Disabled Father Denied by State of Tennessee to Father his Own Child

Matthew Marble was not even in the state when his 10 month old daughter was hospitalized for abuse. Little Hailey was in the care of her mother and her mother's boyfriend when someone smashed her head into a table. The head injury left her with cerebral palsy, and, due to the alleged actions of Tennessee social workers, the incident left her without her father. Matthew, who is disabled himself, has been fighting to get his daughter ever since that fateful day in June 2013. His parental rights have been severed by the state of Tennessee, primarily due to his disabilities, but he and his attorney Connie Reguli hope to reverse that decision and have filed a lawsuit against the state for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Matthew is not alone in his fight. His family has been by his side throughout the whole ordeal. His aunt Bobbi Dubois contacted Health Impact News to ask for help in telling their story. Bobbi and her husband Will, Jr., have been willing to take care of Hailey and facilitate the relationship between father and daughter, but they have allegedly been blocked by Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) at every turn. The Dubois are certainly well qualified - they have long been advocates for others, and have even been asked by their own state to take in disabled children. Because of his disabilities, Matthew has never claimed that he could parent alone, but he just wants the opportunity to be a part of his little girl's life. However, DCS set up a permanency plan for him which, according to Reguli, was "discriminatory and failed to accommodate his limitations." This story is about a father's right to parent his child. He loves his daughter, and he did nothing wrong. He was not involved in the abuse that happened when she was in her mother's care. DCS knows that, but still they have kept him from his daughter and have demonstrated that they prefer that she live with strangers rather than her own family.

Terminally Ill Father Finds Cure in Cannabis Oil but Now on Death Bed After Complying with CPS to Get Children Back

For nearly three years, Michael Brooks of Northwestern Tennessee has been fighting for his children and for his life. Faced with terminal Hepatitis C, he finally found a treatment that saved his life and brought him into remission. However, Child Protective Services of Tennessee is using the very thing that brought him from the brink of death - cannabis oil - as grounds to take his children and place them into foster care. He has been forced to choose between staying in Tennessee and accelerate towards his death or leaving to continue treatment in Colorado and risk being accused of abandoning his children.

Did Tennessee Father Convicted of Shaken Baby Syndrome Get a Fair Trial?

In 2014, Health Impact News brought you a story about a Jonesborough, Tennessee, couple Joe and Charlotte Whitaker, who were accused of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). The local police charged the couple following a 911 call from Joe Whitaker on August 15, 2013, when their son, Jaden, became unresponsive. Jaden was diagnosed with the controversial Shaken Baby Syndrome by a “child abuse specialist," Dr. Mary Palmer of the University of Knoxville Medical Center. In an update to this tragedy, the formerly happy family of five has lost everything. The couple lost their son to the state in 2014, and recently Charlotte lost her husband, home, and job. Joe Whitaker is now in jail for a crime his family says he did not commit.

Tennessee Mom Gives Birth to Premature Twins 3 Times – Surviving Babies Medically Kidnapped for Research?

The story of Nashville, Tennessee, mother Tamika Seagraves and her children is one of tragedy upon tragedy. Tamika has been pregnant 3 times, and in each case, she gave birth to premature twins, a boy and a girl every time. The first set of twins, Zayden and his sister Ziria were micro-preemies, born at just 24 weeks. Though Ziria grew stronger and eventually went home, Zayden never went home. He only survived 13 days. Two years later, Jordan and Jaliyah were born at 35 weeks. When Jordan passed away at just under two months of age, his mother began questioning, looking at vaccines and the vitamin K shot. At the same time, Child Protective Services began questioning and looking at HER. Jordan's autopsy stated that the cause of his death could not be determined, but DCS (Department of Children's Services) has blamed Tamika. Instead of closing out the case when the autopsy report came back, DCS stepped in and seized custody of Jordan's twin sister Jaliyah. According to court documents, DCS has accused Tamika of demonstrating "erratic behaviors" because she refuses vaccinations, stopped a medication for her child out of concerns for its side effects, "tried to have Jaliyah seen by a holistic chiropractor as opposed to a pediatrician." On December 5, 2016, Tamika gave birth again to another set of twins. When they were 4 weeks old, DCS seized both of them as well. All Tamika wants is to have her children back home and to be able to grieve the loss of her two sons. She wonders if her children are being used for medical research because of the unusual circumstances of their births - against incredible odds - 3 sets of twins, all premature, all boy/girl sets, the only children born to an African American mother, with 2 of the boys dying as infants?

Tennessee Children with Brittle Bones Suffer in State Care as Mom Charged with SBS

Chris and Keshia Turner from East Tennessee are still waiting to bring their son Brayden home since he was removed from their custody on December 11, 2014. Keshia had rushed the baby to the emergency room when his leg that had been splinted in the NICU became tight and warm to the touch. While at the hospital, an x-ray revealed a broken bone and several rib fractures. The following day, Keshia took Brayden to his pediatrician to follow-up on his care. There she found herself confronted with law enforcement and a Department of Children’s Services worker who demanded that she take Brayden to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, nearly three hours away. That evening, Vanderbilt Medical Center Child Abuse Specialist Dr. Deborah Lowen said that Brayden’s injuries could only be abuse, and investigators and doctors allegedly stopped looking for another explanation.