MY SISTER

This is a very difficult time for our family.

Last night, I was thinking about how I would feel and what I would want if I were in the position of Eric's sister.

I have one sister. She's five years younger than me. I have known her every single day of her life. I have known her longer than anyone else alive on earth. When she was a few weeks old, I helped Mama take the clothes off the clothesline because it was beginning to rain and I stacked all the clothes on top of my sister in her crib--she turned blue. We have history! We shared the same room our entire life until I left for college. We fought as children. We hanged Randy Brown by the neck on the clothesline in the back yard as kids and got in a lot of trouble with Mom and Dad--especially Mama, because she discovered him and cut him down. Somehow, we survived Mama's death and Daddy's death together. We fought as adults. We have history! We share the same blood! I love my sister and she loves me with incredible passion. She's my blood!

Last night, I told Eric that if I am ever in his sister's position he is to allow my sister and my former husband to see me. I would want to see them. Now, there are a great many other people that I would want to see. But, don't bar my sister and my former husband. I also want to be able to see Dana and Candy's son, Matthew. Dana has been with Candy over 30 years. He's real family.

I met my former husband when I was barely 18 years old and we married the following spring. Yes, we got a divorce, but I've known him 44 years and we had two children together. We are still friends and I care deeply about him. I want to be allowed to see him. I also want to be allowed to see his current wife and her daughter Becky. Other people may not understand the relationship, but I want to see the people I love and I love these people.

Now, it goes without saying that I want to be allowed to see my only son, his wife (Cassie) and their children. I understand that a hospital may refuse to allow the children in, but Dean and Cassie will be able to get in.

I dearly love Eric's family. I wildly love Mike, Ann, Maggie, and Joel. And, there are no words to describe how much I love Mike's wife (Ruthie). Please don't deny me the chance to see the five of them.

I understand hospital rules and regulations. They don't all have to be in the room at the same time, but please don't bar the people I love most from seeing me.

ANN

Eric's younger sister, Ann, is in very serious medical condition. This apparently started last Thursday. She's in Medical Intensive Care and has been on a ventilator. The doctors have completed a trach and for 6 1/2 hours yesterday she breathed on her own. This is an increadibly good start. Gradually, over time, her lungs need to get stronger and stronger until she's able to live her life normally.

She is dearly loved (indeed cherished) by her 4 siblings. The siblings had military parents and they lived all over the world with the kids. The kids grew very close--probably closer than children who have access to many children in an American culture. As children, they became very close and dependant, to a degree, on each other for friendship. Ann loves Mike, Eric, Joel and Maggie. I am absolutely certain that Ann wants to see her brothers and sister.

Now that she is very sick, she is experiencing some anxiety. This anxiety is only to be expected. Ann has been through some dreadful times since last Thursday. Her brothers and sister have been told to stay away and not visit her. This was not a decision made by her physicians. She's allowed to have visitors. But, she's not permitted to see her brothers and sister. Eric and I suspect that Ann's anxiety level is increased by not being allowed to see her brothers and sister.

My greatest fear is that Ann does not know her brothers and sister have been told not to come to Wichita to see her. I fear that she's there in that hospital bed, feeling abandoned by her oldest and dearest friends--with her anxiety escalating. The people she most needs to see are her brothers and sister.

Hopefully, this decision will change in the very near future. I believe strongly that when Ann is allowed to see her brothers and sister that it will help to alleviate some of her anxiety and help her recover more rapidly.

JURY FEEDBACK

I recently completed a trial of a man who had raped a 6 year old girl and an 8 year old boy (when he was 14 and 16 respectively). The 8 year old boy was raped anally 25 times over the course of a year (younger brother). He has also raped a 15 year old girl when he was 17 years and 10 months.

Horrendously difficult case because the rapes of the 6 year old and the 8 year old took place when the man was a juvenile. I have a right to review juvenile files although juvenile files are usually closed. The courts take the privacy and security of juvenile files as seriously as they take anything. When I attempted to obtain the juvenile records, they were missing. I very aggressively pursued those files for almost two years. Eventually, the Assistant Attorney General was able to find copies of partial files which he turned over to me.


Eventually, it came out in trial (after I had already testified and left the courthouse) that the official court records had been removed from storage and hidden by the defense attorney in the current case we were working. The Judge was not happy!
I've always believed that defense attorney was "dirty" and now I know he's dirty.

We won the case anyway and the Jurors provided feedback to the Assistant Attorney Generals that my testimony was critical in their decision. They said a lot of very nice things about my testimony and that feels good. I'd worked very hard on that case because it is important that a young man who does that sort of thing 1) get treatment and 2) that he doesn't ever have a chance to do it again. Yes, he brutally raped three children but he won't do it again---at least not for 40 or 50 years.

The cross examination was absolutely brutal. The defense attorney did everything he could think of to demean me, humiliate me, and undermine my credibility that he could. I was on the stand from 10:30 until 5:55 and it was brutal.

The Assistant Attorney General just called me to give me the jury feedback. The jurors were very impressed with my testimony. This trial took a lot out of me. There were major personal prices to be paid. Every price was worth it for those children and for all the other children who will be spared their fate. Sometimes, you choose to walk right into the face of hell itself so that other people can live safely.

Kentucky Derby

I've always loved the Kentucky Derby. I love horses. I think they are magnificient animals and I have always loved to watch them run. I suspect I've watched my last Kentucky Derby.

Today, Big Brown ran a brilliant race and I do not begrudge him his win. He won it fair and square. And, he's a beauty.

But, Eight Bells who was in second place broke both her front ankles and was euthanized as she lay on the track. I am heartsick and sick all the way to my soul.

As much as I love to watch them run, I think I'll be watching them run free in the fields from now on.