My daughter moved home with my son and I when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. She moved in on July 7, 2015. The baby was due January 23, 2016. We had plenty of time to prepare for the new arrival. Plenty of time to find a bigger place to live and get settled in.
We moved into a bigger place on August 17, 2015. The father chose not to participate, so I became her pregnancy partner.
Then on October 17, 2015 my grandson Ryker James-LaRoy McEvers was born by cesarean section 14 weeks early. We didn›t know if he would make it or if he did, what problems he could have. All we knew was that she and I already loved this tiny bundle all of one pound 2.7 ounces and twelve inches long. She an I were in almost a constant state of prayer and never ever did we lose hope.
The doctors inserted a broviac line to infuse nutrition when his umbilical veins dried up. He was on a ventilator from birth, and frequently receiving blood. It seemed he had tubes and IVs everywhere. Ryker was born with a host of medical problems.
Ryker was twelve days old on October 29, 2015 when flown to a bigger hospital for a PDA repair. A patent ductus arteriosis repair is a repair of a valve near his heart.
He was just over three weeks old, he sailed through the surgery like a trooper. He had a chest tube afterwards to drain any fluid.
Ryker was removed from the ventilator on November 24, 2015 and moved to a CPAP machine.
On December 1st, 2015 Ryker was stable enough to be sent back to his hospital of birth. On December 3rd, 2016 my son Tyler met his nephew for the first time.
He remained on CPAP UNTIL December 12, 2015, next he was moved to high flow oxygen and then finally a home oxygen unit. We knew he would be coming home on various machines, such as oxygen, an apnea monitor, and nebulizer treatments. He was gonna be a lot of work, but worth it. We love him so much.
In December we received an unannounced visit from a Clare County Child Protective Services Investigator stating she had received a complaint from the Social Worker at his hospital of birth. Within the allegations were that my daughter has sleep apnea and is not on meds for bipolar-disorder. Dannielle had never been diagnosed with sleep apnea and she had been symptomatic of bipolar-disorder for two years. The sleep study was going to be addressed after we got the baby home. Why would she take meds for bipolar-disorder when she had been asymptomatic for two years? That would be like taking high blood pressure pills when you already have low blood pressure or taking anti seizure meds when you don’t have seizures. It just didn›t make sense.
She also stated Dannielle was observed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit showing sad emotions. I think this would be expected given the fact she was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There are a multitude of emotions the parents of a micro-preemie experience for many months and sometimes years after their birth. The report also said our house was not fit for a baby. The investigator said our home was immaculate.
On January 13, 2015 an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stated she had read the report from the Protective Services Investigator and it was just “glowing”. The investigator called my daughter on this same day while we were at the hospital and told her she and I were being required to do psychological evaluations. I happen to know those can only be ordered by a judge and there was no case. On this same day, I sent the investigator a text message.
And she responded by stating there would be no court involvement.
The Child Protective Services Investigators supervisor offered us a gas card at the very end of January to go see Ryker. We went to pick it up at DHHS and Investigator invited us into a room, proceeded to speak to us rudely, and gave us the gas card.
Dannielle nor I heard from the investigator again neither by phone, email, text, or in person.
Ryker had frequent episodes of bradycardia (low heart rate) and apnea (he often quit breathing). The nurse taught us how to stimulate Ryker to breathe if he happened to stop breathing at home. We were also taught that if that stimulation didn’t work, to call 911 immediately.
On January 29, we were finally told Ryker was being discharged home on February 2, 2016. We were so happy and so prepared. Baby items that were in place all throughout the house finally we’re going to be in use. We were all glowing with excitement. The plan was to go to the hospital in February 1st and spend the night with him in a hospital room and he would go home the next day.
February 1, 2016 finally came. We were ready! During that evening he had an awful event at the hospital. He quit breathing 3 times for over 30 seconds within a half hour period. They had to stop his feedings, put his IV back in, put him back on CPAP, and almost had to put him back on the vent. He was also moved back to an incubator. They want to keep him for a few more days. It was scary. He will be home. It was just heartbreaking that it was going to take more time.
Over the next few days, they were able to wean him back down to where he was before that apparent life threatening event and informed us he would be discharged on February 6th, 2016.
We proudly left the hospital we had spent so many months at during Ryker›s visits. We couldn’t be happier to finally be taking him home.
Dannielle and I agreed to sleep in shifts, so that we could both get sleep and watch the baby.
On February 7, 2016, just eighteen hours after he was discharged, Ryker had another life threatening event of apnea.
The stimulation we were taught was not working. He began to turn blue. Dannielle called 911. He was rushed to the ER. Soon he was is in route flying to Ann Arbor, U of M Hospital. Dannielle and I went home so that she could pack to go to U of M, shower, and leave.
A Washtenaw County Child Protective Services Investigator came to investigate the 911 call. She states Dannielle did everything properly.
Dannielle and I both came home on February 10, 2016 from U of M to pack some more things and we were going to head back in the morning.
The morning of February 11, 2016 while Ryker was still in the hospital, Danielle had the Child Protective Services Investigator and a Sheriff deputy knocking on the door serving her a petition. The petition stated a judge had removed Ryker from Dannielle›s care and custody and there was to be a hearing the next morning.
Ryker is now in Foster Care and reunification is the plan. Dannielle has successfully completed all services except 7 therapy sessions. The next hearing is June 29, 2016 in Harrison, Michigan Clare County Family Court at 9:00 A.M.
It is in the courtroom of Judge Marci Klaus and Richard Dubridge is my daughters court appointed attorney.
I will give you the information that I know of here. You may be able to find more with a google search, as it seems attorneys in MI are familiar with the CPS problems.
I hope some of those will be helpful.
Please try to join our Medical Kidnap group if you are able. Right now there is only a group for KY, which you are welcome to join. Or, you could start your own group for MI. There is a groups tab at the top of the page. Hope to see you there!
Grammy, I know of some attorneys in MI if you want some referrals. Let me know.
This is Rykers Mama. If you can please call me at ((edited to remove personal information)) that would be awesome! My mother wrote this article and she lives with me!
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