For
any parent who has had to battle 'the system' to protect their child
because it doesn't know how to treat them, or treats them badly, because
she or he has a chronic condition due to Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella,
PANDAS, or any number of other poorly diagnosed, 'hidden handicaps',
this family's story reads like a chilling horror story that can, for any
one of us, become a reality. For many, I know
it has, like it did for our family at one point. As parents it behooves
us to fight for our kids, and this often means knowing more about our
kids' condition than the doctors and administrators we have to deal
with. So yeah, we come off as pushy, we get angry when they don't 'get'
it, and are stressed to the limit when their decisions cause more harm
to our loved ones. That doesn't make us bad parents. Nor does it make us
perfect parents. We do it for the love of a child, as only a parent
can. Because no one else will.
PS. In the comments section in 'Part 2', one reader makes a convincing
connection between this teenager's illness, her early learning
disabilities, and the possible maternal transmission of Lyme and
Bartonella. Most of the other comments aren't worth reading.
