I read this piece called "The Girl in the Window" from the St. Petersburg Times a few weeks ago and have not been able to shake free of it, so instead I'll share it.
The writer, Lane DeGregory describes the horrible circumstance of one young girl's life. Police entering the cockroach infested house, whose walls and carpets were covered in human and animal excrement, discovered a young girl locked in a closet, wearing only a diaper. A neighbor had reported seeing a girl in an upstairs window of a house. The girl turned out to be a seven year-old, feral child, who had never been brought outside, talk to, held, or cared for in any way. She weighed only 46 pounds.
The girl seemed incapable of eye contact. DeGregory writes, "The insertion of an IV needle elicited no reaction ... With a nurse holding her hands, she could stand and walk sideways on her toes, like a crab. She couldn't talk, didn't know how to nod yes or no. Once in a while she grunted."
The police took her immediately to the hospital. She was not deaf or autistic. There was no reason for her behavior other than the fact that she was deprived of the love and attention a parent is supposed to provide. Her condition was labelled "environmental autism."
Fortunately, the story gets better. The girl, Danielle, now called Dani, was adopted by a couple, Bernie and Diane, who admitted that she was not at all the daughter they were looking for, but they took her in anyway. And the kindness their son, her brother William showed Dani. I'm not going to steal any more of the story. You'll just have to read it.
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4 comments:
Thank you for telling us about this story. The courage, commitment, dedication and love shown by the Lierows is amazing and humbling. And the story is really well told by the writer. This part was heart-rending:
** Her brown eyes seemed to be searching for something. Diane called Bernie over. He saw the same thing she did. "She just looked like she needed us." **
We're all confronted by searching, needy eyes all the time, and we often have to avert our eyes for our own sanity. This story reminds us all that we need to keep our hearts and minds open to saying yes, even when the personal cost to us may be profound and the rewards unsure and distant. I can't think of any more worthy way to spend you life than the way the Leirows have spent the last few years. They are not saving the world, but they are saving one small child.
This is an incredible story. While it's a tragedy that she will likely never get the opportunity to do most of the things most of us take for granted, the fact that she was rescued and gets to feel the love of a selfless family is true consolation. It does also make you wonder how many unreported cases similar to this there are in this country.
Love makes anything possible. What a great story and post.
Thank you all for caring about this story as much as I did. It's heartbreaking to know things like this are happening all around us.
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