The Birth of #IHEARTDESI

There wasn't a lot of warning. There weren't hours and hours of labor pains. There weren't even nine months of gestation. On a Thursday, we were told by the Yakama Indian Nation that they were not approving a necessary heart surgery for our son Desi. They were not authorizing crisis therapy for him to emotionally heal from the extreme abuse he survived in a foster home in the tribe's supervision. And the tribe was also requiring that he be returned to the tribe to the very same home from which he was removed.

We were not willing to accept that. 

The tribe warned us that if we went to the State of Tennessee for help, the tribe would remove Desi immediately.

We decided not to comply.

Three days after the tribe's phone call to us, we went to Facebook to see if the power of social media could help us. And it has! 

In only 4 days, we had over 4000 likes to our page and a reach of over 100,000 people all over the country. News stations in TN and WA were immediately covering the story and newspapers and online zines contributing as well.

It all started with this video...

Our situation with Desi has resonated deeply with people, and the significance goes beyond the life of our sweet boy. Foster children within all tribal systems need to be protected. Our hope is that Desi's battle will open the doors to reform how tribe's manage their foster program and how it can be effectively overseen.  

This blog will cover our battle to save Desi and give him the best life possible. It was also cover our larger battle for all foster children. If you'd like to read more about Desi, visit the ABOUT page. Subscribe to our blog. Like us on Facebook. We don't know how long this will all take, but we would be grateful if you would stand with us, spread our message, and be a part of this grand victory. Join our tribe: #IHEARTDESI