Bob Dinnigan's Letter To The President

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr. President,

 

My daughter believes with a strong convictions and the complete innocence of a child, that when there is a problem in our country all you have to do is "tell the president" and he will fix it. And that is why she dictated the enclosed letter but wanted to sign it herself with the pen in her mouth and someone to hold and move the paper for her. I don't have the heart to tell her you'll probably never even get her letter on your desk or the chance to read it, which is why I am going to mail it as many times as I have to until she gets your reply back. And as one father to another after I explain my daughter's situation you will understand why.

 

Two and a half years ago on February 21, 2007 my beautiful, the eight year old, daughter was involved in an automobile accident which left her with a C-1, C-2 Spinal Cord Injury complete. She is considered a high-level quadriplegic and dependant on a ventilator for her every breath.

 

Amanda's life and the quality of her life have been drastically changed and everyday she must struggle to endure these changes. The simple things that we all take for granted like scratching our noses or turning our heads, and even taking a breath are things my daughter can no longer do for herself. And at times it's more than she can or should have to deal with. Only two weeks ago when the reality of her situation became more than she could bear, she looked at my wife and I, with tears in her eyes, and pleaded with us "to pull out her trach and just let her die". Try to imagine if one of your beautiful daughters asked you something like that. She is my baby girl, the youngest of three daughters. At the age of forty-seven years old I just broke down and cried.

 

As a father, Mr. President I'm sure you understand what it feels like to teach your child to ride a bike, to hold your hand and look both ways when they cross the street. To be able to watch them run around and play on their swing sets or even those times when for no reason at all, they just run into your arms and give you a hug. These things are all just memories for me. Now I sit next to her bed holding Amanda's hand for hours hoping for her to have a muscle spasm so I can feel like my little girl is holding my hand again. You can't imagine what it is like to lose such a simple thing like a hug.

Things are bad Mr. President and as one father to another, I need your help. Amanda's care costs $400,000 to $500,000 a year. My union insurance is about to run out. Than Amanda becomes a ward of the state.

In our situation however, we believe the extent of my daughters injuries were the result of a seat belt product defect in the GM Envoy my wife was driving when the accident occurred. We were just days away from getting our court date when GM filed for bankruptcy. And from what I understand now, we will never get our day in court to even prove our case. We along with others that have legitimate cases pending against these companies all deserve that at the very least. And as her father I can not sit back and watch as my daughters rights are taken away along with everything else she has lost. I am her father and I have to fight for my little girl to get what she deserves and I will not stop until Amanda gets her day in court. But we need your help. Please don't let them take this away from her too.