Saturday, October 16, 2010

Monsters Torment 7-year Old Girl with Huntington's Disease

Who torments who 7-year old girl with Huntington's disease, a disease that leads to coordination problems, mood swings, dementia and ultimately death?

I pilfered the Friday edition of the Detroit News while sitting in the Big Boy in Gaylord on my way to a conference in the UP.  The front page had the story of Trenton girl, Elizabeth, who was tormented by her neighbors because of her disease.  According to the story, it began as some bush-league-Hatfield-and-McCoy feud, with the Petkovs jealous that the Edwards family was getting too much attention because of their severly ill daughter.  Really?  I won't recap the entire story.  Essentially they teased her, including posting a picture of Elizabeth on Facebook above crossbones.  You can read the sad ordeal for yourself if you can stomach it.  I nearly wept right there into my lunch.

I know I'm coming to this story late, apparently it went viral on Facebook, but I felt I need to say something here on The Family Bed.  I just can't comprehend how cruel some people can be and how they fail to realize how fragile a 7-year old child can be.  It ranks right up there with taping your toddler to the wall because you think it's funny. Or teasing someone so much that they commit suicide.  Please forgive my rant, but I'm just outraged.  No one should be teased or bullied like those covered in the news recently.

There is a silver lining to Elizabeth's story.  First, good people were so moved by Elizabeth's story that they donated $20k by the toy store and $5k by the Huntington Disease Society Michigan Chapter.  Yes, that's $25,000 in a bad economy. I'm always impressed by people's generosity.  But it gets better.  Elizabeth only spent $2k of the money on her shopping spree, so the family donated the rest to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.  It's beautiful to see the generosity of people and one girl's ability to rise above the cesspool of life we sometimes find ourselves in.  It gives me hope.

If you'll excuse me, I need to go make a donation.

5 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I saw that story and I was outraged also. Unbelievable! Elizabeth's neighbors are horrible people but at least something good will come out of it and the trashy neighbors look totally rotten.

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  3. It is gut wrenching to know of the inhumanity that exists. I always feel at such a loss just trying to imagine what lives in a persons soul that they can behave like that. I would rather die a tortured death than to be capable of hurting someone in such an evil way.

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  4. Yes I read that article. That was so sick!!! Some people just should not be allowed to procreate in any way!!! That being said there is nothing that he can say to make up for what he did Words cut deeper than any physical wound does!!
    Jan

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  5. There are no words that can justly express my anger on this one and that's saying something because I am an English major. Anyone that could harm a small child should be put out of its misery. And that little girl showed how big she is by her generosity...
    I firmly believe in the old adage "what goes around comes around"...the world will turn for those dirtbags that hurt her.

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