Sarah C. — IT FEELS LIKE THE STATE OF MICHIGAN WANTS ME DEAD
We’ve exhausted all mental health services, and I mean all. I even drove my son out of state to be hospitalized. The residential treatment facility is the last thing that can help, but I can't afford it. Child Protective Services, therapists, other family members, and medical providers all agree he needs this, but insurance won't pay for it unless he is a drug user.
So here we are. All involved agree my son cannot be in my home. It's too dangerous for me and his younger siblings. He’s strong and over six-feet tall. I love him, but I'm deathly afraid of him. So are my two daughters, whom he attempted to sexually molest as well as physically assault.
The state of Michigan would help me pay for his treatment, but here’s the catch: I'm being charged with child abuse and child neglect. Authorities say it’s the only way to keep everyone safe and to get him help. They’ve put me on a child abuse registry. I won’t be able to go back to working with children (I previously worked in an elementary school). I can't go on field trips with my other children because my name is on that list.
Read more of Sarah's story in the upcoming book, TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY — Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is. Will be available on Amazon.
Sarah and her son