A Letter About My Daughter Which Has Been Sent Out To The Media

(Now for those who know me then you'll know that i've got a disabled daughter and have been fighting for 5 years on my daughter's behalf to seek justice but they keep on dicking us around saying that there's nothing they can do. But I know what I can do and I'm about to file a civil suit against the hospital who were responsible for my care which was shitty and the care of my unborn child which they failed to protect & care for. Here is my letter that I wrote out about her and the situation and what I plan on doing to push further for my daughter's justice to be prevailed. This letter has been sent out to all the news stations out here in the state of Washington and I'm even thinking about sending it out to Oprah (that's even if she cares to listen since Shaniah's not an African refugee) and everybody that I can so they'll know that I'm not fucking around and that i'm dead serious about mine and seeking and conquering her justice. Like I said before, she can't fight for herself so that's my job as a parent to fight for her and that's exactly what I've been doing and will continue to do until Tacoma General Hospital owns up to their negligence. I just wanted to share my situation with my myspace family and give ya'll an idea of what's going on all the way over here in the 253. Read this and tell me if that letter aint enough to get somebody's attention.)

SHANIAH'S LETTER FOR JUSTICE

Hello, my name is Alicia McGhee & I'm submitting this story to anyone who cares to listen when it's pertaining to my disabled daughter Shaniah Jones. She was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 7 months old and since that day we've been trying our hardest to fight for her legally and our demands for justice have fallen on deaf ears. I've obtained legal representation from lawyer after lawyer after lawyer till finally saying forget it in 2004 after the 5^th lawyer told me that there was nothing more they could do even after confirming that they've noticed some form of medical negligence had been committed. My daughter has been diagnosed with Spastic- Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, Microcephaly & seizures which have been more severe with each episode over the years.

All I ask is that a lawyer help bring Shaniah Jones's justice to the forefront and that Tacoma General Hospital & Tacoma Family Medicine should be held accountable for the mediocre care that was provided to me during my pregnancy. I was receiving state assistance at the time, so with state assistance, comes Medicaid to people like me who couldn't afford proper healthcare. I was referred through DSHS services to seek care at Tacoma Family Medicine where I wasn't properly assigned an obstetrician and every visit meant a new doctor who didn't know or I'm sure could have cared less about my care and the care of my unborn child. Throughout the pregnancy, I was issued two ultrasounds throughout the whole pregnancy; the 4^th month & 7^th month and was lead under the impression that my child was in excellent shape.

My mother & I knew something wasn't right after the first ultrasound where they detected a mass on my daughter's umbilicus and umbilical cord; which later turned out to be an Uracheal Cyst which either should have been tested for cancer by needle biopsy or surgically removed in which they failed to do either procedures. Pretty much, the doctor who came in to review the ultrasound told us that it was a minor cyst and not to worry about it…..what type of advice is that to give to someone? Well the joke was on him because that minor cyst turned out to be something major and Shaniah required surgery on her umbilicus right after birth. The mass was so thick that it was blocking her oxygen & nutrient supply and when she was finally delivered by an Emergency C-Section, (which was delayed) she wasn't breathing and had to be resuscitated not once but twice, they strongly felt that my daughter was going to die. My daughter has definitely been through some struggles to get here and she's still struggling everyday and I don't know how long she's got until she's tired of holding on.

Everyday is like a time bomb as I walk on eggshells and I'm scared to breathe peacefully without worrying about another seizure scare coming to tear our world apart.

Shaniah, is going to need care for the rest of her life and I'm just not able financially to take care of her like she needs and deserves to be taken care of. She needs a wheelchair accessible vehicle which we do not have, equipment that isn't covered through her insurance that I can't afford to acquire, a home that fits her needs & is customized for her, & most importantly she needs life insurance which she's been denied because of her diagnosis.

All I ask is for justice and that Tacoma General Hospital to pay and acknowledge the damage they caused.

The lawyers keep stating that they can't prove that the damage was done at birth & contend that the damage was already done while I was still carrying her. My point is that whether or not they can't prove that the damage was done at birth, the point I'm trying to stress is that there was still medical negligence on their part when it came to the healthcare that I was provided and also if they knew that the damage was done before her birth (or not) ? Then why wasn't I informed of this news and why wasn't I given the option to terminate or to continue on with the pregnancy?

As a victim I feel like I was denied my options and denied the truth behind my daughter's disability.

I know that Shaniah Jones has a case and even the lawyers who've turned down my case numerous times, have encouraged me to push forward because they know that there's a case to be taken to the next level, but you know what they say: "Money talks, and bullshit walks," I'm sure that if I had the money to put down on a lawyer then it would have been a different story. I'm at my wits end with this madness and my next step is to file a civil suit against Washington State if I can't get the proper representation from a Washington State lawyer.

The laws here are totally messed up when it comes to seeking justice for disabled children out here and to me that's more than sad. I need my story to be heard and the world needs to understand the pain & stress I go through as a mother trying to do what's right for my innocent one who can't fight for herself. If you could help my little voice be heard, I'd greatly appreciate it because this fight isn't over till Shaniah Jones's justice is served.