Update: David is home! It was such a fight. But thank God he is home now. Between what we raised through LFEBridge and what we got directly, we don't need any more donations. We have what we need to pay the lawyer. You all came together amazingly and generously. We raised what was needed in less than 24 hours! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you know me, you know my brother David Soto, is one of the most important people in my life. He is my miracle brother--weighing 1 lb at birth and defying every odd. Despite having an intellectual disability and Cerebral Palsy, he graduated from the University of South Florida with honors. He is kind, funny, and witty. If you know him, you know what I am talking about. David, besides being one of my favorite people on this planet, is the reason why I do the work I do around disability. He's the reason why I decided to be a speech-langauge pathologist in the first place. He is why I am so passionate and determined to bring up bilinguals with disabilities in every space I am in. Yet, I am starting this Go Fund Me account, because we feel powerless and need the love and support of our community to get us through and help us fight for David. David is at risk of being institutionalized in a psychiatric facility long-term against our will, and we are not being given any information. Over the last two months, David started having hallucinations. My mom has been seeking medical care since then. Then, yesterday, she took him to the ER to get him some help as his condition was worsening. The doctors assured her that they will inform her of the process and keep him in the hospital for 72 hours. However, the doctors didn't uphold what they said. Instead, they sent my brother to a psychiatric hospital without notifying us where he is, or who his doctors are. Because my brother is disabled, we don't have a legal right to make any decisions about his care. What initially was supposed to be 72 hours, it's now becoming a minimum of retaining him for 5-7 days with the possibility of keeping him institutionalized for up to 6 months against our will. By the Baker Act Law in FL, hospitals can only keep a patient in for 72 hours, and then release them if they are deemed to not be a harm to themselves or others. My brother is not a harm to anyone and he has not expressed wanting to harm himself, so they have NO legal grounds to keep him. We contacted a lawyer who informed us that the hospital in Wesley Chapel, FL my brother is in is notorious for keeping people for months at a time without legal precedent, just so they can pocket the money from the insurance. A few months ago, they kept an autistic, non-speaking child against their parent's wishes and did not give him the medications he needed. On top of my brother's current mental health illness and disabilities, he has medical needs. Yet, the hospital won't even let us talk to the doctor to inform them of the medicines. Without his medicine, he can have seizures and other health complications. My brother is also not in the capacity to make decisions about his medical care. Without a lawyer, he will become a warden of the state and we have no say or control over his situation. Given the history of institutionalization of people with disabilities in this country, the idea of something like that happening to David is truly devastating, and something I don't wish for anyone. I work in the policy and disability space, and I am still powerless and uninformed. We need a lawyer who specializes in Baker Act to make sure they release my brother from the institution immediately, so he can receive the support and care he needs. The legal fees are astronomical and my family does not have the financial resources to cover them. I really hate to live in a world where one has to decide whether to go into a financially challenging decision or protect your loved one. But what else can one do? If you could donate toward my brother's legal fees and/or spread his story, my family and I would be immensely grateful. This experience fires me up even more----disabled people deserve protection and dignity. After this heartbreak is over, I'll keep fighting. I promise. Thank you, Xigrid Soto-Boykin
Artículos relacionados
