Letter to Governor Bush
from Sue Hilinski

The Honorable Governor Jeb Bush
The State Capital
Tallahassee, Florida

February 14, 2001

Dear Governor Bush,

My name is Sue Hilinski and I live in Lake Mary, Florida. As a Christian who is very concerned about our country's moral decline, I am grateful to God for giving you and your brother positions in government. You both are in the prayers of my Bible Study group, and we know God will use you for His higher purposes.

I am writing to you for the purpose of getting your attention and assistance as to the availability and prompt access to any and all governmental health programs for my dear friends, Pam and Rick Bradshaw"s daughter, Mandy, as well as provide you with insight as to what is lacking in our state's current system.

Imagine picking up your phone and hearing your son, George, had been hit head-on by an SUV and was near death. You rush to the ICU and are told he has suffered severe brain trauma and may not survive. This is what my friends heard a year and a half ago about their charismatic, bubbly, full-of-life daughter, Mandy. Her smile lit up the room and she was living for the Lord, being a light to all she touched. When I saw your son George on T. V. campaigning for his uncle, I couldn't help but see similarities between him and Mandy ... so charming and full of promise, with smiles that give you hope for the future, and draw you to them.

Suddenly, all that is shattered by a split second in time that forever changes all you've ever hoped for your child. Suddenly, you are surrounded by hundreds of people who know your child, who stand in prayer for her healing, who offer support, time, food, love and money to help you through this crisis. Weeks turn into months, and your insurance forces you out of the hospital to either a nursing home, or to your own home. You know you can't leave your child at the nursing home where care is so minimal, so you bring her home to the loving place she is used to. As soon as she's home, you see vast improvements and more peace on your child's face.

You fought to get medical equipment needed, a special bed to prevent bed sores (Mandy's still unable to move at will or speak or swallow. She's on a feeding tube to provide nourishment) suctioning equipment to clear her airways and the tracheotomy site in her throat; respiratory treatment machines; heart monitors, special food, diapers, etc. You learn how to bathe a bed-ridden adult, give her medicines, suction her lungs, and give her physical therapy . You train hundreds of volunteers from church to do physical therapy 3 times a day, 7 days a week. You see her slowly re-awaken from the coma; smiling more and more, laughing at silly jokes and T.V. shows. You thank God that she knows who you are and understands you. You thank God that she responds when she hears your voice and sees you walk in the door. You thank God that you can still see "Mandy" is in there, even though she's locked in and unable to communicate. You thank God that she's making tiny, but steady improvements.

But most of all, you pray for strength to keep going ... strength to keep depression at bay... strength to keep up with this weight of responsibility brought to your shoulders. You pray for help that is out there. You pray for compassion when you phone every agency you can to get medical support. You cry when that compassion doesn't come, when no one seems to care or understand. You find yourself unable to handle the harsh reality that all those on the other end of the phone have no earthly idea what your life is like; how difficult it is to stay strong for your family; how fearful you become being told that benefits will disappear when your child turns 21 on March 11, 2001, simply because her accident occurred after her 18th birthday.

Governor Bush, I can't stand to watch these hard-working, kind-hearted, God-fearing people lose all hope as they see their precious daughter fall through the bureaucratic cracks that our current system has far too many of. I will not stand for this injustice, as a tax payer of this state, and I won't stop until someone does something to help the Bradshaws get the services they need. I am asking you to do all in your power to cut through the red-tape, and see to it that this family gets the services that are now provided, but are to be eliminated when Mandy turns 21 on March 11, 2001. It is criminal that people with disabilities should have to wait for THREE YEARS before the state can get to them on the waiting list for services. I know you would not want to wait three years with no help. I can tell you this much: I have witnessed this family courageously and with great faith carry this burden of new responsibility in their lives, thanking God for all the loving generosity they've received from friends, church members, and even total strangers. Yet even with all the support spiritually, and medically, and emotionally they have been given, the weight threatens to become more than any human being could carry, as time passes on and months turn into years.

I could write volumes about what I've been privileged to share with the Bradshaw family these past 18 months, but time is crucial now to bring this to your attention. I'd like to invite you to visit the website set up for Mandy and her family, so you can learn more about their situation. I would further invite you with open arms to come by the Bradshaw's home and see for yourself how real and how serious this is. They live at 319 Tullis Avenue in Longwood, Florida, which is north of Orlando. Their phone number is (407) 381-3962, and they would welcome a chance to show you first hand what their daily life is like. Mandy's website is www.pray4mandy.com. I'm enclosing a bookmark- made up by our church for you to have. I appreciate the opportunity to bring this to you and I look forward to hearing from you. My number is (407) 330-1575, and may God continue to use you for His purposes.

Sincerely,

Susan K. Hilinski