Daughter’s death gives family a mission
Settlement from suffocation will be used to help other special-needs kids
By SEAN O’SULLIVAN
The News Journal
11/29/2005
Originally published at DelawareOnline.com
© 2005 The News Journal
Reprinted by permission
This should be a moment of peace and satisfaction for the Flick family.
They took on a national bed company in a lawsuit early this year and not only received a significant cash settlement but saw the company they alleged was negligent close its doors.
But the victory in many ways is bittersweet.
Victoria’s birth to John and Deborah Flick in 1997 forever changed the family in ways their first child, Christina, did not.
Their youngest daughter was born with cerebral palsy, suffering significant physical and mental impairments, and needing constant attention. Cerebral palsy is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain before, during or after birth and covers a wide range of physical and mental disabilities, according to Marge Turner of United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware.
Families with a child who suffers from cerebral palsy often face great strain, Turner said, because of the care demands placed on them. In addition to near-constant demands around the home, there are frequent doctor visits and therapy sessions.
“Usually one of the parents is not working because they can’t maintain a job because they have to take off so many times,” she said. Divorce is common.
But in the Flicks’ case, Victoria seemed to bring the family closer together rather than tearing them apart, according to their attorney, Robert Hunn. (more…)