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I sit here in this empty apartment in Everett, Washington this morning with the most helpless feeling a parent can have. It has been almost a week since this nightmare began. It has been 5 days since I last heard the giggles of my 2 year old echo through this apartment, 5 nights without the "kiss, kiss, hug, hugs" of bedtime. 5 days and nights of constant fear that this system will never allow my "sonshine" to return home where he belongs. 5 days of wondering if anyone cares about the truth. 2 days since the worker, with a gleam in her eye, told me "John is bonding quite well with his foster mom". It has been only hours since the CPS "worker" made me stand by that elevator and listen to his screams of wanting me as they descended to take him back to "foster prison". 1 hour in a week, how can we survive on that. My only mistake, HAVING THE WRONG BABY CRIB!!!!! If you have read this far I thank you. Now PLEASE give me a few more minutes of your time, Sunday July 25th I went in to wake up my 2 year old son, John. As I approached his crib I noticed the mattress end was stuck between the bars on the bottom of the crib. I asked John "what did you do you this time little monkey". As he turned toward me I saw the right side of his face was very bruised. It looked like stripes. My first thought was he had banged his head against the bars. I remember at the time thinking his jungle-gym antics in this crib had gone to far this time, and that this was the day for a new bed. I called my fiancee into the room and his immediate reaction was "that damn crib has got to go!" We sat John down on the floor and checked him for any further injuries, checked his pupils to make sure they were normal. At this time he jumped up and led me to his high chair wanting breakfast. I decided to call my parents in Iowa, as they are better than any parenting book, and told them what happened. I asked my mom if she thought John should go to the doctor. Her response was that I should watch him, but if he was acting normal then an emergency room visit might be unneeded, as she knows just how much John does not like going to the doctor. As the day progressed John acted his normal self, a happy little daredevil. We went shopping for a new toddler bed and found what we wanted, although we would have to wait for it to come in. On Monday morning as I got John ready for daycare I started to think about all the horror stories surrounding CPS and decided to call my father in Iowa for some advice. I asked him if he thought I dare take John to daycare, he told me "this is America princess, just tell them what happened". So I dropped him off just like any other day. I talked to the "teacher" in John's room and explained the situation surrounding John's bruises. As I hugged him goodbye that morning little did I know just how long that hug would have to last both of us. At 3pm Monday afternoon 2 Everett Police officers showed up at my work, informed me my son had been taken into "protective custody" by CPS and proceeded to grill me at length about John's bruises. At the end of this "interview" they remembered to inform me of my "rights". At about 9:30 Tuesday morning I finally got in touch with someone from CPS, over 18 sleepless hours after they abducted my son. She interviewed me at length and I told her about how we found John's crib mattress on Sunday morning and she told me the "doctor" that had seen John did not believe the bruises could have been caused by a baby crib, "a child falling in his crib does not create enough force to sustain this severe of bruising". At about 11 am Wednesday morning a "detective" from the Everett Police Department came to my home and I was again interviewed at length. This "detective" took measurements of the crib bars, pictures of the crib, and then told me "he did not hurt himself in his crib, and you need to figure out what happened to John". He also stated "these marks didn't come from a hand, but they categorically could not be from the crib!" Late in the afternoon on Wednesday I finally, after repeated attempts, got in touch with the new worker assigned to my "case"she interviewed me at length over the phone, and I again told her about the condition of John's crib mattress on Sunday morning. I asked her if anyone from CPS would be coming out to my home to look at the crib, "Oh yes, we will be coming out there eventually, but the crib is irrelevant in this investigation". On Thursday at about 4am my parents arrived from Iowa, having driven 32 hours straight to get here. At 1:00 pm that afternoon we went to the first of what "they" tell us will be many "hearings". When we arrived we were informed that my parents and my fiancee would not be allowed to go into the "courtroom". Because, at that point, I still had a little faith in the "system" I had not yet retained a lawyer. After the "worker" explained the "process" I came to the realization that getting my "sonshine" home was going to take more than I ever imagined. I asked for a continuance until the following Monday so I could retain a lawyer to fight this "monster". Later Thursday evening my brother called from Arizona. "Mel, you have to get to a computer and look at what I found on the internet". He gave me the address that had to do with a recall of the crib mattress in John's crib. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml99/99063.html (PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE, AND THE LINK TO THE VIDEO NEWS RELEASE!!!!) Now if you have looked at the recall website and the video, you tell me, could a rambunctious 2 year old get bruises trying to extract himself from this "predicament". According to the woman I spoke to at the CPSC, "it would be very possible for a 2 year old to injure themselves trying to get unstuck, and the injuries you describe definitely fall within the range of injuries we saw as we investigated this product". We have maintained this theory as to the cause of John's bruises since the beginning of this nightmare. Days before we even knew this recall existed. Days before we had seen this website and the video. The mail today brought another blow. I received a notice "Termination for an Assistance unit". On Wednesday the 28th, even before the first hearing , they had decided to terminate John's Medical Assistance. The reason, "based upon living arrangement you do not meet the definition of a household unit". How much more of this will they throw at me, trying to destroy me? So I am left sitting here wondering if, come Monday, these "officials" will be willing to listen to reason, and admit they are wrong. A pretty slim hope, where the future of my family hangs in the balance. A hope based on truth still carrying the day in this country, Even if they do, by some miracle, admit their mistake, just where do we turn to get the damage undone? How long before the "sparkle" is back in the eyes of my precious son? Where do I go to get back our civil rights? How do these people pay for all the damages and suffering they have caused? How can they not be held accountable? If I held your attention this far, I thank you for your patience. I am not sure if this story will reach anyone who can help, but I hope it just may touch someone enough. Again I Thank You, and please remember us in your prayers, especially little John. Name Melody Sheldahl |
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