Save Sydney's Family

I am writing to ask for your help for our adopted special needs child, Sydney Donovan. Because of the misinformation we received from the Louisiana Department of Social Services about the financial assistance Sydney would receive for her care, we find ourselves in extreme financial crisis trying to care for a child whose expenses are constantly increasing and at great risk disrupting our adoption. We are hoping that if you can bring national attention to our story, someone will hear our story and find a way to help us. To that end, we have also created a blog at http://sydneysfamily.blogspot.com/ to publicize our plight.
Sydney came into foster care at 19 months old, as a result of a report to the OCS office for an investigation. The investigation revealed that Sydney's birth mother, Whitney, was in a coma due to methadone abuse. It was alleged in the state’s report, that Whitney was also crack user and Sydney was born addicted to crack. When Sydney was found, she was living with her biological grandmother but was horribly neglected.
Sydney’s foster parents were my son and his wife, Lance and Holly. While in foster care, Sydney was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy SMA type II. This is a progressive degenerative disease that affects her muscles, spine, and respiratory system. This type of Muscular Dystrophy will get worse with age. After this diagnosis, Sydney was run through a battery of tests. She was put on a Cough Assist Machine, an EZPAP device, a portable suction unit, Vest Therapy, a pulse oximeter, a bipap machine with 3% saline, and twelve medications, four times a day. These treatments required around the clock care. When Lance and Holly were no longer able to be foster parents, my husband and I took Sydney into our home.
I talked to the case worker at the time, Rachel Polo, about fostering Sydney until she found a family that would take her. Mrs. Polo told me the state would provide for Sydney’s care because she was diagnosed while in foster care. After being adopted, she would continue to receive the same benefits so as to remove the financial disincentive of adopting an older, special needs child. By that point, Sydney’s birth mother had died, so Mrs. Polo said Sydney could draw on her birth mother’s Social Security. She would also get Social Security disability payments.
Because of her fragile medical state, her doctors have not wanted Sydney in daycare, so when she came into our family, I left both of my jobs to provide care for her. Since that time, we have filed for the Social Security benefits we were promised. We were denied those benefits. Our Social Security benefit claim was denied based on the biological mother’s lack of work history as well as on the level of our income. The State of Louisiana cut our subsidy. In short, we now receive several hundred dollars less per month than Ms. Polo promised us.
When we found ourselves in this financial crisis, I explored the option of returning to work, but Sydney needs regular medical care throughout the day and night. Because of Sydney’s medical fragility, she is unable to attend school on a consistent basis, meaning she must stay at home. Simply stated, Sydney requires a caregiver to be present 24 hours a day.
We sought the help of Social Services with our finances. As an alternative to financial help, we asked for a medical professional to assist in the care of Sydney while I worked. We have spent day after day tracking down leads that amounted to nothing. We have been to meeting after meeting, only to be told that nothing can be done to help preserve our adoptive placement. We have been repeatedly told that the only way there will be more money to fund Sydney’s care will be for us to disrupt our adoption. We have been told by the social workers who have attended the service meetings that the state will only pay for Sydney’s care if we return her to foster care; otherwise, there is no money or service available to pay for Sydney’s care.

Why is there no help for this family? These are hardworking tax paying citizens who are providing a service to the state by assuming care of this child. Where is the post adoption support? Where is the adoptive family preservation? Why are our elected officials allowing the department of social services to behave in such a manner? Why are we paying social workers who are not working in the best interest of this child?