Tuesday, June 26, 2012

When Will The Madness End?

My heart continues to grieve for Porter.  I am beyond tears.  


Sending Porter to a level 4 mental institution is madness.  Pure madness.

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND WATCH THIS VIDEO.

THIS IS PORTER.

THE LITTLE BOY IN THE GRAY SHIRT.

DO YOU SEE HIM??



Do you see?

He's laughing and dancing!!  Just a little boy.  He's been described as being talkative and happy.

He is NOT severely mentally disabled, nor is he severely physically disabled.  Those are the criteria for Level 4 institutions.

I truly cannot understand why Porter was sent to a level 4 mental institute.  It is completely beyond me to understand why he is there.

It scares me.

Most of the time the kids like Porter who have no obvious disability are sent to the internats - the boarding schools for older orphans.  Places where they are schooled and trained.  They are not Disneylands by any stretch, but they are also not level 4 mental institutes.  

The boys at Aaron's institute all had some kind of physical or mental difficulty that was obvious.  They were the type of boys who would stand out on the street, causing people to stare.  That is one of the main reasons they are there: so that they can be hidden from society.  That's why our Aaron was sent there, even though the director admitted that he was smart - because his body made people stare. I understand that; but still, MY HEART GRIEVES FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE BOYS!  To hide them away from society just because they make people uncomfortable is wrong.  It is just wrong. 

What shocks me about Porter's situation is that Porter wouldn't make anyone stare.  Whatever Porter's difficulties may be, they are well hidden.

So why did they send him to a level 4 mental institute like Aaron's?

It scares me.

If Porter is being sent there... what about all of the other RR kids who are HIV+?  How many of them are heading for the mental institutes instead of the boarding schools?  

What about the happy little girl in the video above wearing the white turtleneck and denim shirt.  She is an RR babe - Erin.  She's HIV like  Porter.  It had been assumed that she would go to an internat; the fear had been that her sister, Bethany, would go to the mental institute because she has CP (You can't see Bethany in that video but she is sitting in a chair and watching).  The way things are going now, would they both have been sent to the mental institute? They do have a family coming but...

  

Has there been a policy change?  Is anyone paying attention?

When will the madness end?  

My heart is breaking for these kids.  All of them.  There are too many.  Too many.  

And too few are fighting for them.

Way too few are raising their voices on their behalf.

When will the madness end? 




7 comments:

  1. Erin and Bethany have a family coming for them though, don't they?

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  2. Haven't been able to get Porter out of my mind.....just praying for a miracle, or that I win the lottery so I can go grab him myself!

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  3. Think, Think, Think (as Pooh Bear would say). Sorry, I spend a lot of time reading books to my two year old! Trying to brainstorm here Julia. There are a lot of us, some with few resources, some with many resources. I am going to look around the house for something to sell on craigslist, ebay, etc. TONIGHT, when I get home from work.

    God knows I have WAY TOO MUCH stuff and Porter, Heath and Hanson need out NOW. To every one of Julia's readers who reads this comment, would you please do the same? YES, I AM TALKING TO YOU, not another reader, YOU! If not you, THEN WHO? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS?! What are YOU dear reader going to do about this?! Come on people!

    Sorry Julia, I don't have my own blog or FB to help yell but want to help mobilize the troops.

    Sue

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    Replies
    1. There is power in prayer. What if we come together as Body (for those of us who are believers) and pray? I, too, am brain-storming. My mind keeps coming back to this same thought. Our combined prayers could bring forth much, like they did in Queen Esther's situation. In fact, there are countless examples, especially when you read the history of the Jews, when they came together in prayer and God heard their prayers and was merciful to them. Over and over again God fought on their behalf. This is a battle - maybe not so physical as what the Israelites faced, but a battle never-the-less. And there are lives depending on it. We know that these three children are not going to thrive in the institution. This is how we can fight. The families, the money to pay for the adoptions, it will follow if we come to Him humbly first.

      Tammy, ON, Canada

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  4. Keep yelling, Julia. Surely his momma will hear you.
    Joy

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  5. Can we work together to raise this little boy's ransom? I wish I could adopt but Im single and self- insured. I would also be happy to offer free services to any family who adopts this precious guy- Im a child neuropsychologist.

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  6. Heartbreaking. According to the BBC documentary there is forced labor, rape and psychotropic drugs as punishment in these institutions.

    Donated to Perter's account. Now waiting...

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Loving words from kind people make our hearts glad!