Say Anything Blog

She Was Hanging On For Daddy”
Girl, 10, Succumbs To Brain Cancer After Inmate Dad Gets One Last Visit

(CBS) A ten-year-old girl lost her battle with brain cancer overnight, shortly after what turned out to be a last visit from her father, who’s in prison on a drugs-related conviction.

It was, Jayci Yaeger’s family says, her last wish—to have her father by her side. Jason Yaeger was escorted Wednesday from Yankton Federal Prison Camp in South Dakota to the hospice in Lincoln, Neb. where Jayci spent her last days. Jason was allowed to stay for 20 minutes.

The link to this heartbreaking story is below. The wish of this dying girl was the most important part of this story. The prison officials tried very hard to meet her needs and yet the family is not satisfied.

1. It may be that some will be in sympathy with the father because he was only in prison for a drug charge.
2. Some, including this writer, believes the father was responsible for not being with his dying daughter and now with his surviving and grieving daughter, because he chose to break the law.
3. I do not understand why the prison is criticized when the only thing they did not do was give this man an early release.
4. This little girl, who loved and needed her father so much was able to see him four times in recent weeks and at her last minutes, despite the fact the prison had no legal responsibility to do anything, they went the extra mile.

No matter what the facts are it is heartbreaking that such a young human being suffered and died, it is terrible that the surviving daughter must grieve without the arms of her father around her; but we must ask ourselves who is responsible for the father being absent, the prison or the father?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/28/earlyshow/main3976787.shtml?source=mostpop_story