Sherry had been outside working in the front yard with her husband, Kevin, when the phone rang. She ran inside the house to answer it, "Hello."
She heard a voice on the other end, "Sherry? This is Betty with the Texas Department of Human Services. We talked the other day when you were here for the job interview. Well, I just wanted to call and let you know that you got the job!"
Sherry ran back outside as soon as she hung up the phone. "Kevin!" She screamed. "Kevin, I got the job! I got the job!"
This was the day that she had dreamed of. Finally, she could go to work and not only did she have a job, she had the job that she wanted. She was going to work as a child protective specialist. She was on top of the world.
Her office would be located thirty miles from where she lived and she would be housed in with workers who issued food stamps and Medicare/Medicaid.
Shortly after Sherry was hired, she was sent to Dallas for two weeks of training. When she returned back to the office, she thought that she would be accompanying caseworkers out in the field and observing them while they worked. She did, two different caseworkers, for a total of three investigations.
The very first investigation that Sherry was allowed to shadow a worker on came across the fax late on Friday evening. Someone had called in alleging that this mother was not properly feeding her 8-month-old baby. The complainant described the baby as looking like one of those “starving poster children.”
Janice was an older lady, who had been with the department for almost five years. Because the turnover rate for caseworkers was eighteen months, Janice was considered an experienced worker.
Janice popped her head into Sherry's office, "Are you about ready to go?” she asked.
Sherry closed the file folder that held the intake and announced, "Yeah, I just got through reading it."
As they pulled into the driveway of the rundown apartments, it was obvious that this was a lower class family. There was not a sign of a vehicle around. She wondered if there was anyone home.
They walked to the crumbling wooden porch and knocked on the door. The young mother soon appeared and invited the two workers in.
Sherry had read in the report that this mother wasn't but 20 years old. Her looks said she had lived a difficult twenty years.
After a quick introduction, Janice was asking to see the baby. The mother raised herself from the chair and walked towards the next room. Sherry looked around the living room, taking notice of the sparsely furnished room. There wasn't much to look at, a couch, two chairs, a table and a nice new television set.
The mother soon reappeared carrying with her a small bundle wrapped in an old blanket. She walked over to Janice and produced her 8-month-old daughter. Sherry positioned herself closer to Janice so that she could get a better look at the baby.
She watched as Janice pulled back the tattered and torn blanket. Sherry and Janice both gazed down at the baby who did not appear to be 8 months old. She looked to be closer to a newborn. The disposable diaper was saturated to the point that it had overflowed onto the baby's gown. The baby had surely not seen a good bath in several days. Janice looked up towards the mother who had parked herself back in front of the television.
"She is wet!" Janice exclaimed.
The mother glanced up from the television long enough to state, "She just woke up. I haven't changed her yet." Her eyes cut back towards the television game show.
Janice interrupted her again, "Well, will you change her now, please?"
Somewhat disgusted, she rose from her chair again and went towards the baby's room.
She returned with a diaper, in her hand, and knelt down on the floor in front of Janice.
As the soaked diaper was pulled from the baby's bottom, Sherry was shocked at the baby's small frail body. Sherry's eyes widened. The complainant had not lied. This baby did look like a she was starving!
Sherry’s eyes shifted from the baby to Janice as she thought, "My God, you have to do something!"
The mother wrapped the fresh diaper around the baby's waist and returned the baby back to Janice.
Janice asked, "Has the baby had anything to eat?"
The mother looked up with frustration and said, "I told you that she just got up!"
Janice apologized and said; "Do you mind feeding her now while we are here?" The mother raised herself from the floor and took the baby to the kitchen.
As the mother feed the baby, Sherry watched in amazement. "My God, the baby is starving!” she thought. Just a few spoonful’s of baby food and the small infant began to choke. "Slow down, sweetie. You're eating too fast.”
Janice soon announced, "Ms. Clark, it does appear that your baby is not as healthy as most babies her age. You need to take her to your family doctor Monday morning and have her examined."
As Janice began gathering up her belongings, Sherry stared in disbelief. She wanted to say, "What are you doing? This baby is starving! Didn't you see how she gulped down the food as if it might be her last?” But instead, she stood silent as thoughts raced through her mind.
Ms. Clark told Janice that she would call and get an appointment for Monday. "But there is nothing wrong with her,” Ms. Clark proclaimed.
Janice replied, "Well, let's just make sure."
Once in the car, Sherry had a list of questions. "Are we just going to leave that baby there? The baby is starving! What if she doesn't feed her any more this week-end?"
Janice smiled at Sherry who was somewhat in a panic and said, "She will take the baby to the doctor Monday."
Sherry wasn't worried about Monday. She was worried about what might happen between now and then. "Janice, that baby was weak! She could starve to death over the weekend!"
Janice did not seem to share the same concerns that Sherry was having. Janice told her, "She will feed her enough to keep her alive. We will take care of it Monday."
One quick glance at Sherry and it was obvious that she was distraught. Janice tried to further explain her actions, "Look! It is already 4:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Do you realize that we will be working all night if I take conservatorship of that baby? I am not working all night. The baby will be all right until Monday, trust me."
Sherry's whole weekend was spent thinking about the baby. She had never seen anything like it before. The swollen belly was the only seemingly large part of her tiny physique. The delicate arms seemed to be draped with only a layer of skin. Two of the more obvious signs of starvation seemed to be the head that was definitely out of proportion with the body, and the inner thigh area. Sherry had been stunned at the looks of the baby's inner thighs. The skin covering the little bit of meat on the thighs was wrinkled to the point that it resembled an old woman's skin.
Monday morning and Sherry was in Janice's office. "Are we going to see Ms. Clark today?" Sherry was anxious to make sure that the baby was all right.
Janice told her, "Yeah, I will call and find out what time their appointment is with the doctor."
Later that day, Janice walked into Sherry's office and announced, "I have to go to the hospital. Do you want to go with me?"
Sherry figured that another intake had come in. "Sure! What is this one?” Sherry asked.
As Janice turned to walk out the door, she said, "It's the Clark's." They admitted the baby to the hospital a while ago."
A look of pity came across Sherry's face. She had been right. The baby was starving. It was at that point that she realized that this was not just a job. She would be responsible for lives. The lives of the most innocent and vunerable.