Jerilyn - April Chapman

Tag: Jerilyn

28
Feb
2013

Prayers Made The Difference

categories: April

Thank you to all our prayer warriors out there! As many of you know from my Facebook posts…we did finally make it into a behavioral health facility after 33 hours of waiting.

Allow me to describe the process for you who (hopefully) will never have to experience it. Once you check in to an ER, the doctor sees the patient and makes a determination if the patient is in need of hospitalization. Once the doctor determines that he/she is, you wait and wait and wait until the social worker comes to ask you all the same questions the doctor did. It then becomes the social worker’s job to find a bed available for the patient in either the current hospital or hopefully one in the area. They leave to make calls and then you wait, and wait, and wait for hours to find out whether they have landed a bed for you. There are horror stories of people being in these small ER rooms for days and days while they wait.

Often, the social worker comes back to tell you there aren’t any available beds because it seems that there is a very elaborate algorithm in order to determine if a unit can take another patient. Gender is important. Age is also a factor, a facility may have a bed available for a 16 year old, but not a 13 year old. Then, for us, it is always the added necessity of a one-on-one aid. Jerilyn usually needs one and this requires more staffing, and sometimes they just can’t find staff for it.

We lost beds this go around after I thought we had them once because she was a female and there were only male beds available and a second time because she needed one-on-one support. It’s so disheartening once you think you have a bed, only to lose it. After waiting a few hours with no response from the social worker this time, I had an aha moment when I realized I could start making these calls and lobbying (literally) to get Jerilyn to the top of the waiting list of as many places as possible.

I was actually told by one facility that it was good I was calling…it makes a difference when a parent was calling. I told him, “Well, Adam, prepare to be my new best friend, because I will be calling often today.” Thankfully, he responded with “I look forward to your call.” The sad part was realizing a lot of the kiddos who need desperate help are actually just dropped off in the ER with no one to make those calls on their behalf. They sit and wait alone, getting pushed to the bottom of the list, because no one cares enough to make them a priority.

Guess which facility we got into? The one where my new best friend, Adam, worked. I happened to call again just as a bed was opening up for, you guessed it, a 13 year old girl….praise God!!

God inhabits the prayers of his people and so many of you were praying for us. I am so utterly thankful and truly feel prayer is what made the difference.

We also had another CFT (Child Family Team) meeting yesterday. Sixteen participants. Multiple service providers and people involved in coordinating care for Jerilyn. Sixteen is a very large group and that alone shows the intensity of Jerilyn’s case. The blessing was that everyone seemed to be on the same page, understanding of the turmoil Jerilyn is in and ready to start agreeing on solutions. Before this meeting, it seemed that most agencies were avoiding responsibility and busy trying to push off the problems to another agency.

rainbow

We will see if this new understanding holds true once we get closer to Jerilyn’s release from the hospitalization. At this junction, they are expecting her to be in for about three weeks to stabilize her meds.

Obviously, we still need your prayers. Ainsley, Daisy and I have all been sick over the last week. Daisy has been home with her asthmagiving her trouble since Monday afternoon. When it rains, it pours….and sometimes it feels like the best we get around here are the days when it only sprinkles! I’ve decided to look for the rainbow. The beauty of a rainbow is revealed even while it is still sprinkling. Keep praying for Jerilyn!! Our God is a God of miracles and I plan to keep asking for them.

Love you all. Blessings to you!!

23
Feb
2013

ER Slumber Party…Sort Of

categories: April, Autism

….Only discrepancies are that you get no slumber and it is no party.

Tonight I sit in a tiny ER patient room hoping and praying that tomorrow will bring an admission into a behavioral health hospital for Jerilyn. She has been struggling and honestly, could have been admitted a couple weeks ago, but behavioral coaches had just started working with her and I wanted to give this solution a chance. Actually, what I wanted to do was prove that “behavioral coaching” was going to fail so that the ‘Powers That Be’ residing over Jerilyn’s out-of-home placement would wake up!

Exactly what I said would happen, happened. She became increasingly non-compliant with the coaches. No incentives, no consequences move Jerilyn once she has made up her mind. It was a short school week since they had off for President’s Day on Monday. Nevertheless, Jerilyn was non-compliant three out of the four mornings for school. Meaning…she wouldn’t get up and go. I had TWO behavior coaches there to help and still…nothing.

Sidenote: All you parents of normal kids who are thinking to yourself…well, you just need to give her better consequences…trust me, we’ve tried whatever you are thinking. 🙂

What she probably needs is an out-of-state placement because apparently no residential treatment centers in state can meet both her autism needs as well as her behavioral health needs. Of course out-of-state means out-of-budget to these agencies so we have to try and fail every other avenue before they will consider what those of us who understand Jerilyn best, already know.

During the worst meltdown yesterday in this room, she lashed out at me verbally for a good 15 minutes before her behavior coach suggested I take a walk. I left and only made it a few feet before I saw the looks of pity/understanding from the others outside the room. One of the guys told me to hang in there. Oh no…he showed compassion. I can stay strong as steel until compassion hits my heart and then I can’t stop the tears. Strangers bringing me tissues and patting my shoulder help and make me cry harder all at the same time. Mostly I am just so sad that Jerilyn needs more help than I can give her. I honestly don’t take her words seriously, it’s the pain behind them that kills me. She doesn’t want to be alive because her world is filled with pain and overwhelming challenges that neither her, nor I, can just wish away.

When I came back to her room, she was so sad. “Mom, I didn’t mean the things I said. I don’t know why I can’t stop. I’m so sorry.”

“I know Jerilyn. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

This time and next time.

Please Lord, open up a placement for Jerilyn that is going to be a safe environment for her with a doctor who has wisdom and discernment. If there is a medication out there that would help her, please lead us to it. If there is a out-of-home placement that would improve her quality of life, please help us find it. Bind Satan from his relentless attacks on her and on our family. Strengthen us. Surround us with your warrior angels. Supply us with your peace that passes understanding that we might be witnesses to the truth of Isaiah 43:2.

When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

09
Feb
2013

Mama Bear Is Getting Ready To Roar!!

categories: April, Autism

I’m not going to lie to you. Life has been super hard lately. Prepare for a lot of acronyms in this post. I have been fighting a battle since November with DDD (Department of Developmental Disabilities) and Magellan, the insurance company that covers behavioral health services for Jerilyn. We applied for an out-of-home placement called a RTC (residential treatment center) in November. Jerilyn’s psychiatrist suggested a TGH (therapeutic group home), which is a level below the RTC, mainly because he felt like there were a lot of kids in RTC’s who were really just delinquents, not children suffering from mental illness like Jerilyn.

However, during the whole approval process with Magellan, their own doctor stated they would approve the TGH (still with me?? Therapeutic Group Home), but made a note that Jerilyn most likely would not be accepted into any because her needs are too intense. In the notes, their doctor said that a RTC would need to then be considered at that time, although likely with the same results. Yes…too intense for a TGH or RTC and the teams that works there, and they wonder why I’m struggling over here by my lonesome.

Fast forward to now and a million meetings I’ve had with our team, which includes people like her behavioral therapist, DDD Coordinator, Intensive Case Manager, Magellan representative, company doing the Functional Behavioral Analysis, the respite or habilitation company, and our Family Support Partner. We’ve had to move these to our large dining room table to fit everyone at this point!

Jerilyn is in desperate need of hospitalization again, but I’m not sure what to do. As an in-between service (“in-between” = the time it will take to get big wigs in each of the companies to develop an out-of-home placement solution) we are receiving a “wrap-around” care solution. This means behavior coaches will be coming in and out of my home daily to help with Jerilyn.

I really wish I had the freedom to write all of the things I really want to say, but I don’t, so I’ll just say pray for Jerilyn. She is in a very rough place. One of the main reasons we need to be in some type of residential care (that actually knows how to care for children like her) is because we need to undergo another med change and these can be brutal, both for her and then of course, for us.

She is in a place of asking to return to the hospital, which is a big indicator of how much help even she feels she needs. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us. The hospital we usually go to has a SIX PAGE wait list to get in and I’ve heard that others in the area have the same right now. UGH!! Our country needs mental health reform!!!! They have thrown out the possibility of sending her out-of-state to a place more suited to her needs, which I am fine with, my main concern is getting the RIGHT placement to get her the help she needs and deserves NOW!

Next week, I will begin the process of contacting congressmen and senators in our state, trying to get them to make a call on Jerilyn’s behalf. I’ve heard this can get things moving a little quicker. For some odd reason they don’t want the spotlight on their failures to provide adequate care for a child. :Pondering: You don’t want to make Mama Bear mad because this Mama can fight when I need to. Having a psychopath for an ex will teach you how to not back down from a fight, if nothing else! I am fixin’ to reign down some terror if solutions don’t start appearing soon.

Let me try and at least end on a good note….Daniel is flying into town today and will be with us for a month which we so desperately need and have been looking forward to! Hopefully he brings some much needed peace in here as well. 🙂

10
Jan
2013

Still Waiting…

categories: April

The last time I wrote, we hadn’t heard back from the third and final, therapeutic group home for Jerilyn the insurance company had approved. Well, we did. They wouldn’t take her. They said they didn’t think she would fit in well with the current group of girls already there. Three strikes.

Now what? We are still in desperate need of an out-of-home placement for her. Her Intensive Case Manager called for an emergency Child-Family-Team (CFT) meeting but then she forgot to put it on her calendar and didn’t show. I guess the “emergency” wasn’t emergent enough. Also, just found out some other vital information she never relayed which would have helped with another placement. Needless to say, we now have a new Intensive Case Manager.

They are now discussing higher level facilities and have even thrown out the option of an out-of-state placement because they are struggling to find a place that can meet Jerilyn’s high level of needs. When an area with four million people like Phoenix can’t find a place willing to take on the Jerilyn challenge, you start to doubt whether anyone will step up to the plate. Okay…enough negative thoughts…let’s turn it around….God has somewhere specific in mind for this special child of His and he will move mountains (or have her get in a plane and fly over all the mountains surrounding this desert valley) to get her there. Right??

Please continue to pray for the right solution for our family. Jerilyn flat out refused to get on the bus parked in front of our house for school on Tuesday and it’s not like you can pick up a 5’3″, 110 pound child and put her on it. She’s grounded to her room all week and all electronics are prohibited. It’s hard to make any consequence stick well enough for her to learn a lesson, but I’m hoping.

We have had a lot of other crazy chaos going on around here the last few weeks, so I am making a promise right now to update you more by Monday. (I’m trying to build in my own accountability.) :Geek-Girl:

12
Dec
2012

Downward Spiral

categories: April, Mothering

I haven’t written in a long while. Life has been rough the last couple months and I admit I found myself in a downward spiral. It started with a scheduled court date in mid-October to address child support and the many areas my ex was currently in contempt of, which basically means things he was required to do by the court, but just wasn’t. I was looking forward to getting in front of our judge but he forced us to mediate first. After false promises and misleading information, my ex and I came to an “agreement” which negated our need to go to court. Of course, once I gave up our court date, my ex refused to follow through on our mediated agreement.

Within hours of arriving back from Florida and my failed court attempt, I found myself in the emergency room of Children’s Hospital with Jerilyn. She needed to be admitted again to the bio-behavioral unit.

After about twelve hours in a tiny room with Jerilyn raging and on a one-to-one nurse watch, a bed opened up for her. Apparently one had opened up about six hours earlier, but they “forgot” to tell us. Oh joy. The stress of that day pushed me over the emotional ledge I was only barely hanging on to.

A lot of people ask me how I keep going with all of the challenges we constantly face. I usually say I take it one day, one moment, at a time. However, sometimes I get an overwhelming sense that I can’t keep doing it.

I felt depression pulling me down…down…down. I’ve dealt with episodes of depression a couple of times before when life’s circumstances were overwhelming. This time was one of the most difficult to bounce back from though. I had a hard time getting out of bed, talking to anyone, even eating.

Jerilyn stayed in the hospital for about ten days. During that time, our respite worker quit. Great day. (Read that sarcastically.) A respite worker is basically a one-on-one helper for Jerilyn. We can’t seem to hold on to a respite care worker. Ugh!

Within two weeks of Jerilyn being released from the hospital, I was at the end of my abilities. They had adjusted her meds, but stability was still not achieved. Every day was extremely difficult. I finally broke down and had to admit to myself that we needed more help. I called her Intensive Case Manager and told her through sobs we needed to talk about out-of-home placements.

I felt like a broken woman. A broken mother. A failure.

We started the process for a temporary out-of-home placement. It’s been a few weeks now and we did receive approval from the insurance company, which was a big hurdle. Now we are trying to see if there is actually a therapeutic group home which will work for her. Apparently there are three in the area. One already bowed out. The second one has a two month wait list. The third, and final one, interviewed Jerilyn and I yesterday and we will hear back by the end of the week about whether they will accept her.

My prayer had been that God would show us just the right home for her and close the other doors. I am hoping that since only one group home is still in the running…it is the one God wants her in.

Some of you may be wondering how Jerilyn is taking the news of the temporary move. Eagerly is the best description. The same way she looks at going to a hospital. She knows she needs more help than we can possibly give her, and I think she sees it as an adventure of sorts. A chance to meet other kids she can relate to. At least, that is my best guess.

Please continue to pray for us. This is only a snippet of the real life drama we are living every day over here. I could fill up a book with the more detailed version….oh wait…I am. Stay tuned. 🙂

09
Oct
2012

My Gideon Experience

categories: April, Autism

As many of my Facebook friends know, I have been asking for prayer regarding Jerilyn’s schooling for the last couple months. On the first day of school this year her school initiated a psycho-educational, which is a fancy way of saying a TON of tests to determine her current levels of functioning and her special education eligibility. I felt the school was initiating this because they no longer felt Jerilyn was in the correct program. She has been in a high functioning autism program for two and a half years and is currently in sixth grade.

I took some initiative and went to visit a few schools, since I had the impression they would be looking at a new placement for Jerilyn. One of the schools, The Austin Center for Exceptional Students (ACES), was recommended by her behavioral therapist but was a private school option.

After taking a tour of ACES, I couldn’t imagine a better place for Jerilyn. For one, they didn’t blink an eye when I laid out her diagnosis on the table: autism, bipolar, low intellectual functioning. This alone is impressive because it tends to scare off the weak at heart. 🙂 Another appealing aspect of this school was its incorporation of animal therapy, not only within the classroom setting, but with actual stables next to the play yard filled with horses, pigs, chickens, goats, ect… which children can visit during their recesses and lunch. If you know Jerilyn, you know this would be her dream situation. Time with animals would be an excellent motivator for her.

I knew it would be an uphill battle to get the district to agree to send her to ACES because it would be out of their pocket at an estimated $20,000-$25,000 a year. The district held a meeting specifically to discuss Jerilyn and different placement options. They came back asking that I go view a few programs they had at the junior high level. Junior High for Jerilyn….early….I couldn’t imagine it being a good fit, but I was willing to keep an open mind.

Although Jerilyn will be thirteen in January, her age is deceiving because she functions on a much lower level. I think we all remember the hell junior high was as we attempted to navigate the social waters. Imagine doing that without appropriate understanding of social skills.

After viewing the different programs, it was pretty obvious that no ONE program was equipped to deal with all the complexities of Jerilyn’s needs. Fast forward to our meeting today. I had between five and six support people coming for “our” side, knowing the district would have another five or six as well. It was going to be a crowd. I was viewing this as one of our most important meetings ever because placement was on the table.

For those of us with special needs students, we understand these meetings don’t always go in our direction. It can feel like a tug of war. The school is advocating for as many of the district dollars to stay within their purse. The parent is advocating for their child’s best interests. This is not to imply that the schools don’t want a successful solution for your child, it’s just that they have to weigh the costs and that agreement on the “best solution” can be difficult at times.

I planned on having a whole team there to advocate for Jerilyn; her behavioral therapist, DDD specialists, education specialists, and her intensive case manager. They all started cancelling on me late Friday night and when I walked in this morning, only one of my “team” was able to attend.

I was so discouraged and began second-guessing my decision to forgo hiring a formal advocate to come with me. I literally teared up in the first 10 minutes of the meeting. I felt defeated and we had only just begun.

I’m not prone to succumbing to a defeat, I am a fighter, but I felt like I didn’t have any fight in me this morning, exactly when I was going to need it. As the school went over their results from all their testing they kept using terms which made me feel like they were going to attempt to leave her in the current program and try to incorporate in some new supports.

Then the discussion changed from test results to placement options. Her school psychologist led me in explaining to the district representative my thoughts on all of the programs/schools I visited. Then she opened up the door for me to tell them why I felt ACES was the best fit for Jerilyn. Although the district rep had a few more questions and an additional placement suggestion, she eventually agreed that ACES was a good option for Jerilyn.

We still need final approval from the Director of Special Needs who is on vacation for the next couple days, but no one thought that would be a roadblock. So…it looks like we are good to go! Jerilyn will be heading to a new school in the next couple weeks where I hope and pray she is able blossom and learn in ways she never dreamed possible.

If you wonder why I titled this post “My Gideon Experience” take a few minutes and read his story here.

The takeaway for me today was that God didn’t need a “team” of people to fight the battle. He took me at my weakest, so even I couldn’t steal any of His glory. He does deserve ALL the glory. He moved mountains today for my child. Praise be to God forever and ever, Amen!

20
Mar
2012

Home Again

categories: April

Jerilyn is home again. She is doing wonderfully. It makes me so uber-grateful for places like St. Joes that work with children that are struggling, providing the extra help they need to stabilize again. What a blessing!

She isn’t exhibiting any oppositional behaviors and, although happy at the hospital, she was also happy to come home. I had a meeting this afternoon with her Family Child Team the therapy case manager set up. The state department that has approved us for respite/habilitation services (DDD) was there as well. It was great, because we all know it takes a village to raise a child…and those of us who have special needs children know that it takes a village with tons of money and services as well!

I’m hoping some of the changes we are making around here will help keep Jerilyn in a good place emotionally. I made a huge

ChooseHappiness — I just liked this picture!

schedule mimicking the schedule at the hospital (color coded even…I know…you’re impressed.) We also have a music corner for her now. She is pretty amazing on musical instruments lately…she will teach herself to play a short piece by ear and then transfer it between the piano, recorder, xylophone, drums, and her keyboard.

I’m also excited because although we got approved for services, I hadn’t found the right fit and I think I may have now. I got a call today from a woman who sounds like a good fit. Heck, she even came right out and said that she wanted to let me know that she was a Christian who often prayed with her clients. Amen, Sister! Things are looking up. The pendulum is on the rise once again.

My other girls left for Florida this last weekend to spend Spring Break with their father. It’s always hard to see them go, but I’m jealous that they will get to go to the beach this week. 🙂 Actually, I will get to go to Florida to pick them up next weekend…so maybe I’ll get a glimpse myself.

Let me close with just saying thank you so much for all the prayers this last week…I know that they made the difference. May God bless YOU for your faithfulness.

15
Mar
2012

Readmitted

categories: April

So, let’s just go over the last week. A week ago tonight Misty was still here on her visit. Seems like much longer than a week ago, but this is what the calendar actually tells me. A week ago we were sitting in the family room around midnight talking about how we should go to bed since we had to get up to leave for the airport at 5:00am. Then I hear a crash and my mom screaming at me to come in the other room. Daisy had sleepwalked out of bed and slipped on the tile, busting open her chin.

Instead of going to sleep, I end up taking her to the emergency room where she gets four stiches. By the time I get back home it is now close to 3:30am and I probably don’t actually make it to sleep until close to 4:00am. A whole hour of sleep before I am waking up again to take Misty to the airport and Ainsley to school, because of course, she had a field trip that day where they had to be at school by 5:30am. I swear….never a dull moment around here!

Later that afternoon Jerilyn goes missing. For those of you who know my daughter, I’m sure it is no shock that she was wandering around outside of the boundaries I had set for her. However, this time, there was no finding her. After over an hour of us looking she reappears. She won’t tell me where she was or what she was doing. Of course, we reemphasize why disappearing is dangerous and why it worries us.

I straight up told her that if someone had taken you…in an hour, you could be out of Phoenix. By the time, the cops would be called and they would start looking for you, you could be out of the state. “Doesn’t that scare you?” Her answer is “No.” Well, of course it is no, one of the more difficult things for autistic children to grasp is stranger danger.

Anyways, three days in a row of her disappearing for long stretches of time, and I start running out of ideas. If my eyes aren’t on her constantly, she can give me the slip. When I found her on Saturday I told her that I didn’t know what to do to keep her safe. I told her we may have to go back to the hospital. She immediately began begging me to take her in. Saying she had wanted to go for a few weeks.

Honestly, this is when I know that I know that Jerilyn has needs bigger than what she can handle on her own and what I can help her through. When your child WANTS to be an inpatient, you know that they are crying out for help. She came home, went straight upstairs, packed her bag and came down with a lightness in her step I hadn’t seen in a while.

I honestly still hadn’t come to terms with whether I was taking her in or not, I was trying to process it. It’s such an emotionally hard decision to make. Unfortunately, Daniel is in Florida right now and logistically it can also be difficult to have her in, because I want to be able to visit her but the other girls wouldn’t be able to come. A visit ends up taking 2 – 3 hours out of the day. Anyway…these are the thoughts going through my head.

Thankfully, my mom who was scheduled to go back to California on Sunday night offered to stay the next couple weeks, which would make it easier to manage. I decided to call the hospital. I was told there was a four-page waitlist…FOUR PAGES! There is really only one other hospital in town that can take in children, so on Sunday we made our way over there to go through the ER and see if there was a bed available.

After an ER doc heard what had been going on (BTW – her running off was not the only thing going on that would qualify her for admittance) he agreed that she needed to be admitted, but they didn’t give me the feeling they actually had space for her there. While waiting in the room, St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Hospital called me and told me that they were holding a bed for her. This was the hospital that Jerilyn was in last time and they are familiar with her history. They managed to figure out a way for her to jump the end of the four-page list to the top and secure a spot for her. Praise God!

So, a mere 10 hours after arriving at the first hospital that day, she was finally admitted. Yes…that’s sarcasm. 🙂 For now, she is happy to be there. They are going to readjust her meds and hopefully we will see an end to some of the behaviors that are putting her in danger. She will also get around-the-clock care and therapy, which I’m hoping help heal the broken pieces no one but God understands.

Keep us in your prayers. Bipolar is not a kind or gentle illness and I want the best quality of life for Jerilyn and our family.

06
Sep
2011

Jerilyn’s Home, But She Wasn’t Alone….

categories: April

Well, Jerilyn was ready to come home on Friday (at least according to our insurance company). They took her one-on-one aid off on Wednesday and she did fairly well participating with the groups. Unfortunately, to add to our list of diagnoses we now have Bipolar. This has been a tough pill to swallow…on one hand, if she is on the right meds they can really help level out her moods, on the other hand, this will be a life-long struggle for her…and us.

You may have noticed that I wasn’t blogging a whole lot last week…now I’m going to let you in on the new crisis that took my attention and then you can all feel REALLY sorry for me. When I went for visitation with Jerilyn last Monday she was itching her head and guess what I discovered….yep….LICE. Ugh!! When I mentioned that I could stay and help treat her hair….the nurses jumped on that faster than….well, faster than lice spreads to an entire wing of children.

That’s when my night turns from bad to OMG Horrible. They said they’d order the shampoo and have it sent up. I told them I would go grab something to eat and pick up a movie for Jerilyn to watch while I went through her hair. I know I need a movie because, unfortunately, lice has been my nemesis this year. Six months ago there was an outbreak at Ainsley and Daisy’s school that would not die!!! I probably spent 4 weekends having to go through every strand of their hair. I HATE LICE!! In fact my head started itching right now just with the thought of it. I know you just started itching too, but I’m fairly certain that you can’t get them just from reading about them…but don’t quote me on it….they are sneaky little blood suckers!

Anyway, so after leaving and getting lost approximately three times in a very bad part of town, eating at a McDonald’s where I had to hold my breath when standing in line because the people around me stunk so bad, and then finally making it back to the hospital I find out three things:

They haven’t shampooed Jerilyn’s hair yet….like I asked them to.
The main area which has the TV now also has children on cots sleeping there with the lights turned down low.
Jerilyn has been given her night meds and is totally out.

I go to talk to Mr. Nurse who acts like I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about when I tell him that HELLO…we have to have good lighting and that it’s going to take 1 ½ – 2 hours to pick through her head. He tells me it won’t take long…really?? Sure…in your world….where you shampoo a kid’s head, take a quick glance, and send him home for his parents to really deal with it. I have two other girls and I am NOT bringing this back into my home!!!

Luckily, there was ONE nurse that night who understood. Why? Because she was a mother of a daughter who had it before, of course. She helped me go through Jerilyn’s hair and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. And boy did I feel for her the next day when I went for visitation…every kid on the wing had lice and she had endless heads to pick through.

When they told me on Thursday that Jerilyn would be released on Friday you’ve got to believe I had an Anti-Lice Plan in place. I stripped that girl in the garage and put the shampoo on her head again. Everything that came home is getting thrown away, washed on “sanitary” cycle or burned. In the name of Jesus….Lice be gone!! LOL