch until see was safe. Amazing how those "little details" get left out of stories. How horrible is it for a mother to have to choose between 2 children? Essentially, that is what she had to do because she could not get assistance from the state she lived in.

 

[hollyblue]

ALGONQUIN – An Algonquin woman accused of abandoning her severely disabled 19-year-old daughter at a Tennessee bar late last month said Tuesday that she brought her daughter to the state because it has the "No. 1 health care system in the United States of America

http://www.nwherald.com/2012/07/10/algonquin-mother-wont-take-disabled-teen-back/awybm7g/


None of those who are bashing this mothers decision live in Illinois. I live in Illinois. There is really no more funding for the disabled. There were massive cuts which went into effect in June of this year. It's really not good. This mother did not kill her daughter like we've seen with so many others. She brought her daughter to a state which she believed could provide her daughter with care she could not in Illinois.

Tennessee will see more of this in the future....of people moving there from other states for their health care. (Tencare) What I have a question about is why specifically Careyville? She drove almost all the way to other side of TN?

I may have missed it, but is she married/divorced/alone in dealing with all of this? I don't know anything about having a child with disabilities, but it would be almost impossible if she's single. IMO So, so sad, but I do hope the authorities will check on her other children.

 

[yorick]

I just got back from vacation and I was sure glad to see that she has been identified.

Thanks to all of you fellow WSers that kept a vigil going until her identity was discovered.

I hope and pray that she is well cared for now and for the rest of her life.

 

[yorick]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jul/26/disabled-woman-left-here-by-mother-to-be-to/

On Wednesday, a judge decided: The 19-year-old intellectually disabled woman whose mother left her in a Caryville bar June 28 will return to her home state of Illinois.

 

[youshouldveknown]

Didn't someone mention that there were power outages in the area? And it was around 10:30pm? Could it be that this bar was the first place open? I truly hope the story about Lynn going in to use the restroom and police being called is accurate.

I work with a number of older developmentally disabled individuals, some by birth and others through injury and abuse. Lynn is only 19 years old and may look small, but when DD individuals go through a fit (of rage but any emotion really) they can become extremely violent and strong. It's difficult to subdue them or calm them. And these fits could be brought on by ANYTHING.

 

[MsRyber]

Here in Ontario, my aunt was refused supports for my cousin, who had CP, microcephaly, and MD. Her husband left her, not paying a dime in support. Left the province completely. My aunt worked 2 jobs to afford my cousin's care. We helped with grocery shopping, etc., so that her time away from work was just with my cousin. In the end, she mortgaged the house twice, claimed bankruptcy, all because of the costs of care, about $35,000 a year. Even though she was at the level of a 4 year old and could not feed, dress, communicate, etc., the province didn't deem her needs severe enough. So my aunt took her to city hall (with an appointment to see the head of community services) and told her that if her needs weren't "severe" enough, then the head of community services shouldn't mind watching her for a few hours while my aunt caught up on some sleep, having worked two 8 hour shifts back to back. She put her wrists out and begged to be arrested. She said then her daughter would get the care she needed and she could get some sleep.

Amazingly, the city magically found money for my cousin.

Disgusting that these are LIVES that politicians feel they can put a price on and based on some "formula", who can receive subsidized care and who can't.

My cousin died when she was 19 from pneumonia. To this day, although my aunt is absolutely heartbroken that my cousin died, she was heartbroken and relieved all at the same time. She fought the system for 16 years. She couldn't take it anymore. No matter how much some parents love their children, the lack of resources, sleep, support, etc., can drive parents to the unthinkable.

 

[Cubby]

While her actions were “inexcusable,” an Algonquin mother will not face criminal charges for abandoning her 19-year-old disabled daughter at a Tennessee bar, according to the district attorney general in Campbell County, Tenn.

That was the conclusion of a grand jury that investigated whether Eva Cameron, 45, should be charged with willful neglect and exploitation of an impaired adult, according to a news release issued Monday by Lori Phillips-Jones, district attorney general.

The teen, whose name is being withheld because of privacy laws, has since been returned to Illinois. The state of Illinois has petitioned the court for guardianship of the young woman, who has been living in a group home, officials said.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...oman-disabled-daughter-20121210,0,20168.story