Kiaya's Story

"I don't know what I would have done without my CASA, Jane. I started out as a fragile, scared little girl and now I have turned into a very loved Laffy-Taffy."

When CASA volunteer Jane Hegstrom met Kiaya she was six years old and in the first grade. Kiaya had recently been diagnosed as a type one, insulin dependent diabetic, and her school nurse, principal and neighbors had called the Department of Human Services hotline with serious concerns that she was being neglected.

“I’ll never forget the first time I met Kiaya,” said Jane. “I went to her school and found her in the nurse’s office. My first impression was that Kiaya was a very ‘old’ six-year-old.” She looked pale, fragile and afraid. But Kiaya warmed up quickly and began to tell Jane about her home life. Her parents split up when she was an infant, and she hadn’t seen her father in over three years. She did remember that her mother had left her several times over the years with her father. She had also been left alone for several months with a very abusive stepfather. Now, she was living with her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, an 18-month-old half sister, and a friend of her mother’s who also had a small child. Numerous other people came and went. At least six people and sometimes more were living in a small two-bedroom apartment. Kiaya’s mother had an addiction to narcotic painkillers, and slept much of the day. Kiaya was pretty much on her own, and was given responsibilities way beyond what should be expected of a six-year-old. She had been exposed to things that no six-year-old should see or know about.

Kiaya’s diabetes is a very serious disease. Her mother had an adequate understanding of the disease, but was not able to properly care for Kiaya. She wasn’t being fed or monitored correctly.

She was severely and inappropriately disciplined when her blood sugars fluctuated. Often times she was forced to stand fully clothed, in a freezing cold shower for long periods of time. When she was finally allowed out, she was forbidden to dry off or change clothes.

Kiaya’s situation at home did not improve. “I became convinced that her mother was not capable of caring for her when I went to school one day to have lunch with Kiaya,” Jane explained. Her lunchbox contained only a sandwich made with one piece of old bologna on moldy bread. Her thermos was half-full of sour milk. Jane requested an emergency meeting of all the professionals on the case to discuss removing Kiaya from her home and placing her in foster care. The next day, Kiaya collapsed on the school playground because her mother had forgotten to send her monitor and insulin to school. 911 was called, and Kiaya was rushed to the hospital. School personnel went to Kiaya’s home to inform her mother, but were unable to awaken her.

Kiaya was admitted to the hospital and responded immediately to medical treatment. Jane was there the next afternoon when “an angel” walked into the room carrying a beautiful new dress for Kiaya. It was Jerilyn, her new foster mother. Jerilyn spent the rest of that day and the next with doctors and nurses learning everything she could about how to care for Kiaya. In a matter of days, Kiaya blossomed in the her new home. She loved having an older sister, and two brothers, and a foster mom and dad who expected no more of her than to just be a normal six-year-old. She especially loved trying new, healthy foods that she’d never been offered before. Therapy had been arranged for Kiaya so that she could have a better understanding of her situation and understand that this was not her fault. CASA also requested joint therapy for the mother to try help her bond more closely with Kiaya and her sister. The court was asked to order protective daycare for Kiaya’s younger sister to ensure her safety, and requested that her mom and mom’s boyfriend were required to participate in parenting classes.

Intensive inpatient treatment was requested for Kiaya’s mother’s drug addiction, however, she dropped out halfway through the program. Jane was able to arrange for Kiaya to spend some time with a 16-year-old girl who has had diabetes much of her life, and found a ballet teacher willing to let Kiaya take lessons free of charge. For the first time ever, Kiaya was just like any other six-year-old. She was safe, healthy and loved.

Jane had located Kiaya’s biological father in Pueblo and he became involved for a short time, but then moved away and lost contact once again.

Jane reported everything she knew about the case to the court and made recommendations on Kiaya’s behalf. The court terminated her father’s parental rights. Kiaya’s mother eventually realized that she could not care for Kiaya and relinquished her rights as well.

Kiaya was adopted on Feb. 17, 2003, fourteen months after CASA became involved.

Today, Kiaya is safe, she is healthy, she is loved, and boy, is she happy!

“When I think about my old family I sometimes felt lonely and sad,” said Kiaya. "In my new family, my brother calls me Laffy Taffy because I laugh a lot. I like to laugh because I have so much fun in my new home.”