When I answered the phone on the afternoon of Sept. 5th, 2004, I had no idea what I was in for; that phone call changed my life forever.  My son Scott was seriously hurt and being transported to the ER.  I left my home immediately to join him at the hospital.  While en route, when I had almost arrived, I drove up along side my son's wife, who was also headed to the ER - I waved to her to let her know that I would be there with her.  The look she gave me was very unsettling - in fact it was eerie.  She gave me a very cold stare – as if to say, “What are you doing here?”

Her silence toward me in the ER waiting room only gave me more concern.  From then on nothing but bizarre and unnatural behavior has been displayed by my daughter-in law, Liza.  Let me tell you the story.

Immediately after Scott’s injury, while he was still in ICU, I wanted to see my newborn grandson (Scott’s first baby) and see if there was anything I could do for my daughter in law.  Even though the uneasy feelings were growing inside me, and the unanswered questions were mounting, the baby was still my grandson, and she was still my son’s wife.  After 3 days she finally returned my phone calls and told me when she would be home.  I arrived at the house before she arrived, and waited in the car.  When she arrived, Logan (my grandson) was asleep in the carrier.  She set him inside the door on the floor and told me he just went to sleep.  Again, she was very cold to me.

And then I saw something that upset me more than I can tell you: Every single picture of my son had been removed.  My son was still in ICU, fighting for his life, and his wife…who was acting very strange…had taken down every picture of him from the walls and the ledges where they had always been.  As you can imagine, a terrible sick feeling came over me.  Why had she done this?  Again, it was clear that Liza did not want to talk to me.  I left without seeing my grandson awake, and I had a sick feeling that will always be with me.

The story gets worse.  Within a matter of days, she was having a man spend the night with her at the house.  She is dating another man now as well.  In mid-November, when I was visiting Scott, two of the hospital staff took me aside and warned me: “Liza has called Hospice.  They have agreed to take him.  If you do not get immediate custody of Scott, he will be dead within 7 to 10 days.”

This terrified me.  I immediately obtained an attorney, who explained to the Judge what was happening.  The judge learned that Liza was under investigation (which was confirmed to him by the State's Attorney) so I was awarded temporary guardianship.

At this moment, she is still seeking guardianship, and has made clear that she still plans on taking him to hospice.  I am convinced her ultimate goal is to remove his nutrition, so that he will starve to death.

Why do I believe this?  Because she said so in one of her court documents.  She said that she wanted custody so that she could go to court to end Scott’s life.  Her petition to the Court said, “...the Court may be called upon to approve the withdrawal of life support…”

However, when she wrote this, my son was not on life support!  He was beginning his recovery.  The only thing this could possibly mean is to remove his food and water.  That is why I am fighting to keep guardianship of him.  I am fighting for my son’s life.

In case anyone is wondering, my son can swallow.  I daily give him water and lemonade which he drinks from a straw.  He eats and enjoys apple sauce and various puddings.  He opens his mouth, and then swallows what I give him.  The reason we are still using a feeding tube is because it is much easier and healthier for him to receive all the nutrients he needs to live and recover.

After I obtained guardianship of Scott, Liza would visit sometimes as often as three days a week for about 15 minutes.  I would tell Scott she was coming and he would make a huge frown.  This bothered me and other family members, so one day I decided to ask him what happened to him on the day of his injury.

I slowly asked questions: “Was this an accident? Who did this to you? Was it done on purpose?”  Slowly but surely he responded by a way of communication we had established.

He was absolutely clear with me: His wife had hit him in the head.

It was very emotionally painful for him to discuss this.  He cried.  So did I.  From that moment on, I promised him I would always protect him.

That is why I am asking for your help.  We need help with attorneys’ fees; I have spent every penny I have.  I had to borrow money to buy a 10 year old van with a handicap lift; I spend every waking moment caring for Scott.  Because of that, my home health care business has all but collapsed.

And to add insult to injury, Scott’s wife continues to sell his assets – even though she is not supposed to!  Since the time when Scott was hospitalized, a classic car of his (worth about $30,000) seemingly disappeared.  I found out that Liza gave the car and the title to a friend of hers and a co-worker of Scott's. (The police are investigating this as well.)

I am not alone in my suspicions.  Doctors who have examined the x-rays of Scott's head have told me that the trauma to Scott’s head was not consistent with a fall on the kitchen floor.  The injuries are too severe.

One of the brain specialists told me that his injury would probably take about 3 years to heal.  I am committed to caring for my son, and getting him all the therapy that he needs.

I am happy to tell you that Scott has improved immensely since he first came home.  He will smile at you; he smiles appropriately at anything that we would find amusing.  Often times he appears to be laughing at you.  He is making progress.

He understands and absorbs everything with much life.

He also cries when there is something sad.

In spite of this, Liza stated that she did not want to learn home care for Scott, and instead contacted Hospice.  I believe her intention is clear.  Hospice is where people go to die, not to receive therapy in order to recover.  She is currently planning to institutionalize him if she regains custody.  Although a nursing home sounds safer,  they also will follow a guardian's orders to discontinue medications, and eventually, food and water.

My son's life is in jeopardy.  I am asking you to help us fight for Scott’s life and recovery.

We all know that the starvation of the handicapped is being discussed every day.  For me, this is not a college debate.  This is my son.  Please keep Scott in your prayers.

If you can help us, we would be so grateful.  We need money for lawyers’ fees; we need to hire an investigator to dig far deeper than the police have the time to do.  We need enormous help with Scott’s care.

I am asking you to help in any way you can.

Thank you and God bless you,

Pamela Patton